World Heritage Identification Number: 337
World Heritage since: 1985
Category: Natural Heritage
WHE Type: Protected Areas & National Parks
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇮🇳 India
Continent: Asia
UNESCO World Region: Asia and the Pacific
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Kaziranga National Park: A Sanctuary for the One-Horned Rhinoceros
Kaziranga National Park, located in the northeastern Indian state of Assam, is a significant biodiversity hotspot that serves as a vital habitat for numerous endangered species. Established in 1908 as a reserve forest, it was declared a national park in 1974, and in 1985, it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
In the heart of Assam, this park is one of the last areas in eastern India undisturbed by a human presence. It is inhabited by the world's largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses, as well as many mammals, including tigers, elephants, panthers and bears, and thousands of birds.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
Criterion (ix): River fluctuations by the Brahmaputra river system result in spectacular examples of riverine and fluvial processes. River bank erosion, sedimentation and formation of new lands as well as new water-bodies, plus succession between grasslands and woodlands represents outstanding examples of significant and ongoing, dynamic ecological and biological processes. Wet alluvial grasslands occupy nearly two-thirds of the park area and are maintained by annual flooding and burning. These natural processes create complexes of habitats which are also responsible for a diverse range of predator/prey relationships.
Criterion (x): Kaziranga was inscribed for being the world’s major stronghold of the Indian one-horned rhino, having the single largest population of this species, currently estimated at over 2,000 animals. The property also provides habitat for a number of globally threatened species including tiger, Asian elephant, wild water buffalo, gaur, eastern swamp deer, Sambar deer, hog deer, capped langur, hoolock gibbon and sloth bear. The park has recorded one of the highest density of tiger in the country and has been declared a Tiger Reserve since 2007. The park’s location at the junction of the Australasia and Indo-Asian flyway means that the park’s wetlands play a crucial role for the conservation of globally threatened migratory bird species. The Endangered Ganges dolphin is also found in some of the closed oxbow lakes.
Encyclopedia Record: Kaziranga National Park
Kaziranga National Park is a national park in the Golaghat, Sonitpur, Biswanath and Nagaon districts of the state of Assam, India. KNP has 5 ranges. The park, which hosts two-thirds of the world's Indian rhinoceroses, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to a March 2018 census conducted jointly by the Forest Department of the Government of Assam and some recognized wildlife NGOs, the rhino population in Kaziranga National Park is 2,613. It comprises 1,641 adult rhinos and 385 calves.Additional Site Details
Area: 42,996 hectares
Number of Components: 1
(x) — Contains most important habitats for biodiversity
Coordinates: 26.66666667 , 93.41666667
IUCN World Heritage Outlook
The 2025 Conservation Outlook on Kaziranga National Park reports the following assessment:
Source: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) · View assessment
Image
© Dr. Raju Kasambe, CC BY-SA 4.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
World Heritage Research
Discover scientific research and academic studies that deepen our understanding of Kaziranga National Park from its history and significance to its conservation, management, and contemporary challenges.
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Spatio-temporal flood frequency dynamics in Kaziranga National Park using multi-year Sentinel-1 SAR and vegetation indices
Kaziranga National Park experiences dynamic and frequent floods along the Brahmaputra River, leading to significant ecological changes. A study using 228 Sentinel-1 SAR and 8 Sentinel-2 optical images (2015–2022) revealed that flood frequency (FF) is highest near the Brahmaputra channel, permanent waterbodies, and wetlands, with extreme years (2017, 2020, 2022) showing mean FF over 40%. Analysis identified 8.24% of the park with decreasing FF due to sediment deposition and 10.04% with increasing FF linked to erosion and channel encroachment. Flood ridges indicated average channel migration of ∼157 m upstream and ∼311 m inward, with localized shifts exceeding ∼1 km. DBSCAN clustering highlighted 68 zones of hydro-geomorphic instability, including 43 hotspots and 25 cold spots. Vegetation analysis showed NDVI decline in hotspots due to inundation but greening in cold spots from sediment deposition and grassland regeneration. This integrated SAR–optical approach provides critical insights for monitoring riverine ecosystems and strengthening conservation strategies.
Wale, P. B., Sivasankar, T., & Sanyal, R. (2026). Spatio-temporal flood frequency dynamics in Kaziranga National Park using multi-year Sentinel-1 SAR and vegetation indices. Kuwait Journal of Science, 53(2), 100552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.kjs.2026.100552
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Identification of flood-prone areas in Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India
A significant increase in flood risk was identified in Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Assam, India, with the northeastern parts of the park showing the highest vulnerability. The study, conducted using GIS-based multi-criteria analysis for 2015 and 2019, revealed that high and very high flood-prone areas covered 36.83% and 31.26% of the study area in 2019, respectively. Key factors such as rainfall intensity and soil type were found to be most influential, with clayey soils near the Brahmaputra River exacerbating runoff, while sandy soils in the southern region mitigated flood risk due to higher infiltration. These findings underscore the need for strategic flood mitigation measures to protect the park's unique biodiversity, particularly the iconic one-horned rhinoceroses.
