Great Himalayan National Park

It took 15 years for the Great Himalayan National Park to go from a government’s stated intent to an actual national park, and another 15 for UNESCO to recognise it. Its snow leopards are still rare enough that a 2025 census found lower numbers here than in Himachal’s other high-altitude valleys.

MCQ Questions

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Great Himalayan National Park

15 years to become a national park, another 15 to earn UNESCO recognition — and its snow leopards are still rare.

1984

Intent to Create GHNP

Himachal Pradesh‘s government expresses its intent to create the park.

1999

Instated as a National Park

GHNP is formally declared, after 15 years of surveys and rights settlements.

23 JUN 2014

UNESCO World Heritage Site

UNESCO inscribes GHNP, at its 38th session in Doha, Qatar.

NOV 2025

Snow Leopard Census

Himachal’s population rises to 83, though GHNP itself shows lower density.

The pattern: GHNP took 15 years from first survey to National Park status, then another 15 to UNESCO recognition. Its snow leopards remain rare here, even as the state’s overall population climbs.

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Timeline

• 1984: Himachal Pradesh’s government expresses its intent to create GHNP.
• 1988: Settlement of local community forest rights inside the park begins.
• 1994–99: A World Bank-funded biodiversity project runs, founding 16 village eco-development committees.
• 1999: GHNP is formally instated as a National Park.
• 23 June 2014: UNESCO inscribes GHNP as a World Heritage Site, at its 38th session in Doha.

Must Know

• Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) sits in the Banjar sub-division of Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh.
• The Himachal Pradesh government expressed its intent to create GHNP in 1984.
• GHNP was formally instated as a National Park in 1999, after 15 years of surveys and local rights settlements.
• UNESCO inscribed GHNP as a World Heritage Site on 23 June 2014, at its 38th session in Doha.
• GHNP’s total area covers 1,171 sq km. Elevations range from 1,500 m to 6,000 m.
• The snow leopard is GHNP’s flagship species.
• GHNP is home to more than 375 recorded fauna species. This includes 31 mammal species and 181 bird species.
• The park sits at the junction of two major biogeographic realms: the Indomalayan realm to the south, and the Palearctic realm to the north.

Good to Know

• GHNP’s story began with watershed surveys of the Tirthan, Sainj, and Jiwa Nal rivers, starting in 1980.
• Settlement of local community forest rights inside GHNP began in 1988.
• The World Bank funded a biodiversity conservation project here from 1994 to 1999. It helped found 16 village eco-development committees.
• The park is divided into four valleys: Sainj, Tirthan, Jiwa Nal, and Parvati.
• Small villages sit in the western part of the park. GHNP is not entirely uninhabited, unlike some other Indian national parks.
• Key wildlife includes the Himalayan tahr, Himalayan brown bear, blue sheep (bharal), and Himalayan musk deer.
• The endangered western tragopan pheasant, Himachal Pradesh’s state bird, is also found here.
• All hunting is banned inside GHNP, under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Test Yourself

Please wait…

1. In which year was Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) formally instated as a National Park?

1984

1994

2014

1999

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Great to Know

• GHNP was inscribed for its “outstanding significance for biodiversity conservation,” under UNESCO’s Criterion (x).
• A 2010 proposal suggested merging the neighbouring Tirthan and Sainj Wildlife Sanctuaries into GHNP, for stronger protection. This forms the wider Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area.
• GHNP connects to India’s Western Himalayan mountain-park cluster, alongside Nanda Devi National Park.
• It also joins Kaziranga, Gir, Corbett, Sundarbans, Bandipur, and Manas in India’s wider pattern of major conservation histories, though GHNP’s own timeline runs later, entirely within the late 20th century.

Current Affairs

• 2 November 2025: A second statewide snow leopard survey (2024-25) found Himachal Pradesh’s population had risen to 83, up from 51 in 2021. GHNP itself recorded a lower snow leopard density than the Spiti and Pin valleys, which held the state’s highest counts. (Source: IANS/Telangana Today)