Valley of Flowers National Park

• Location: Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, in the Garhwal Himalayas.
• Established as a National Park: 1982.
• UNESCO World Heritage Site: Inscribed in 2005 as an extension of the Nanda Devi World Heritage listing (original inscription in 1988).
• Biosphere Reserve: Forms one of the two core areas of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve; the other is Nanda Devi National Park.
• Rivers: Pushpawati River flows through the valley; the wider biosphere reserve includes catchments of the Alaknanda and its tributaries.
• Flora: Alpine flowering plants, including blue poppy, primulas, orchids and Brahma Kamal.
• Fauna: Snow leopard, Asiatic black bear, Himalayan musk deer, brown bear and blue sheep (bharal).
• UNESCO criteria: (vii) — exceptional natural beauty; (x) — biodiversity and conservation of threatened species.

Prelims MCQs

Q1. Consider the following statements about Valley of Flowers National Park:

1. It is located in Uttarakhand.

2. It forms part of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve.

3. It is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with Nanda Devi National Park.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

A.      1 and 2 only

B.      2 and 3 only

C.      1 and 3 only

D.      1, 2 and 3

Correct answer: (D) — all three statements are correct. The two national parks form a single UNESCO World Heritage property.

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