Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary

Kedarnath Wild Life Sanctuary, also called the Kedarnath Musk Deer Sanctuary, is a national sanctuary in Uttarakhand, India. Its alternate name comes from its primary purpose of protecting the endangered Himalayan musk deer. Consisting of an area of 975km2, it is the largest protected area in the western Himalayas. It is internationally important for the diversity of its flora and fauna (particularly of ungulate species).Located in the Himalayan Highlands with an elevation ranging from 1160m (near Phata) to the Chaukhamba peak at 7068m, it was a notified reserve forest between 1916 and 1920. It was changed to a sanctuary on 21 January 1972, and has been designated a "Habitat/Species Management Area" by the IUCN. Since 1972, the area of the park has expanded from 967-.The sanctuary straddles a geographically diverse landscape and transitional environment. IUCN has reported that "From 44.4% to 48.8% of the sanctuary is forested, 7.7% comprises alpine meadows and scrub, 42.1% is rocky or under permanent snow and 1.5% represents formerly forested areas that have been degraded."The sanctuary takes its name from the famous Hindu temple of Kedarnath which is just outside its northern border. The entire 14km route from Ghauri Khund to Kedarnath temple (3584m) passes through the sanctuary.