Nepal Conservation Area

Annapurna Conservation Area(ACA):

ACA, established in 2043 B.S, occupying an area of 7,229 sq.kms, stretches in the Annapurna range and its adjoining areas in Western Nepal. This conservation area comprises Manang and Mustang districts and parts of Kaski , Myagdi and Lamjung districts. It is the largest conservation area in Nepal and is managed by King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation. It's altitude ranges from less than 1,000m, the Mardi Khola to 8,091m, Mount Annapurna-I which is the tenth highest peak in the world.

Vegetation in this area comprise of hill Saal, Schima, Castanopsis, alder, oak, rhododendron, brich, blue pine,juniper and some bushes in the arid regions. Mamamlian species include common langur , yellow-throated marten, jungle cat, Ghoral, serow, Tahr, Bharal,leopard, snow leopard,black bear, red panda, etc.

Kanchanjunga Conservation Area (KCA):

KCA, established in 2054 B.S, occupying an area of 2011 sq.kms, lies in the northern part of Taplejung district in East Nepal and encompasses Kanchajunga Himal which is the second highest peak in Nepal and third highest in the world. Altitude ranges from 1,200m.(Tamur river) to 8,586m.(Mt.Kanchanjunga).Vegetation includes Juniper, Saal, Chilaune, Phalant, Katush,maple, hemlock, rhododendron etc. The common fauna includes snow leopard, common leopard, red pandas, musk deer, blue sheep, gray wolf, Assamese macaque , common langur etc. The inhabitants of this region belong to Sherpa, Bhotia and Lelep in majority and Limbus, Rai, Gurung in minority.

Manaslu Conservation Area(MCA):

MCA, established in 1998 A.D.(2055 B.S), covering an area of 4,000 sq.kms, lies in Gorkha, Manang and Lamjung districts of Gandaki zone in the Western Development Region and is centered around Manaslu Himal (8,163m), the seventh highest peak in the world.

The area is comprised of dense forest of Chilaune, Katus , oak, rhododendron, blue pine, spruce, birch, juniper,larch etc. The mammalian fauna includes snow leaopard , common leopard , musk deer, blue sheep, red panda, Himalayan tahr etc. Gurungs, Sherpas and Bhotes live around this area.

National Parks of Nepal

Chitwan National Park (CNP) :
CNP , established in 2030 B.S, is the oldest National Park in Nepal which is situated in the Tropical inner Terai low lands of South Central Nepal. The park was designated as a World Heritage site in 1984 A.D. and occupies an area of 932 sq. kms.
The park covers an unique ecosystem of significant value and contains the Churiya hills, ox-bow lakes and flood plains of Rapti, Reu and Narayani rivers. The park encompasses more than 43 species of mammals, over 450 species of birds, over 45 species of amphibians and reptiles and over 100 species of fishes. The park is especially renowned for the endangered one-horned rhinoceros, the tiger and crocodile along with many other common species such as bison, wild ass, lion,elephent,entelope,hyena,gangetic dolphin,monitor lizard,python,chittal(spotted deer),barking deer,hog deer,sloth beer,palm civet,langur and rhesus monkey. Among the endangered birds are the bengal florican, giant hornbill, black stork and white stork. Besides, peafowl,red jungle fowls,egrets,

king fishers,wood peckers etc. are also abundantly found.

Sagarmatha National Park (SNP):
SNP, established in 2032 B.S, occupies an area of 1148 sq. kms. in Solukhumbu district of Sagarmatha zone. The park includes the highest peak of the world, Mt.Everest, and several other well-known species such as Lhote, Nuptse, Cho-Oyu, Pumori, Ama Dablam, Thamserku, Kwangde, Kantaiga and Gyachung Kang. The park was added in the list of World Heritage sites in 1979 A.D .(2039 B.S). The Bhote Koshi , the Dudh koshi and the Imza Khola are the main water resources of this area.
In its highly hilly environment, vegetation like Gobre Salla, Thingure Salla, Bhojpatra, Rhododendron etc, are found while wild animals like Himalayan Tahr, Ghoral snow, Musk deer, Snow Leopard , Black bear, Weasel, Marten, Himalayan Mouse hare, Jackal, Langur Monkey, Danfe, Kalij, Himalayan Fowl etc also sighted in the park.

Langtang National Park(LNP):
LNP, established in 2032 B.S, occupying an area of 1,710 sq.km, stretches to Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Sindhupalchowk districts in Bagmati zone and reaches to Nepal-China (Tibet) border to the north of Kathmandu. It lies just 32 km north of Kathmandu. Animals like wild dog, red panda, pika, muntjack , musk deer, Himalayan black bear, tahr, ghoral ,serow, rhesus monkey and common langur are found here. This park also encompasses a monastery called 'Won Po' and 'Gosainkunda' which are the important religious heritages. It is also very popular among the tourists for its trekking route.

Bardiya National Park(BNP):
BNP, established in 2032 B.S, occupying an area of 968 sq.kms, stretches in Bardiya district of Wid-western Development Region and to the east of Karnali
River. About 70% of the park is covered with Saal forest with the mixture of grassland, savanna and riverine forest.
The park provides an excellent habitat for endangered animals rhinoceros, wild elephant, Bengal tiger, Swamp deer, Black Buck, Gharial, Crocodile, gangetic Dolphin etc. Endangered birds include the Bengal florican, lesser florican , saras , crane etc. More than 30 species of mammals , over 200 species of birds, many species of reptiles, amphibians and fishes have been recorded here.

