The protected areas of Nepal cover mainly forested land and are located at various altitudes in the Terai, in the foothills of the Himalayas and in the mountains, thus encompassing a multitude of landscapes and preserving a vast biodiversity in the Palearctic and Indomalayan realms. Nepal covers 147,181 km2 (56,827 sq mi) in the central part of the Himalayas. Altitudes range from 67 m (220 ft) in the south-eastern Terai to 8,848 m (29,029 ft) at Mount Everest within a short horizontal span. This extreme altitudinal gradient has resulted in 11 bio-climatic zones ranging from lower tropical below 500 m (1,600 ft) to nival above 5,000 m (16,000 ft) in the High Himalayas, encompassing nine terrestrial ecoregions with 36 vegetation types.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Additionally, nine Ramsar sites were declared between 1988 and 2008.[7] Two wildlife reserves were declared as national parks in 2017.[8]

National parks

Wildlife reserves

Conservation areas

Hunting Reserve

Ramsar Sites

The following Ramsar sites were declared between 1988 and 2008:[7]

References

  1. ^ Bhuju, U. R.; Shakya, P. R.; Basnet, T. B.; Shrestha, S. (2007). Nepal Biodiversity Resource Book. Protected Areas, Ramsar Sites, and World Heritage Sites (PDF). Kathmandu: 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. ISBN 978-92-9115-033-5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  2. ^ Bhushal, R. P. (2010). "Nod to Banke National Park". The Himalayan Times. Kathmandu. Archived from the original on 2014-12-18. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  3. ^ Chaudhary, H.; Poudyal, L.P. (2016). Bird Survey of Api Nampa Conservation Area in Nepal, 2016: Report to the Api Nampa Conservation Area Office, Khalanga, Darchula, Nepal (Report). Kathmandu, Nepal: Nepalese Ornithological Union and Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. Archived from the original on 2018-10-08. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  4. ^ NTNC (2010). Gaurishankar Conservation Area Project (Report). Kathmandu, Nepal: National Trust for Nature Conservation. Archived from the original on 2018-12-04. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  5. ^ DNPWC (2014). Blackbuck Conservation Area (Report). Kathmandu: Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. Archived from the original on 2015-01-28. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  6. ^ Prasad, Madhav (2016-04-08). "Top Must See Places in Bhutan". Mosaic Adventure. Archived from the original on 2023-06-25. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
  7. ^ a b Bhandari, B. B. (2009). "Wise use of Wetlands in Nepal". Banko Janakari. 19 (3): 10–17.
  8. ^ "DNPWC". Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. Archived from the original on 2020-02-18. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  9. ^ Baral, S.; Dhakal, M.; Khanal, R. (2016). Lake Cluster of Pokhara Valley. Kathmandu: Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, IUCN Nepal. Archived from the original on 2023-06-10. Retrieved 2024-05-02.