The state has twelve bird sanctuaries: Nawabganj, Sandi, Lakh Bahosi, Samaspur, Bakhira, Soor Sarovar, Patna, Saman, Surha Taal, Paarvati Aranga, Vijay Sagar and Okhla. Besides these, there are a large number of wetlands where a wide variety of exotic birds viz: the black-necked stork, the stunning Saras crane, thousands of migratory birds along with several vulture species and more, flock during the winter season! One does not leave the impressive wilderness of Uttar Pradesh disappointed, but only ends up wanting more!
The grasslands of Uttar Pradesh, locally called “Phantas”, are a special feature of most of the Terai Belt along the Northern boundary of the state. The Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) covers an almost crescent-shaped, forest land, covering a total area of 49,500 sq kms. Of this, some 30,000 sq kms of grasslands are in India (while the rest is in Nepal), that is, from Baghmati river (Bihar) in the east to the Yamuna (Uttar Pradesh) in the west. The Terai has 14 Protected Areas (PAs) within its landscape, six of which are in UP – Dudhwa National Park and Tiger Reserve, Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary, Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, Suhailwa Wildlife Sanctuary, Sohagi Barwa Wildlife Sanctuary and the Pilibhit Wild Life Sanctuary.
Listed amongst the 200 ecological regions worldwide and known for their large mammalian assemblage, the Terai is inhabited by the reintroduced, One-horned Rhinoceros, Royal Bengal Tiger, Asian elephants, 80 other mammalian species, 47 reptilian and amphibian species, 556 bird species and more than 2,100 flowering plant species, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
These floodplains are situated at the foothills of the Shivalik range and are geologically referred to as riverine or lowland. The Terai is criss-crossed by large perennial Himalayan rivers such as the Yamuna, Ganga, Ghagra and Sharada, making the land fertile. These rivers have helped build alluvial plains that cover thousands of square kilometers, leading to the formation of the verdant Terai region.
Though mainly known for its grasslands, the Terai region also has an exquisite, dense green cover of Sal and Teak wood forests which make for a magnificently picturesque view during winter months. One of the less talked about ecosystems in Northern India, the grasslands of Uttar Pradesh, never fail to impress visitors. The plains here are dominated by tall, dense, perennial grass belonging to the family of ‘Poaceae’, which often grows three to six meters tall and provides perfect camouflage for the animals.
As far as the wood-areas are concerned, thick vegetation covers a major portion of the Dudhwa Terai and is dominated by the North Indian, moist, deciduous, riparian and tropical, semi-evergreen trees like, Sal (Shorea rubusta), Sheesham (Dalbergia sissoo), Khair (Acacia catechu), Teak (Tectona gradis), Jaamun (Syzigium cumini) and Bamboo. Sal is this region's most dominant tree species and grows up to a height of 30 mtrs. on an average. Mixed forests cover about 25% of the forest area.
Such is the density of the vegetation that sunlight is an infrequent visitor to the depths of these forests. Moving beneath the canopy of trees with the sun's rays peeking through the leaves, one can leisurely soak in the surreal surroundings.
One often hears the Terai being referred to as one of the most productive ecological zones in the country and the reason for this is its terrain-wildlife relationship. In simple terms, the ecosystem of the region is simply so rich that both predator and prey are able to co-exist in large numbers.
The once, widespread grasslands of the Terai however have now been reduced to less than 500 sq kms and even these are highly fragmented due to human settlements and farmlands : making it difficult for animals to migrate to the neighboring forests.
Recently, the UP Forest Department has successfully managed to transfer about 39 sq kms of agricultural land in Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, a part of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, back into the sanctuary area. The Pioneer (17 December 2012) notes that this successful transfer of agricultural land is a landmark in buffer zone utilization in tiger reserves across the country. 'The success story has been achieved within a year after the land was transferred in January [2012]. The land was [earlier] being cultivated for production of agricultural crops for more than three decades under the Central State Seed Farm programme of the Ministry of Agriculture.
However, recent camera trapping, as a part of Phase-4 monitoring of tiger population, has shown the presence of three tigers including two males and a female along with a wild ungulate density of 21 individuals per square kilometer.'
Another popular wildlife destination in Uttar Pradesh is the National Chambal Sanctuary; located along the 400 sq kms of Chambal River and its infamous ravines. Some 180 sq kms of the sanctuary along the river, falls within the state boundary of Uttar Pradesh. The total sanctuary area is spread over three states - Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh - and was notified mainly to secure the fast depleting population of the fish-eating Crocodiles / Alligators. Gangetic Dolphins, Otters, Turtles and varied types of fishes can be spotted along the river and ravines of Chambal.
Other sanctuaries, scattered over the North-Indian state of Uttar Pradesh are Kaimur, Kachhua, Chandra Prabha, Suhailwa, Sohagi Barwa, Ranipur, Mahavir Swami and Hastinapur.
Wild Trail in Uttar Pradesh
RIVERS:
Rivers are essential to the survival of civilizations and are woven into the social and cultural fabric of society since time immemorial. The holiest of all rivers in Hindu mythology, the Ganga, flows through Uttar Pradesh. Apart from the Ganga, its major tributaries - the Yamuna, Gomti and Ghaghara - also water the state. More than one-fourth of Uttar Pradesh lies within the Gangetic plains consisting of alluvial deposits brought down from the Himalayas by the Ganga.
The Yamuna is Ganga's longest tributary and is revered in popular culture as Ganga's sister. In Uttar Pradesh, the Yamuna flows through Mathura, Agra, Firozabad, Etawah, Kalpi and Hamirpur before joining the Ganga at Prayag in Allahabad. In Etawah, Yamuna is fed by the pristine Chambal that arises from the Vindhyas. This perennial river originates near Indore in Madhya Pradesh, flowing through the state, before crossing over into Rajasthan, and finally flowing into Uttar Pradesh, where it joins the Yamuna. Chambal is today probably the only unpolluted river in the plains of Northern India.
Yamuna's other tributaries in the state include Ken and Betwa, also arising in the Vindhyas and draining the south-western part of the state. The Hindon River flows through Meerut and Ghaziabad, before flowing into the Yamuna, near Delhi.
Ganga's other major tributary, the Ramganga flows down from Uttarakhand and passes through Moradabad and Bareilly before joining the Ganga near Kannauj.
Yet another sacred river which merges into the Ganga is River Gomti. Originating at Gomat Tal near Pilibhit, Gomti flows for around 900 kms across the state, passing through Lucknow, Barabanki, Sultanpur, Faizabad and Jaunpur, before flowing into the Ganga near Saidpur.
The Ghaghara, originating as Karnali in Nepal, is joined by Sharada at Brahmaghat and is hereafter called Ghaghara. The Ghaghara is known as Girwa for a stretch of about 25 kms as she flows through the Bardiya National Park in Nepal and Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh.
Besides these, Uttar Pradesh is criss-crossed with innumerable fast-flowing streams, both big and small including the Son, Dhasan, Saryu and Varuna.
Rivers like the Ganga and Chambal are also home to some exquisite wildlife species like the endangered Gangetic Dolphin, Alligators and Crocodile and the smooth – coated Otter.
"All these await your presence ! See and explore the wildlife of Uttar Pradesh !!!"