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UPSC Prelims 2012 · Environment · Wild Places
In which one among the following categories of protected areas in India are local people not allowed to collect and use the biomass?
- (a) Biosphere Reserves
- (b) National Parks
- (c) Wetlands declared under Ramsar Convention
- (d) Wildlife Sanctuaries
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (b) National Parks
National Parks are the strictest category: grazing and removal of forest produce are not permitted inside (Wildlife Act, 1972).
The idea
Rank the four by how strict they are. The strictest one is the answer.
National park: no grazing, no collection → Sanctuary: some rights may continue with permission → Ramsar wetland: wise use continues → Biosphere reserve: people live in the outer zones
Why the others are wrong
(a) Biosphere reserves are built FOR coexistence — people live and work in the buffer and transition zones.
(c) Ramsar sites follow “wise use” — fishing and harvesting continue, sustainably.
(d) In sanctuaries, some rights (grazing, collecting produce) can continue with the Chief Wildlife Warden’s permission.
The trap
Sanctuary vs National Park is the classic confusion. Sanctuary = some rights can stay. National Park = rights are settled and ended.
Also know
The Forest Rights Act, 2006 later recognised some forest-dwellers’ rights even inside protected areas — but UPSC 2012 tested the Wildlife Act position.
🔒 National parks strictly limit use; Ramsar sites and biosphere reserves may include them, so there is no universal strictness ladder.