Parsa National Park

Parsa National Park
Indian pitta at Parsa National Park
Map showing the location of Parsa National Park
Map showing the location of Parsa National Park
Parsa National Park
LocationNepal
Nearest cityBirgunj
Coordinates27°28′N 84°20′E / 27.467°N 84.333°E / 27.467; 84.333
Area627.39 km2 (242.24 sq mi)
Established1984 as Wildlife Reserve, 2017 as National Park
Governing bodyDepartment of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation
Map

Parsa National Park is a national park in the Terai of south-central Nepal covering an area of 627.39 km2 (242.24 sq mi) in the Parsa, Makwanpur and Bara Districts and ranging in elevation from 435 to 950 m (1,427 to 3,117 ft) in the Sivalik Hills. It was established as a wildlife reserve in 1984 and received national park status in 2017. It is surrounded by a buffer zone since 2005 with an area of 285.3 km2 (110.2 sq mi).[1] In 2015, the protected area was further extended by 49 sq mi (128 km2).[2]

To the north of Parsa National Park, the East Rapti River and Sivalik Hills form a natural boundary to human settlements. To the east, the boundary extends up to the Hetauda–Birgunj highway; to the south, a forest road demarcates the park's boundary. To the west is Chitwan National Park, which is situated just north of Valmiki National Park, a tiger reserve in India. Thus, this transnational protected area of 2,075 km2 (801 sq mi) represents the Tiger Conservation Unit (TCU) Chitwan–Parsa–Valmiki, which covers a total of 3,549 km2 (1,370 sq mi) in the Terai–Duar savanna and grasslands.[3]

Before being converted to a protected area, the region was a private game reserve and hunting park for both the British and Nepalese elite.[1][4]

Vegetation

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The typical vegetation in the park consists of sal forest constituting about 90% of the area. Chir pine grows in the Churia Hills; Khair, sissoo and silk cotton trees occur along watercourses. Sabai grass grows well on the southern face of the Churia Hills.[4] An estimated 919 floral species have been recorded including 298 vascular plants, 234 dicots, 58 monocots, five pteridophytes, and one gymnosperm.[1]

Fauna

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A census conducted in May 2008 confirmed the presence of 37 gaurs.[5] Four adult Bengal tigers were estimated to be resident in the Parsa National Park in 2008.[6] A three-month camera trapping survey in February 2017 revealed the presence of 19 Bengal tigers, indicating a substantial increase of the population.[7] As of 2015, three Indian rhinoceros have been recorded in the national park.[8]

Reptiles present include the mugger crocodile, king cobra, monocled cobra, Russell's viperr, elongated tortoise, Indian softshell turtle, Indian black turtle, Indian flapshell turtle, Oriental garden lizard and Oriental rat snake.[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b c 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 2018-12-14.
  2. ^ Anonymous. 2015. Good news for tigers as Nepal extends Parsa Wildlife Archived 2018-07-09 at the Wayback Machine. Wildlife Extra, 9 September 2015.
  3. ^ Wikramanayake, E.D., Dinerstein, E., Robinson, J.G., Karanth, K.U., Rabinowitz, A., Olson, D., Mathew, T., Hedao, P., Connor, M., Hemley, G., Bolze, D. (1999). Where can tigers live in the future? A framework for identifying high-priority areas for the conservation of tigers in the wild. Archived 2012-03-10 at the Wayback Machine In: Seidensticker, J., Christie, S., Jackson, P. (eds.) Riding the Tiger. Tiger Conservation in human-dominated landscapes. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. hardback ISBN 0-521-64057-1, paperback ISBN 0-521-64835-1. Pages 255–272 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ a b Majupuria, T.C., Kumar, R. (1998) Wildlife, National Parks and Reserves of Nepal. S. Devi, Saharanpur and Tecpress Books, Bangkok. ISBN 974-89833-5-8. Pages 245–248.
  5. ^ WWF Nepal (2008). "Gaur count in Parsa Wildlife Reserve" (PDF). EcoCircular Newsletter. 44 (8).
  6. ^ Global Tiger Initiative (2010). "National Tiger Recovery Program: T x 2 by 2022 Nepal, Draft" (PDF). Archived 2011-07-06 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "The tiger population in Nepal's Parsa National Park is recovering rapidly". 2017.
  8. ^ "Nepal achieves 21% increase in rhino numbers". WWF Nepal. 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  9. ^ Bhattarai, S.; Pokheral, C.P.; Lamichhane, B.R.; Regmi, U.R.; Ram, A.K.; Subedi, N. (2018). "Amphibians and reptiles of Parsa National Park, Nepal" (PDF). Amphibian & Reptile Conservation. 12 (1): 35–48.
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