Shey-Phoksundo National Park(SPNP):
SPNP, established in 2040 B.S, occupying an area of 3,555 sq.kms., stretches in Dolpa and Mugu districts of Karnali zone in the Mid-western Development Region of Nepal. It is the largest national park in the country.
The park provides prime habitat for snow leopard, blue sheep, ghoral , serow, himalayan tahr, leopard, wolf , jackal, black bear, Himalayan weasel, Himalayan mouse, yellow-throated marten, langur and rhesus monkeys. The park is equally rich in many species of birds, such as danphe, blood pheasant, cheer pheasant, red and yellow billed cough, raven, jungle crow, snow partridge and many others. Lake Phoksundo lies almost at the centre of this park.

Rara National Park(RNP):
RNP, established in 2032 B.S, occupying an area of 106 sq.kms, is situated in Himali region of Jumla and Humla districts of Karnali zone in north-west Nepal about 371 km. air distance from Kathmandu. Most of the park, including Lake Rara lies in Mugu district. This is the small park in Nepal.
Park elevations range from 1800m to 4048m and contain mainly coniferous forest. Deciduous tree species like Indian horse, chestnut, walnut and poplar are also found. Animals like musk deer, Himalayan black bear, leopard, ghoral, Himalayan tahrand wild boar are found here. Birds like water-fowl, great-crested grebe, black-necked grebe, red-crested pochard, snow cock, chukor partridge, Danphe, Kalij and blood pheasant are seen here.

Khaptad National Park(KNP):
KNP, established in 2040 B.S, occupying an area of 225 sq.kms, stretches in Bajhang , Bajura, Doti and Achham districts fo Seti zone in Far Western Development Region of Nepal. The park consists of forest of conifer, rhododendron, oak, saal along with extensive and graceful grass meadows, nigalo and some medicinal herbs and shrubs. Mammalian fauna inhabiting the park are leopard, wild dog, yellow-throated marten, black bear, wild boar, jackal, musk deer, ghoral, tahr and commong langur. Over 200 avian species like danphe, chukor partridge, kalij, monal, blue magpie, thrushes, Himalayan griffon, bulbul, eagles etc. are enjoying their life here. Some colorful butterflies , moths and other insects are also found here.

The Rivers In Nepal

Nepal is the second largest country after Brazil in water resources. There are thousands of rivers in the country. Most of the big rivers originate from the Mountain and Middle Hill. The rivers originating from the Mountain such as Arun, Tamakoshi, Kaligandaki, Karnali, and so on, are snow fed rivers.These are perennial rivers.

The flow of water in the river originating from the Middle Hill decreases during winter. The river originating from the Churiya are non-perennial so that dry up in the winter season.There are three most important river systerms in Nepal such as Koshi, Gandaki and Karnali. Koshi is the longest river of Nepal. It has seven tributaries namely Arun, Sunkoshi,Tamakoshi, Likhu , Dudhkoshi, Indrawati and Tamor that drain the eastern region of the country.

Gandaki flows in the central part of the country. Similarly, Karnali flows in the western part of the country. Besides these main rivers, there are many important rivers of second and third order.

Mountains , rivers and occasions form a combined trinity and unity. Rivers do have their origins in mountains as a result of melting of ice. And every river's final home is the sea. Rivers are nature's blessed gift to the earth.

There are many rivers in our country. Among them, Gandaki, Koshi, Marsyandi, Trisuli, Bagmati, Bishunumati, Narayani, Karnali are some of the important ones. Our rivers are all holy. Our Bagmati, Bishnumati, Gandaki, Narayani etc. all are sacred to us.

River feed not only our land and plants but also our mills and factory. That is , river water can be turned into a new power called electricity and this , in turn, helps our trade and industry. In the country like Nepal, it is of great importance. Majority of Nepalese people still has to rely on oil lamps and candles. In this case, such rural people can be highly benefited if electricity is generated. Nepal government should give proper attention to this reality. River must be used for irrigation and generation of electricity. The country has to allo

t sufficient budget for the such purposes. If done so, plenty of crops can be grown and money can be earned by selling electricity in neighbouring countries.

The Himalayas

Nepal is a Himalayan country. Nepal is known as the land of the Himalayas. The Himalayas extend all over the Northern Nepal and occupy nearly forty percent of the total area of our country.These Himalayas are covered with snow. Legend makes the Himalayas the seat of Shiva and Parvati. Many great rivers of Nepal and India rise in Himalayas. In Sansakrit, Himalayas means the abode of snow. For this reason, they are called Himalayas. Most of the highest peaks of the world reside in Himalayan region. Mt.Everest, the highest peak in the world, lies in the Himalayan region in Nepal. Nepal is also known as the country of Mt.Everest. These peaks attract climbers every year. The high Himalayas contain several big glaciers and lakes. They are devoid of vegetation and human settlement.
There is no human settlement in the higher Himalayas. People live in lower Himalayan regions. These areas are forested and thinly populated. Pine trees and rhododendrons are available in these areas. Rhododendron is the national flower of our country. Life on the Himalayan region i.e on the mountain is difficult. People do have goats , sheep and yak as pets.

The Himalayas are a great obstacle to the development of our country. They cover the large part of the country and these places are not fit for cultivation. These areas are unused and abandoned. Moreover, some part of the Himalayas are inaccessible. There is no transport facility. People even can not travel from one part to another easily. Life is difficult there.

It is Himalayas from which our rivers are originated. The rivers are full of water all the year round. They are useful for irrigation and generation of electricity. Moreover, they also make the climate good. These Himalayan regions are full of beautiful scenes. These scenes attract tourists very well and tourism industry can be flourished. In addition to these, Himalayan regions especially lower Himalayas consist of mines, minerals, wood trees and medicinal herbs like "Silajit". Thus, these Himalayas are useful in many ways.

Nepal is known all over the world as the land of Himalayas. We are proud of being Nepali, - the people of the land of Himalayas.