Correct option is C
The correct answer is (c).
Kaziranga National Park, located in the floodplains of Assam, is the most prominent and critical natural habitat for the Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros (Indian Rhino).
This globally recognized biodiversity hotspot currently hosts approximately two-thirds of the entire global population of this vulnerable species.
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- The Greater One-Horned Rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis) is uniquely characterized by its single black horn and distinctive skin folds resembling thick armor plating.
- Kaziranga was specifically declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 due to its phenomenal success in resurrecting the rhino population from the brink of extinction.
- The park's ecology is heavily defined by tall elephant grass, marshlands, and dense tropical moist broadleaf forests nourished by the Brahmaputra River.
- Conservation efforts like "Project Rhino" and strict anti-poaching wildlife laws have been central to increasing their population to over 3,000 individuals globally.
- Rhinos are heavily poached primarily due to baseless traditional medicinal demands for their horns, which are merely composed of compressed keratin.
- Besides Kaziranga, notable but smaller rhino populations exist in Manas National Park, Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, and Nepal's Chitwan National Park.
- They play a crucial role as mega-herbivores in shaping their habitat by grazing, keeping grasslands open and diverse for other species.
- Option A: Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand is primarily renowned for being the launchpad of Project Tiger and does not support natural rhino populations.
- Option B: The Sundarbans in West Bengal represents the largest contiguous mangrove ecosystem on Earth, famous worldwide as the unique habitat for the Royal Bengal Tiger.
- Option D: Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh is famous for its dense Sal forests, Tigers, and successfully saving the Hard-ground Barasingha (swamp deer) from extinction.
- The IUCN Red List currently classifies the Greater One-Horned Rhino as 'Vulnerable,' reflecting successful but highly conservation-dependent recovery.
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