Bannerghata National park

• The Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) has directed the office of the chief secretary of Karnataka to submit a response on the issue of encroachment of the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of the Bannerghatta National Park.

ABOUT BANNERGHATTA NATIONAL PARK

• It is located near Bangalore, Karnataka, in the hills of the Anekal range.
• Area- 260 sq.km
• The park is a portion of the elephant corridor that runs between the Sathyamangalam forest and the BR Hills.
• Suvarnamukhi stream, originating from Suvarnamukhi Hill, runs through the centre of the park.
• In 1974, it was designated as a national park.
• In 2002 a portion of the park became a biological reserve, the Bannerghatta Biological Park.
• It is the first biological park in India to have a fenced forested elephant sanctuary.
• In 2006, India’s first butterfly enclosure was inaugurated at the park.
• Vegetation includes Dry Deciduous Scrub Forests, Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests and Southern Tropical Moist Mixed Forests with species, including Sandalwood, Tamarind, and Bamboo
• Fauna- elephants, gaur, tiger, leopard, jackal, fox, wild boar, sloth bear, Sambar, Chital, spotted deer, barking deer, common langur, pangolin, bonnet macaque, porcupine and hares.