The National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary is a tri-state protected riverine sanctuary established primarily for the conservation of the Critically Endangered gharial (Gavialis gangeticus). It is an institution, also known as the National Chambal Sanctuary, that spans approximately 5,400 sq km along a 425-600 km stretch of the Chambal River. The sanctuary is unique as it is the first and only tri-state protected area in India, co-administered by the Forest Departments of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.
The sanctuary's origin is rooted in the severe decline of crocodilian populations in the 1970s due to hunting, habitat destruction, and sand mining. It was founded under the larger Project Crocodile initiative, which was launched by the Government of India in 1975. Administrative approval for the sanctuary was conveyed in September 1978, and it was formally established in 1979. The sanctuary was declared under Section 18(1) of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, with the Madhya Pradesh portion gazetted on December 20, 1978.
The mechanism of the sanctuary involves protecting the river's fragile lotic ecosystem, which is one of India's cleanest rivers, providing a habitat for the world's largest wild gharial population. Conservation measures include a Gharial Rehabilitation Programme involving artificial hatching and rearing at the Deori Gharial Rehabilitation Centre (DGRC), anti-poaching patrols, and a 'grow and release program'. The sanctuary also provides a critical habitat for other threatened species, including the Endangered Ganges River Dolphin and the Red-crowned Roof Turtle.
A significant recent change occurred when the Rajasthan government issued a notification in December 2025 to denotify approximately 732 hectares of sanctuary land for boundary rationalization. However, the Supreme Court of India took suo motu cognisance of the threats from illegal sand mining and issued an interim stay on the Rajasthan denotification in April 2026. The Supreme Court's intervention highlights the ongoing challenge of illegal sand mining, which degrades the sandy nesting grounds critical for gharial breeding. The sanctuary is also connected to the National Tri-State Chambal Sanctuary Management and Coordination Committee, formed in 2010 to unify conservation policies across the three states.