Biogeographical Province- 4.8.4 (Indus-Ganges monsoon forest)

Geographical Location- Situated in the Aravalli Range near the Bombay-Delhi railway, northeast of Uniara township and southwest of Gangapur city in Rajasthan. 25°54'-26°12'NLONGITUDE 76°23'-29'E.

Date and History of Establishment- Established as a sanctuary on 5 August 1959. Designated as tiger reserve under Project Tiger in 1973. Since upgraded to a Reserve National Park.

Area- 35,200ha; contiguous to reserve forest.

Land Tenure- Government

Physical Features- One of the most impressive wildlife reserves in India, comprising numerous valleys and flat hilltops of the Aravallis Range (215-500m). The Banas River and tributary (Kandoli) flow through the park. Features include numerous ravines, a magnificent 11th century fort of great historical significance and several small lakes.

Vegetation- 5 main vegetation types have been defined in the reserve (Sharma 1983). 1) Aquatic habitats support anchored species such as Vallisneria spiralis, Blyxa echinosperma, Nymphoides cristatum; floating species such as water chestnut Trapa natans var. bispinosa, Pistia stratiotes and Spirodela polyrhiza; marshland species such as the hydrophytes Amischophacelus axillaris, Desmodium triflorum, Melochia corchorifolia, Oryza nivara and Xanthium indicum; and trees such as Phoenix sylvestris, Tamarix aphylla and Ficus racemosa. 2) 30 recorded grass species including 8 valuable fodder plants: Chloris virgata, Dichanthium annulatum, Echinochloa colonum, Hemarthria compressa, Heteropogon contortus, Pennisetum pedicellatum and Themeda quadrivalvis. 3) The gravel slopes are covered predominantly by annual grasses and forage plants including Cassia pumila, C. absus, Euphorbia parviflora, calcicolous Kickxia ramosissima and Sclerocarpus africanus. 4) The plains support a diverse herbaceous flora during the rainy season with species including Acalypha ciliata, Amaranthus tricolor, Cassis occidentalis, Phyllanthus asperulatus, Solanum nigrum and Waltheria indica. 5) Forest areas of the tropical dry deciduous and tropical thorn types. Major tree species are Anogeissus pendula with Acacia catechu and Diospyros montana in the deciduous forest and Acacia leucophloea, A. senegal, Dichrostachys cinerea, Ziziphus trinervia and Z. xylopyra. Shrubs include Abrus precatorius, Gymnema sylvestre, Rhynchosia spp., Grewia spp., Euphorbia neriifolia and Crotalaria burhea. 305 species (217 genera) recorded from the reserve include 105 of medicinal importance and several used for scent extraction such as Vetiveria zizanioides. Sharma (1983) contains a systematic review of the recorded plant species.

Fauna- Mammals include tiger Panthera tigris (both within the park and is surrounding reserve forests), leopard P. pardus, jungle cat Felis chaus, golden jackal Canis aureus, striped hyaena Hyaena hyaena, sloth bear Melursus ursinus, wild boar Sus scrofa, sambar Cervus unicolor, chinkara or mountain gazelle Gazella gazella, nilgai Boselaphus tragocamelus, Rhesus macaque Macaca mulatta, Hanuman langur Presbytis entellus, wolf Canis lupus (located in the reserve forest around the park after becoming extinct in the area), palm civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus, blackbuck Antilope cervicapra, chital Cervus axis and porcupine Hystrix hystrix. Reptiles include crocodile Crocodilus palustris (V) and monitor lizard. Rich birdlife including peafowl Pavo cristatus, red spurfowl Galloperdix spadicea, partridge Francolinus pondicerianus and common green pigeon Treron phoenicoptera.