There are four categories of protected areas in India, constituted under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Tiger reserves consist of areas under national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. There are 52 tiger reserves in India. the protected areas of India cover , roughly 4.95% of the total surface area. Classification India has the following kinds of protected areas, in the sense of the word designated by IUCN: National parks Wildlife sanctuaries Biosphere reserves Reserved and protected forests Conservation reserves and community reserves Private protected areas Conservation areas National parks National parks in India are IUCN category II protected areas. India's first national park was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park, now known as Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand. By 1970, India only had five national parks. In 1972, India enacted the Wildlife Protection Act and Project Tiger in 1973 to safeguard the habitats of conservation reliant species. Wildlife sanctuaries Wildlife sanctuaries of India are classified as IUCN Category IV protected areas. Between 1936 and 2016, 551 wildlife sanctuaries were established in the country that cover as of 2020. Among these, the 51 tiger reserves are governed by Project Tiger, and are of special significance for the conservation of the Bengal tiger. Biosphere reserves The Indian government has established 18 biosphere reserves (categories roughly correspondingly to IUCN Category V Protected areas) to protect larger areas of natural habitat than a typical national park or animal sanctuary, and that often include one or more national parks or reserves, along with buffer zones that are open to some economic uses. Protection is granted not only to the flora and fauna of the protected region, but also to the human communities who inhabit these regions, and their ways of life. Reserved and protected forests Reserved forests and protected forest (IUCN Category IV or VI, depending on protection accorded): These are forested lands where logging, hunting, grazing and other activities may be permitted on a sustainable basis to members of certain communities. In reserved forests, explicit permission is required for such activities. In protected forests, such activities are allowed unless explicitly prohibited. Thus, in general reserved forests enjoy a higher degree of protection with respect to protected forests. Conservation and community reserves Conservation reserves and community reserves in India are terms denoting protected areas of India which typically act as buffer zones to or connectors and migration corridors between established national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and