Pathan, S. A., & Tep, G. (2025). Identification of flood-prone areas in Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India. International Journal of River Basin Management, 24(5), 739–753. https://doi.org/10.1080/15715124.2025.2477161
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Tracking Scientific Attention on Kaziranga National Park: A Bibliometric Study
A bibliometric analysis of Kaziranga National Park reveals a dynamic and evolving research landscape, with steady scholarly growth from 1993 to 2025. The study, based on 44 documents retrieved from the Web of Science database, highlights key contributors such as Tezpur University, CSIR India, and the University of Edinburgh, and explores diverse themes including biodiversity conservation, megafaunal extinction, paleoecology, geochemistry, and environmental history. Thematic mapping identifies well-developed major themes alongside niche-specialized topics and emerging areas, underscoring Kaziranga's significance for ecological conservation and its multifaceted scholarly engagement.
Deka, P., & Sarmah, M. (2025). Tracking Scientific Attention on Kaziranga National Park: A Bibliometric Study. Journal of Data Science, Informetrics, and Citation Studies, 4(3), 420–426. https://doi.org/10.5530/jcitation.20250236
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Kaziranga National Park and Kajir Ronghangpi: Reclaiming Karbi Narratives
Kaziranga National Park, renowned for its successful conservation of the endangered one-horned rhinoceros, has a contested history marked by the marginalization of indigenous communities. This study reveals that the Karbi tribe's oral traditions and the legend of Kajir Ronghangpi, a revered figure in their narrative, challenge mainstream conservation discourse and official historiography. The research demonstrates how cultural myths are mobilized to resist dispossession, reassert indigenous identity, and navigate the complexities arising from conservation efforts, tourism expansion, and state development projects. By centering Karbi perspectives, the study illuminates the often-overlooked dimensions of ecological landscapes and indigenous agency in shaping their heritage.
Das, P., & Robin Hazarika. (2025). Kaziranga National Park and Kajir Ronghangpi: Reclaiming Karbi Narratives. Economic & Political Weekly, 60(48). https://doi.org/10.71279/epw.v60i48.44511
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Temporal Change Studies in Kaziranga National Park
A decade-long analysis of Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and critical habitat for the one-horned rhinoceros, reveals significant temporal changes in its landscape driven by natural and anthropogenic factors. Using advanced satellite imagery processing techniques from 2014 to 2022, researchers quantified fluctuations in water bodies—primarily due to the Brahmaputra River's flood cycles—and observed patterns of vegetation regrowth and decline. The study highlights the dual role of these floods: enriching alluvial soils while challenging wildlife conservation efforts. By combining multispectral analysis, change detection algorithms, and supervised classification methods, this research underscores the potential of satellite-based monitoring to support evidence-driven conservation strategies in dynamic ecosystems.
Janardhan, P., Narayana, H., & Srinivas, V. (2024). Temporal Change Studies in Kaziranga National Park. Proceedings of the 2024 7th International Conference on Machine Vision and Applications, 21–26. https://doi.org/10.1145/3653946.3653950
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Participatory Security as Form of Control: Kaziranga National Park, India
Kaziranga National Park, renowned for its successful conservation of the Greater One-horned Rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis), employs participatory security measures that serve as a form of indirect control over local communities. This study reveals how these mechanisms, supported by state and non-state agencies, complement militarized anti-poaching efforts, contributing to structural violence and national building in Assam. The research analyzes the revitalization of two key bodies—the eco-development committee and the voluntary defense organization—demonstrating their role as 'counterinsurgency practices.' By examining these participatory protection strategies, the study sheds light on the dual nature of conservation efforts: while aiming to enhance security and biodiversity preservation, they also reinforce broader social control dynamics.
Fanari, E. (2024). Participatory Security as Form of Control: Kaziranga National Park, India. Conservation and Society, 22(3), 125–136. https://doi.org/10.4103/cs.cs_44_23
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Enhancing Forest Canopy Height Mapping in Kaziranga National Park, Assam, by Integrating LISS IV and SAR data with GEDI LiDAR data Using Machine Learning
A significant increase in forest canopy height in Kaziranga National Park, Assam, was observed between 2018 and 2022, with mean heights rising from approximately 8.58 meters to 9.07 meters. This study pioneered the integration of GEDI LiDAR data with LISS IV optical imagery, Sentinel-1 SAR, and PALSAR data using machine learning models to map canopy height continuously. Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB) emerged as the top-performing model, achieving an RMSE of 5.47 meters and an R2 of 0.55, outperforming Random Forest, Support Vector Machine, and k-Nearest Neighbors. The analysis revealed that over 35% of the park's area had canopy heights below 5 meters, while taller canopies beyond 20 meters were found in less than 5%. This novel approach not only enhances canopy height mapping but also lays the groundwork for future research on biomass assessment and carbon sequestration in this critical biodiversity hotspot.
Bhuyan, M., Jeganathan, C., & Pujar, G. S. (2024). Enhancing Forest Canopy Height Mapping in Kaziranga National Park, Assam, by Integrating LISS IV and SAR data with GEDI LiDAR data Using Machine Learning. ISPRS Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, X-3-2024, 39–44. https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-annals-x-3-2024-39-2024
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