Conservation Reserves in Uttarakhand  :

Lying in the north of the vast and bountiful expanse of India and cradled in the awesome beauty and calm serenity of the stately Himalayas, Uttarakhand has attracted tourists since time immemorial. “Though Kashmir is said to be heaven of the earth the beauty of Uttarakhand makes it heaven of heaven”. So to conserve the beauty of state various efforts to conserve the natural environment of state many conservation reserves has been established, some of are following :

 Jhilmil Jheel Conservation Reserve :

It  is situated on the bank of river Ganga in Chidiyapur Forest range of Haridwar forest division which is covered area of 3783.50 hectares of Reserve. The Reserve is rich in fauna and flora diversity including five species of Deer,Elephant,Nilgai ,Common Leopard and Tiger. It is renowned for swamp deer and the great diversity of birds. Many rare birds like Sunbird, Crimson Sunbird, Plum Headed and rose rinked Parakeet, Emerald Dove, Green Pigeon four species of Kingfisher are in plenty in this reserve. It is still unexplored birding area of Himalaya and new destination for Birders those wish to explore the new birding area.

Asan Conservation Reserve:

 Asan Conservation Reserve also known as Dhalipur Lake,is situated 40kms from Dehradun on the Dehradun-Paonta road. It is situated at the confluence of Yamuna River and Asan is an ideal habitat to a large number of migratory and resident Birds. During winters it is not unusual to count many as 8000 waterfowl with species diversity. More than 250 Birds species including 80 water birds have been recorded. It is marked by presence of Brahminy Duck, Dabbling Duck. Diving Duck, Herons, strocks, Geese which can be easily spotted in winter season. Thick foliage here ensures that the birds are not disturbed by bird watching enthusiasts.

Pawalgarh Conservation Reserve :

It  is located in the beautiful, vast and rich forests of Ramangar Forest Division which in turn is a part of the Terai Arc Landscape. The area had been the home turf of Jim Corbett and many of his writings are set in this area. It is the home of various wild animals and a range of both local and migratory birds. The vast expanses of forest give an amazing natural beauty .

Naina Devi Himalayan Bird Conservation Reserve :

It is a wildlife reserve in the Nainital district of the state. This reserve is placed inside Nainital forest division.This is the country’s newest notified on 9th march 2015 by Uttarakhand Government .This reserve hosts a whole variety of birds including spectacular pheasants,there are also serows,Foxes,Leopard ,Wild boar and the occasionally Tiger is also seen.The forests Estelar 61 of this reserve are rich in flora with five species of Oak and presence of Rhododendron.

Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve  :

Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve is located in the northen part of west Himalayas and spreads over three districts of Uttarakhand- Chamoli in Garhwal and Bageshwar and Pithoragarh in Kumaon .The two core zones of the biosphere reserve –The Nanda Devi National Park and valley of flowers national park. The Flora of the Nanda Devi National Park is supposed to be one of the richest preserves of the world with atleast 312 floral species of which atleast  17 are very rare one. The fauna of Nanda Devi National Park is rich in some of the Himalayan species like serow, snow leopard, Himalayan tahr, Himalayan musk deer, bharal, goral, brown bear, leopard, common langur. According to the latest stastics report there are atleast some 114 species of birds in Nanda Devi National Park which includes both the native and the migratory birds. There are at least 28 different varieties of butterflies seen here.

These efforts  not only help in conservation of the rich biodiversity of the area but will also benefit the local communities through eco-tourism and other employment opportunities in the reserve. Thus considered as valuable ecotourism assets. Uttarakhand has a numbers of surprises in store for wildlife lovers, naturalists, trekkers ecotourists and holidaymakers.