Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) is a protected area in Assam, India, designated as a National Park (IUCN Category II), a Tiger Reserve, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. Its conservation history began in 1904 when Mary Curzon, wife of the Viceroy, initiated planning to protect the dwindling Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros population. The area was first established as a Proposed Reserve Forest on June 1, 1905, and formally constituted as a Reserved Forest in 1908. The park was finally declared a National Park in 1974 under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, with the primary goal of conserving the rhinoceros.
KNPTR operates under the legal framework of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, with the specific goal of conserving the rhinoceros, which is also protected by the state's Assam Rhinoceros Preservation Act of 1954. Its status as a Tiger Reserve since 2007 connects it to the "CSS Project Tiger" scheme and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for financial support. To combat poaching, the Wildlife (Protection) (Assam Amendment) Act, 2009, was enacted, and forest officials were granted the power to use arms and immunity under Section 197(2) of the CrPC, 1973, in 2010.
The park's area has been expanded through six additions to secure wildlife corridors, and it is part of the larger Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong Elephant Reserve. A recent development is the proposal to construct an elevated road over National Highway-37 (NH-37) to ensure safe animal passage during floods. Furthermore, the Assam government is planning to reduce the park's Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) from the default 10 kilometres to one kilometre through formal notification.