The concept of environmental conservation in the Kullu Valley has very early origins. The present day names of many places in this valley owe their origin to the names of saints who came here to meditate in the great sanctuary of Himalayas. Some of these sanctuaries are still preserved as sacred groves. The local villagers recognize that certain trees, groves, and forests have special attributes. These areas were always protected from exploitation. However, the increasing pressures of colonization in the 18th and 19th centuries for commercial exploitation of forests raised concerns that certain state-oriented conservation efforts were needed. Since Indian independence in 1947, environmental pressures have steadily increased in the Kullu Valley.

In modern India, the appreciation for conservation of valued natural resources and environment was established with the creation of the first national park, Corbett National Park, in the 1930s (in the state Uttar Pradesh). India's participation in the first Earth Summit (Stockholm, 1970) resulted in a central policy which set aside 5% of the country for conservation. This marked the beginning of a systematic conservation effort in India. As a result each state has set aside a network of national parks and sanctuaries under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act (1972). In Himachal Pradesh, it wasn't until the 1980s that initial efforts were made to create a national park which was finalized as the Great Himalayan National Park (1999).

From 1978-80 a team of Indian and international wildlife biologists conducted the first systematic survey of three areas in the Upper Beas River region as possible sites for a national park. In 1981 their report recommended the Sainj-Tirthan as having less human and livestock impact than either the Solang valley at the upper end of the Beas basin, or the upper Parbati Valley. In 1983, Dr. Peter Garson continued working with the Wildlife Wing in the Sainj-Tirthan area. He concluded that "we are now completely confident that the upper Sainj and Tirthan Valleys contain both exceptional forests and a remarkable and complete array of the larger, more ecologically sensitive wildlife species typical of the Western Himalayas." In particular the area supported critically important populations of the endangered Western Tragopan, Chir Pheasant, other pheasants, and musk deer.

In addition to Central and State government, local people and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are all participants in the process of creating and maintaining a national park. Even with the complexity of so many players, often with different agendas, the creation of GHNP represents a commitment to protect a unique area of the Western Himalayas.

GHNP has invaluable rare and endangered species. The Park preserves examples of many ecosystems that have become rare elsewhere in the Himalayas. It will take much time and effort to understand the intricate workings of these ecosystems. If they are not preserved and studied now the unique forests, subalpine shrubberies, and flowery alpine meadows could be destroyed, along with the many animal species that are dependent on them.
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