While there are over a 100 national parks dotted across India, there is one state that has no national park at all. It’s a difficult guess but then here’s the surprising name and it is Punjab ! Yes, you read that correctly.

It is true that whenever we mention India’s wildlife diversity, we think of Bengal tigers in Madhya Pradesh, elephants in Jim Corbett, and rhinos in Assam. But considering there are more than 100 national parks and over 550 wildlife sanctuaries in India, Punjab does surprised .

So let’s find out some crucial reasons behind Punjab not having a national park:

Punjab: Granary of India


It’s a fact that Punjab has extremely fertile land because of which it is also known as the “Granary of India”. The vast agricultural lands contribute to the country’s food production. But it is quite surprising that the state till date has no designated wildlife protection area,

Wildlife sanctuaries:

However, there are some wildlife sanctuaries in Punjab including:

Harike Wildlife Sanctuary , Ferozepur, and Kapurthala districts. It is also a fact that Punjab has one of the lowest percentages of forested areas in the country.

Bir Moti Bagh Sanctuary, Patiala

These might be relatively small in size but each is beautiful! But these are so small that they can never qualify as a national park. To get the designation of a national park, the sanctuary requires a larger ecosystem and higher levels of protection under India’s Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Possible reasons for no National Park

Well there are might be several reasons contributing to this:

High population
Urbanisation
Agricultural land, and little undisturbed forest area
Industrial development

Despite all these, Punjab has managed wetland conservation. Harike here is the best example for this as it is a crucial Ramsar Site attracting thousands of birds every winter. Some of the most spotted birds here include Common Myna, Rock Pigeon, Red-vented Bulbul, and Rose-ringed Parakeet, among others.


Well, given the state’s agricultural significance and water resources, the state plays an important role in migratory bird routes. There is a strong case for at least one national park to be developed in Punjab.

So next time someone asks you about Indian geography, you’ll can surprise everyone with your knowledge: India’s only state without a national park is Punjab!