Madhav National Park: Geographical Location, Flora & Fauna - UPSC Notes

The Madhav National Park is in the Shivpuri district, Madhya Pradesh, in the Gwalior division. The Park was first recognized in 1956 as Shivpuri National Park. In 1958, its name was changed to Madhav National Park. It is named after Madho Rao Scindia. He was the maharaja of Gwalior and belonged to the Scindia faction of the Maratha Empire.

Madhav National Park is an important section of the UPSC IAS exam syllabus. This topic comes under the Subject Environment of the UPSC Mains GS Paper 3 syllabus and UPSC Prelims syllabus of the General Studies Paper 1.

UPSC Aspirants can improve their chances of selection through Testbook's UPSC CSE Coaching and boost their preparation for the IAS Exam! Other important topics related to the UPSC IAS examination can also be accessed here on Testbook!

You can download Environment notes for the IAS Exam here!

Latest News on Madhav National Park

Madhav National Park has been officially declared a tiger reserve, making it Madhya Pradesh's 9th and India's 58th tiger reserve. This is a significant milestone for wildlife conservation in the region. The Madhav Tiger Reserve now encompasses a larger area, including a newly designated buffer zone.

The Madhav National Park is located in the Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh. It is a part of the upper regions of the Vindhya hills. In 1958, it was granted the status of a National Park. In the same year, its name was changed from Shivpuri National Park to Madhav National Park. It was renamed after the Maharaja of Gwalior, Madho Rao Scindia.

The Madhav National Park was the hunting region for the Maharajas of Gwalior and the Mughal Emperors. It is believed that Mughal Emperor Akbar captured herds of elephants from this area. The Maharaja of Gwalior even created a ‘Shooting Box’ in the park area. It was a viewing area from where they could shoot at the wildlife. Jivaji Rao Scindia built a beautiful George Castle inside this National Park for British King George 5th. 

In 1958, the Park had an area of 167 square kilometers. Presently, it spreads over an area of 355 square kilometers. This Park also has an artificial reservoir called Sankhya Sagar. It was designated as a Ramsar Site in July 2022. Madhav Sagar is another lake located in the southern part of the Park. They help to maintain the ecological balance of this National Park. 

Madhav National Park has a diverse form of ecosystem. It consists of forests (Dry deciduous and dry thorny vegetation), lakes, and grasslands. The Ranthambore-Kuno-Madhav tiger corridor of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh passes through the Madhav National Park. The Park is situated in one of the 32 tiger corridors of India. 

Read about the Marine Protected Areas of India from here!

Madhav National Park Map

The below map gives a picture of the physiographic divisions of the Madhav National park:

Read about the Loss of Biodiversity and its Conservation from here!

Some of the key geographical features of Madhav national park include:

• The Madhav National Park has two entry points. 
  • The first one is located on National Highway 27, which is the Jhansi to Shivpuri National Highway (erstwhile NH - 25)
  • The second one is on National Highway 3, which connects Agra and Mumbai.
• The National Park has one perennial river called the Sindh. It flows across the eastern border of the Park.
• The National Park has several small ponds in it. The major reservoirs are the Sankhya Sagar reservoir and the Madhav Sagar reservoir, or the Madhav Lake.
• The annual average rainfall of 816 mm falls on this National Park.
• The National Park is rich in diversity of Flora and Fauna. This is mainly because of the diverse ecosystem of this region.
• The Park consists of Forested hill terrain as well as flat grasslands.
• The Madhav National Park is home to the Sahariya tribe. It is considered a PVTG (Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group).
• In the 10 km radius of the Park, there are about 130 villages and Shivpuri town. 
• Nearly half of the village population consists of Scheduled Tribe (STs).
• Their main occupations include wage labor, pastoralism for milk sales, and public or private services. 
• Half of the population of these villages is landless. Hence, they are dependent upon the resources obtained from the National Park.

Read about the Global Tiger Forum from here!

Flora and Fauna at Madhav National Park

The park is home to a variety of flora and fauna, including:

Flora

The vegetation of Madhav National Park is predominantly dry deciduous forest. Some of the common tree species include:

• Khair (Acacia catechu)
• Dhawda (Anogeissus latifolia)
• Palash (Butea monosperma)
• Kerdhai (Anogeissus pendula)
• Salai (Boswellia serrata)

Fauna

Madhav National Park is home to a variety of animals, including:

• Mammals: Tiger, leopard, sloth bear, sloth bear, sambar deer, chital deer, nilgai, barking deer, four-horned antelope, blackbuck, wild pig, wolf, jackal, fox, hyena, and porcupine.
• Birds: Peafowl, grey hornbill, red-headed vulture, Indian peafowl, painted stork, black-necked stork, common crane, sarus crane, and a variety of other waterfowl.
• Reptiles: Indian crocodile, marsh crocodile, monitor lizards, pythons, and cobras.
• Amphibians: Frogs and toads.
• Insects: A variety of butterflies, moths, beetles, and other insects.

Read about the Environment Conventions and Protocols from here!

Download the Key Takeaways PDF for Madhav National Park!

We hope this article will be helpful for the aspirants of various competitive exams. You can avail more such notes, test series, current affairs sessions, live coaching and much more from our Testbook app. Ace your preparation by downloading the Testbook App now.