Which one of the following statements about Indian protected areas is correct?

Introduction / Context:
India has a wide variety of protected areas, including national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, biosphere reserves, and special species specific conservation areas. Exam questions often test whether you can correctly match a protected area with the species or conservation status it is best known for. In this question, three statements are deliberately misleading, while one correctly identifies a protected area and its conservation role. You must identify the correct statement from the four options.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Guindy National Park is located in Tamil Nadu, near Chennai.
• Namdapha National Park is located in Arunachal Pradesh.
• Jaldapara is a known wildlife sanctuary in West Bengal.
• Rann of Kutch is a region in Gujarat, part of which is notified as a Wildlife Sanctuary.
• The specific conservation roles mentioned involve tiger reserves, lion conservation, biosphere reserve status, and Wild Ass Sanctuary status.

Concept / Approach:
We check each statement against standard knowledge. Guindy National Park is a small park in Chennai, not a major tiger reserve. Namdapha is known for its rich biodiversity, including tigers, leopards, and other species, but it is not specifically a lion conservation park. Jaldapara is a wildlife sanctuary, notable for Indian one horned rhinoceros, not a biosphere reserve. The Rann of Kutch region in Gujarat includes the Wild Ass Sanctuary, established primarily for the conservation of the Indian wild ass. Therefore only the statement about Rann of Kutch being a Wild Ass Sanctuary is correct.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Examine the first statement. Guindy National Park in Chennai is a small protected area with blackbuck, spotted deer, and birds. It is not recognized as a tiger reserve, so statement A is incorrect. Step 2: Consider the second statement. Namdapha National Park in Arunachal Pradesh is a tiger reserve and biosphere reserve, but it is not meant specifically for lion conservation. Asiatic lions are found mainly in Gujarat, not in Namdapha. Therefore statement B is incorrect. Step 3: Evaluate the third statement. Jaldapara in West Bengal is designated primarily as a wildlife sanctuary, famous for the Indian one horned rhinoceros. It is not officially notified as a biosphere reserve, so statement C is incorrect. Step 4: Evaluate the fourth statement. The Rann of Kutch region in Gujarat includes the Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary, which focuses on conservation of the Indian wild ass. This statement correctly connects the Rann of Kutch to a Wild Ass Sanctuary. Step 5: Conclude that among the four, only the statement about Rann of Kutch being a Wild Ass Sanctuary is correct.

Verification / Alternative check:
Verification is simple if you recall that Asiatic lions are associated with Gir in Gujarat and not with Namdapha. You may also know that tiger reserves include names like Corbett, Ranthambore, Bandipur, and not Guindy. Jaldapara appears frequently in exam questions as a sanctuary for the one horned rhinoceros, not as a biosphere reserve. Several environment and wildlife preparation books explicitly mention the Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary located in the Little Rann of Kutch in Gujarat. Putting these together confirms that only the fourth statement accurately describes a conservation area and its purpose.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Guindy National Park is known for a tiger reserve: This is wrong because Guindy is a small urban national park and not part of India s network of tiger reserves.

Namdapha National Park is meant for lion conservation: This is incorrect. Namdapha focuses on multiple species, including tigers and leopards, while lion conservation is centred in Gujarat s Gir region.

Jaldapara is a biosphere reserve: Jaldapara is classified as a wildlife sanctuary, so this statement mislabels its conservation status.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes assume that all national parks must be tiger reserves and that any well known sanctuary could automatically be a biosphere reserve. Another pitfall is guessing based on partial memory, such as remembering that Namdapha is important for wildlife but forgetting which species are key. Additionally, candidates may confuse the Wild Ass Sanctuary with another conservation area in Gujarat if they do not clearly remember its location in the Rann of Kutch. Regular revision of lists that match protected areas to flagship species and legal designations greatly reduces such confusion.

Final Answer:
The correct statement is that Rann of Kutch is a Wild Ass Sanctuary, so option “Rann of Kutch is a Wild Ass Sanctuary” is the right answer.