Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park
| Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park | |
|---|---|
 View of Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park from Sundarijal | |
  Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park | |
| Location | Nepal |
| Nearest city | Kathmandu |
| Coordinates | 27°47′42″N 85°23′24″E / 27.79500°N 85.39500°E |
| Area | 159 km2 (61 sq mi) |
| Established | 2002 |
| Governing body | Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (Nepal) |
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Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park is the ninth national park in Nepal and was established in 2002. It is located in the country's mid-hills on the northern fringe of the Kathmandu Valley and named after Shivapuri Peak at 2,732 m (8,963 ft) altitude. It covers an area of 159 km2 (61 sq mi) in the districts of Kathmandu, Nuwakot and Sindhupalchowk, adjoining 23 Village Development Committees.[1] In the west, the protected area extends to the Dhading District.[2]
History
[edit]The area has always been an important water catchment area, supplying the Kathmandu Valley with several hundred thousand cubic liter of water daily. In 1976, the area was established as a protected watershed and wildlife reserve. In 2002, it was gazetted as Shivapuri National Park, initially covering 144 km2 (56 sq mi).[1] It was extended by the Nagarjun Forest Reserve covering 15 km2 (5.8 sq mi) in 2009.[2]
The park includes some historical and religious sites, and a popular hiking route for local people and tourists.[3]
Climate
[edit]The park is located in a transition zone between subtropical and temperate climates. The annual precipitation of about 1,400 mm (55 in) falls mostly from May to September, with 80% during the monsoon. Temperatures vary from 2–17 °C (36–63 °F) during the winter season, rising to 19–30 °C (66–86 °F) during the summer season.
Vegetation
[edit]
The typical vegetation of the park is middle hill forest from 1,000 to 1,800 m (3,300 to 5,900 ft) of altitude, consisting of:
- Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests in the lower and upper subtropical bioclimatic zone dominated by Schima-Castanopsis associations, with chir pine stands on southern dry ridges and associations of alder, wild Himalayan cherry, Engelhardia and ring-cupped oak along streams;
- Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests in the lower temperate bioclimatic zone with predominantly broadleaf evergreen species of oak and laurel families mixed with rhododendron on northern slopes.[4][5]
In higher elevations, a variety of medicinal herbs prosper.[4] Botanists have recorded 129 species of mushrooms and 2,122 floral species, out of which 449 are vascular and 16 are endemic plants.[1][6]
Fauna
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Since 2002 several surveys have been carried out to determine the faunal diversity of the protected area. In a field study carried out from July 2003 to July 2004, Indian leopard, jungle cat, large Indian civet, golden jackal, Himalayan black bear, yellow-throated marten, small Indian mongoose, Himalayan goral, Indian muntjac, wild boar, rhesus monkey, Hanuman langur, Chinese pangolin, Indian crested porcupine, Royle's pika, Indian hare, orange-bellied Himalayan squirrel, fawn-colored mouse, Hodgsons's brown-toothed shrew and black rat were identified.[7] Clouded leopard, leopard cat, masked palm civet, crab-eating mongoose, Indian pangolin, rhesus macaque and yellow-throated marten, were photographed by camera traps in 2010.[2]
In the western part of the park, herpetologists encountered monocled cobra, Himalayan keelback, olive Oriental slender snake, yellow-bellied worm-eating snake, variegated mountain lizard, Oriental garden lizard, many-keeled grass skink, Sikkim skink, black-spined toad, long-legged cricket frog and horned frog in the summer of 2009.[8]
Ornithologists recorded 318 species of birds including Eurasian eagle-owl, slender-billed scimitar-babbler, white-gorgeted flycatcher, barred cuckoo-dove and golden-throated barbet.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c Pandey, B. P. (2010). A report on presence absence survey of clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) in Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park, Nepal (Report). Submitted to Government of Nepal.
- ^ Kunwar, K. J. (2008). "Payment for Environmental Services in Nepal (A Case Study of Shivapuri National Park, Kathmandu, Nepal)". The Initiation. 63: 63–72.
- ^ 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 200–204.
- ^ Sigdel, S.R. (2009). Altitudinally coordinated pattern of plant community structure in the Shivapuri National Park, Nepal. Banko Janakari 18 (1): 11–17.
- ^ Maskey, N. (2008). Investing in Ecosystem Services: Opportunities and Challenges for Shivapuri National Park, Nepal. Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies, Sweden
- ^ Shrestha, B. & Basnet K. (2005). "Indirect methods of identifying mammals: a case study from Shivapuri National Park, Nepal". Ecoprint. 12: 43–58. doi:10.3126/eco.v12i0.3196.
- ^ Aryal, P. C., Pokhrel, G. K., Shah, K. B., Rijal, B., Kharel, S. C., Paudel, E., Suwal, M. K., Dhamala, M. K., Bhurtel, B. P. (2010). Inventory of Herpetofaunal Diversity In Nagarjun Forest of Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park. Companions for Amphibians and Reptiles of Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal.
- ^ Bird Conservation Nepal (2006). Birds of Shivapuri. Checklist of 318 reported species. Published in cooperation with Shivapuri National Park, Kathmandu.
Further reading
[edit]- Bird Conservation Nepal (2006). Birds of Shivapuri. Checklist of 318 reported species. Published in cooperation with Shivapuri National Park, Kathmandu.
External links
[edit]- Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Nepal : Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park
- BirdLife IBA factsheet about Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park
| National parks | ||
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| Wildlife reserves | ||
| Conservation areas | ||
| Hunting reserves | ||
| Ramsar sites | ||
