Protected areas of Nepal
Nepal’s landmass of 147,181 km2 occupies the central part of the Himalayas between the Palearctic and Indomalaya ecozones. Altitude ranges from 67 m above sea level in the south-eastern Terai to 8,848 m at Sagarmatha within a short horizontal span. This extreme altitudinal gradient has resulted in 11 bio-climatic zones ranging from lower tropical below 500 m to nival above 5000 m in the High Himalaya, encompassing nine terrestrial ecoregions with 36 vegetation types. Botanists recorded 1,120 species of non-flowering plants and 5,160 species of flowering plants. Nepal ranks 10th in terms of richest flowering plant diversity in Asia. Zoologists recorded 181 mammal species, 844 bird species, 100 reptile species, 43 amphibian species, 185 freshwater fish species, and 635 butterfly species. In recognition of the magnitude of biodiversity the Government of Nepal has established a network of 17 protected areas since 1973, consisting of ten national parks, three wildlife reserves, three conservation areas and one hunting reserve. Additionally, three Ramsar sites were declared in 2003.[1][2]
National parks
Wildlife reserves
Conservation areas
Hunting Reserve
Ramsar Sites
References
- ^ Bhuju, U.R., Shakya, P.R., Basnet, T.B., Shrestha, S. (2007) Nepal Biodiversity Resource Book. Protected Areas, Ramsar Sites, and World Heritage Sites. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, in cooperation with United Nations Environment Programme, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. Kathmandu, ISBN 978-92-9115-033-5 download pdf
- ^ Bhushal, R.P. (2010) Nod to Banke National Park. The Himalayan Times, 13 May 2010 article online
External links