My Science School

The creation of Ivindo National Park was announced at the Earth Summit back n 2002 by the then President of Gabon, Omar Bango.

Ivindo National Park contains Langoue Bai, one of the five most important forest clearings in Central Africa. Bai is the local name for an open, marshy clearing within the heart of a primary rainforest. The existence of such clearings was discovered only in the 200s. Herds of African buffalo and African forest elephant are found here. Western lowland gorillas too come here at times.

The Park also has a notable bird population; there are around 430 species of birds in Ivindo.

 

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Remember Pride Rock and the sun kissed majestic landscape in which Simba emerges as the true king? Who could forget the sweeping cliffs and deep gorge! The animators of the movie travelled to Kenya to discover a dramatic landscape for the film and they ended up in Hell’s Gate National Park.

Hell’s Gate is a comparatively smaller national park situated in a Rift Valley which is full of red cliffs. It also contains two volcanic plugs and hot springs. The Park has a varied wildlife. The big animals in the Pak include lions, leopards and cheetahs. There are more than 103 species of birds in the Park. It is also home to the rare lammergeier vultures.

Hell’s Gate National Park is also famous for safaris.

 

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In 1958, Joy and George Adamson, a naturalist couple came to Meru to reintroduce the orphan lioness Elsa into the wild. The book and film about this project became very popular and attracted the world’s attention to Meru. Since then, Meru National Park has remained an icon of the timeless beauty of the East African landscape.

Meru National Park is one of the most famous national parks in the whole of Africa. Due to the abundant rainfall it receives, Meru is full of tall grass and swamps. The Park is also home to diverse kinds of wildlife that include Grevy’s zebra, white rhinos, hippopotamuses, reticulated giraffes and lesser kudus.

The 1970s, and 80s were times of trouble for Meru. Poaching became rampant and the wildlife population came down significantly. The white rhinos were almost wiped out. However, a group of committed wardens turned around the situation. They improved the security system and this ensured an improvement in the wildlife population.

 

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The annual migration of western white-bearded wildebeests is one of the most spectacular wildlife events. At the onset of autumn, more than 1.5 million wildebeests embark on their journey along with gazelles and zebras along the Serengeti-Masai Mara ecosystem and cross the Kenya-Tanzania border twice. These animals migrate in search of water and fresh grazing grounds.

Serengeti National Park is known across the globe for the abundance of wildlife and rich biodiversity.

The most popular animals among the tourists are known as the ‘big five’ – lion, African leopard, African bush elephant, eastern black rhinoceros and African buffalo. The Park also has a rich bird life; there are more than 500 species of birds in Serengeti.

The reptiles in the park include the Nile crocodile, leopard tortoise and African python.

 

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Chimpanzees are the main wildlife attraction at Mahale. The Mahale Mountains National Park is located on the banks of Lake Tanganyika. The forests around the mountains are rich in wildlife.

Around 700 chimpanzees live here. In fact, the chimpanzees at Mahale are among the best studied in the world. These animals are used to the presence of humans observing them. It is one of the only two protected areas for chimpanzees in the country. Also, it is the only place where chimpanzees and lions co-exist.

The mountain rise steeply from the lakeshore and is filled with thick forests full of monkeys and birds. The monkey species include red monkeys and red-tailed monkeys. There are other animals too like ungulates, bushbucks and antelopes.

 

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Triglav National Park is the only national park in Slovenia. The highest peak of the Julian Alps, Mount Triglav lies right in the middle of the Park. The Park takes its name from Mount Triglav.

Triglav National Park is rich in medical plants. Almost 62 per cent of the Park is filled with 37 species that have various medicinal properties. They have been extensively studied by various ecologists. In order to conserve them, some of these plants are banned from being collected or used.

There are two major rivers in Triglav-Sava River and Soca River. There are many waterfalls in these rivers and their tributaries. Apart from this, there are several glacial lakes as well.

 

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Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park is Spain’s first protected area; it is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites and UNESCO Biosphere Reserves. The vegetation in Ordesa varies according to the elevation of the specific region. At a height of 1,500-1,700 metres, there are extensive forests of beeches, Abies alba, pines, oaks, and a lesser extent of birches, ashes, and willows. Mountain pines dominate the area upto a height of 2000 metres.

Bucardo, a variety of wild goat was the most important species of Ordesa. Despite the conservation efforts, the species became extinct in 2000. There are other species such as the alpine marmot, boar and the Pyrenean desman. Ordesa is also home to birds like the golden eagle, the bearded vulture, the griffon vulture, hawks, and the royal owl.

 

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Peneda-Geres National Park is the only national park in Portugal. The Park was established to protect the soil, water, flora, fauna, and landscape of the place.

The Park is a jumble of oak forests, bogs, green valleys, and granite heights that are at least 300 million years old. Europe has a very few number of wolf packs and Peneda-Geres is home to some of them. It is also home to others, salamanders, 147 different species of birds and fifteen species of bats which are endangered. Most of the birds found here are migratory.

Wild ponies and Garrano ponies are native to the Park since a very long time. However in the mid-twentieth century, they were nearly wiped out due to extensive domestication. The Portuguese government began to rebuild the herds in the 1940s.

