[Solved] With reference to India’s Desert National Park, which of the following statements are correct? 1. It is spread over two districts. 2. There is no human habitation inside the park. 3. It is one of the natural habitats of the Great India Bustard. Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Q55.With reference to India’s Desert National Park, which of the following statements are correct?

1. It is spread over two districts.

2. There is no human habitation inside the park.

3. It is one of the natural habitats of the Great India Bustard.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

A. 1 and 2 only

B. 2 and 3 only

C. 1 and 3 only

D. 1, 2 and 3

Answer: C

Explanation:

· Desert National Park is a national park situated in the Indian state of Rajasthan, near the towns of Jaisalmer and Barmer.

· This is one of the largest national parks, covering an area of 3162 km².

· The Desert National Park is an excellent example of the ecosystem of the Thar Desert.

· The Thar desert is the most thickly populated desert in the world with an average density of 83 persons/km²

· However, the human population within the DNP is low (4-5 persons per km²).

· There are 73 villages and also settlements or Dhanis existing within the Park.

· The DNP is the most important site for the long-term survival of the Globally Threatened Great Indian Bustard and other endemic fauna and flora.

· It is one of the heaviest flying birds in the world.

· It is the State bird of Rajasthan. (mostly to Rajasthan and Gujarat)

· It is considered the flagship grassland species, representing the health of the grassland ecology.

· But with less than 200 GIBs remaining in the world, most of them found in Rajasthan’s Desert National Park.

· Critically endangered and Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

· Appendix I of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

· The Great Indian Bustard, Asian Elephant and Bengal Florican have been included in Appendix I of the UN Convention on Migratory Species at the 13th Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) in Gandhinagar (Gujarat).