In which one among the following categories of protected areas in India are local people not…

Answer: (b) National Parks

A National Park is the most strictly protected category under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. All rights in the land must vest in the State Government before the area is finally declared a National Park, and no livestock grazing is permitted. A sanctuary, by contrast, can meet the bona fide needs of people living in and around it, and grazing there may be permitted under regulation. So National Parks are the category where local people cannot collect and use biomass.

• ✓ (b) Under s.35(4), the State Government declares an area a National Park only after all rights in respect of the lands proposed for inclusion have vested in it. Section 35(7) bars grazing of any livestock in a National Park. Local people therefore retain no rights there to collect biomass such as fodder, fuel or forest produce.
• ✗ (d) Section 29 provides that forest produce removed from a sanctuary may be used for the personal bona fide needs of people living in and around it, though not for commercial purposes. Under s.33(d), the Chief Wild Life Warden may regulate, control or prohibit grazing in a sanctuary, so grazing can be allowed. The Explanation to s.29 states that grazing permitted under s.33(d) is not a prohibited act.
• ✗ (a) A Biosphere Reserve is a zoned landscape with core, buffer and transition areas. Its buffer and transition areas allow regulated, sustainable use by local communities, so it does not impose a National Park's bar on local use.
• ✗ (c) The Ramsar Convention promotes the 'wise use' of wetlands, which includes sustainable use by people. Ramsar designation does not by itself prohibit local people from using biomass.

Remember · National Park: rights vested in the State, no grazing. Wildlife Sanctuary: bona fide use of forest produce by nearby people is allowed, and grazing can be permitted under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2012, General Studies paper. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). · Report an error