 

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If you are going to visit Sarek, be ready to see at least a hundred glaciers and several mountains that are at least 2000 metres tall. Six of Sweden’s highest mountains are in Sarek.

Sarek National Park has a unique geology that can be attributed to glacial activity. The meltwater from the glaciers flow through the valleys and form the world’s most famous alpine delta, the Rapa river delta. The continuous movement of the ice sheets produces rock dust. It is then carried away by the meltwater that later forms the deltas. The ice sheet has also sculpted large U-shaped valleys.

The Sami people came to Sarek thousands of years ago. They were hunter gatherers who hunted reindeer which were a source of meat and milk for them. Sami settlement can still be found within Sarek.

 

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Killarney National Park is the first and oldest national park of Ireland. It is of national and inter-national importance as the Park contains native oakwoods and yew woods. It is home to rich evergreen forests full of bryophytes and lichens. The only red deer herd on mainland Ireland resides in Killarney National Park.

The Park is of high ecological value because of the quality and diversity of many of its habitats, and the wide variety of species that they accommodate.

Killarney National Park has a diverse geology as well. The park has sandstone and limestone formations. A number of lakes add to the beauty of the Park. Lough Leane is the largest of the Killarney lakes and contains over 30 islands!

McGillycuddy Reeks Mountain Range in the Park includes Ireland’s highest Mountain, Carrauntoohill.

 

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Durmitor National Park is noted for its biodiversity. Within its abundant forests, high peaks and deep gorges, the Park shelters over 1500 kinds of flora and 130 kinds of birds. 314 species of protected animals can be found within the park. It is here that we find the greatest variety of butterflies in Europe.

The park is classified into seven zones-uncut forest of fir, black pine at Crna poda, canyon of Susica, region of Lake Barno, region of Lake Zaboljsko, Canyon of Tara and Milling stream. There are 17 glacier lakes in the park. Durmitor National Park is the largest protected area in Montenegro, and it was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1980.

 

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Can there be active volcanoes under sheets of ice? Think of hot lava oozing out through sheets of glacial ice. Sounds almost impossible, right? But, indeed there is a place on earth where active volcanoes hide under glacial ice- in the Vatnajokull National park. It is certainly a geological wonder. Vatnajokull National park is famous for its varied landscape- rivers, glacial ice, mountains, valleys, plateaus and volcanoes.

In fact, Vatnajokull is Europe’s largest glacier outside the arctic. It is also a place with strong geothermal activity; two of the world’s greatest fissure and lava eruptions of historical times occurred here. The glacier here is at least 400-600 metres thick.

One of Iceland’s national parks, Vatnajokull includes the national parks in Skaftafell.

 

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Sixteen beautiful lakes between limestone formations, scores of waterfalls, turquoise water…one could find all of this in Plitvice Lakes National Park.

Wherever you look, you will be smitten by breath-taking views. This natural beauty is included in the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Plitvice Lakes National Park is one of the oldest and largest national parks in Croatia. This karstic region has specific hydro-geological properties; the dolomite rocks have the capacity to retain water. As a result, the canyons in the limestone deposits have been cut naturally to form lakes. There are twelve Upper Lakes, four Lower Lakes and several unnamed lakes. The Upper lakes are more dominant in terms of size and volume.

The mineral composition of Plitvice creates an array of stunning colours in the lakes, form teal to green, grey and blue. The water here has the power to calcify everything it touches. Therefore, one will not spot algae or mud here. Plitvice Lakes enjoy a moderate mountainous climate and the area is rich in biodiversity.

 

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The Bastei Bridge, a wooden bridge that links several rocks of the Bastei rock formation was built in 1824. Since then, it is a major tourist attraction and is the most famous landmark of the Saxon Switzerland National Park.

Bastei is a steep rock formation that towers upto a height of 194 metres above the Elbe River. This rock canyon was formed around one million years ago entirely due to the constant erosion by wind and water.

Saxon Switzerland National Park borders Bohemian Switzerland National Park in the Czech Republic. The Park has an intensely fissured rocky landscape and therefore, has a stark vertical division in topography. This is the reason for several different habitats and microclimate zones in the Park. The Park has steep mountains, ravines, and extensive forests. It also hosts some forms of forest without human intervention, something which is unusual in Europe.

 

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Goreme National Park is a rare site where nature meets history. It is a rocky, eroded volcanic region. The place is full of plateaus and valleys dissected by gushing rivers and streams.

Millions of years ago, the volcanic ash had solidified to form tuffs, big and small. These tuffs have undergone erosion for millions of years more to from multi-coloured cliffs, rock towers, pillars, tent rocks and fairy chimney rock formations. The ‘fairy chimneys’ are often highlighted as a unique feature formed by the wind and water.

In the Byzantine era, there were interconnected underground settlements here. This can be found in an area called Cappadocia.

Some of the earliest monasteries here date back to the fourth century, founded by monks who came here following the teachings of Basileios the Great. They began carving out cells from the rock. They later linked these cells and created underground communities, wit chapels, store rooms and living quarters in order to resist the attack of bandits.

 

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