Which one of the following National Parks lies completely in the temperate alpine zone?
- Manas National Park
- Namdapha National Park
- Neora Valley National Park
- Valley of Flowers National Park
Explanation
Option (d) is correct
- Valley of Flowers National Park is a high-altitude Himalayan valley in the transition zone between Zanskar and the Great Himalayas. It is known for its meadows of endemic alpine flowers. Spread over an area of 87 sq km in the Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, the Valley of Flowers National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and forms one of the two core zones (the other being the Nanda Devi National Park) of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve.
- Vegetation: Alpine vegetation (The park lies completely in the temperate alpine zone).
- Major Flora: Orchids, poppies, marigold, daisies, rhododendron and birch.
- Major Fauna: Asiatic black bear, snow leopard, musk deer, brown bear, red fox, and bharal (blue sheep).
Option (a) is incorrect
- Manas National Park is a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site, a Project Tiger reserve, an elephant reserve and a biosphere reserve. It is contiguous with the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan. Manas is famous for its wild water buffalo population (EN). The Manas River is a major tributary of the Brahmaputra River and flows through the Manas National Park.
Option (b) is incorrect
- Namdapha National Park is located between the Dapha bum range of the Mishmi Hills and the Patkai range. It is crossed by the Noa Dihing River (a tributary of the Brahmaputra River) that originates at Chaukan Pass. It is the largest protected area in the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot.
- Vegetation: Evergreen to temperate broadleaf forest.
- It is the only park in the World to have the four Feline species of big cat, namely: Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard and Clouded Leopard. It is famous for the critically endangered Namdapha flying squirrel which is endemic to the park.
Option (c) is incorrect
- Neora Valley National Park is located on the Himalayas in Kalimpong. It is the land of Red Panda (EN).
- Vegetation: Himalayan Broadleaf forests.
- Major Flora: Rhododendron, bamboo, oak, ferns, sal.
- Major Fauna: Indian leopard, black bear, sloth bear, golden cat, barking dee, Himalayan flying squirrel, thar.
