Forestry Nepal

Ø  Chitwan National Park (CNP) is situated in South-central Nepal, covering an area of 952.63 km2, in the subtropical lowlands of inner Terai

Ø  In 1957, the area between Tikauli and the Mahabharat range was declared a “rhino sanctuary”, which was the first step towards formal wildlife management in the country

Ø  In 1963, the area to the south of Rapti was declared a rhino sanctuary and by April 1971, borders of the National Park was fixed by a survey team. In 1973, the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act was enacted, and Chitwan National Park was declared as the first National Park of Nepal. In 1977, the promulgated boundaries were increased from 540 km2 to 932sq.km. Recognizing its outstanding universal value of unique ecosystems of international significance, UNESCO declared the park a World Heritage Site in 1984.

Ø  In 1996, an area of 750 km2 surrounding the park was declared as a buffer zone, consisting of forests and private lands

Ø  According to 17 October 2016 Gazette of Nepal, the area of Chitwan National Park and its Buffer zone has became 952.63 km2 and 729.37 km2 respectively

Ø  National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1973 has made a provision of ploughing back 30-50 % of the park’s revenue into community development and conservation of the buffer zone

Ø  Bishajari and associated lakes in the buffer zone of the CNP were declared as a wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention in 2003.

Major Flora and Fauna

Ø  The Chitwan Valley consists of tropical and subtropical forests with mostly Sal (Shorea robusta) forests covering about 80% of the area while grasslands cover about 12%.

Ø  There are more than 68 different types of grasses, including the Elephant grass (Saccharum spp.), which grows up to a height of 8m.

Ø  The park is home to more than 68 species of mammals, 55 species of amphibians and reptiles, 546 species of birds, and 120 species of fish

Major Attractions

Ø  Second the largest population of Greater One-horned Rhinoceros in the world

Ø  One of the National Parks in the world which has more than 93 tigers in the same habitat

Ø  Home to Gaur Bison, Gharial Crocodile, more than 6% of the world’s bird species

Ø  World Heritage site (Natural site), Ramsar site (Bishazari tal)

Ø  Elephant, Gharial Crocodile and Vulture Breeding Center

Facts sheets

Ø  National park declared year 1973 A D

Ø  National park area 952.63 km2

Ø  World Heritage Site listed 1984 (Natural Site)

Ø  Ramsar site declaration 2003 (Bishajari and associated lakes)

Ø  Bioclimatic zone Sub-tropical

Ø  Elevation 140-800m from msl

Ø  Buffer zone declared 1996 A D Buffer zone area 729.37 km2

Species Record (DNPWC, 2020)

 Nepal vs CNP

Ø  Fishes: Nepal 232             CNP 120

Ø  Amphibians: Nepal 117             CNP 55

Ø  Birds: Nepal 886             CNP 546

Ø  Mammals: Nepal 212             CNP 68

Ø  Greater One-horned Rhinoceros: Nepal 645          CNP 605

Ø  Royal Bengal Tiger: Nepal 235          CNP 93 

Ø  Gaur Bison: Nepal 349        CNP 321

Ø  Gharial Crocodile: Nepal 198      CNP 166

Nepal covers only 0.03 percent of the global land area and 0.3 percent of Asia. But it posses a disproportionately rich diversity of flora and fauna. The land elevation of the country varies from 60 meters above sea level in the south to 8848 meters in the north. 

           According to Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN), 876 species of birds have been recorded in Nepal so far, which is about 8 percent of the total bird species found worldwide. The annual report 2072 B.S. of Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) shows that 210 species of mammals, 653 species of butterfly, 230 species of fish, 53 species of amphibians, 137 species of reptiles, and 6973 species of flowering plants are found in Nepal. 

          The Government of Nepal has taken the rich diversity as a magnificent gift of nature and has been conducting different conservation activities in collaboration with national and international organizations. However, due to lack of people's participation, incomplete legal procedure, and negligence of concerned authorities, these conservation activities have not been effective. On the other hand, the high value and demand of wildlife and their illegal trade in international markets have remained our serious challenges. 

      Wildlife trade has been the second-biggest direct threat to species after habitat destruction. Experts at TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, estimate that wildlife trade runs into hundreds of millions of dollars. TRAFFIC has calculated the wildlife products worth about 160 US billion dollars that were imported across the world each year during the 1990s. This figure has been increased these days.

           Many plants & animals are sold as food, pets, ornamental plants, and medicine. Over-exploitation of these activities may lead to an imbalance in nature and biodiversity. In our country, most of the wildlife hunting and trade is done by educated people. The ethnicity of arrests published by Wildlife Conservation Nepal (WCN) from 2005 to 2016 shows that 44 percent of the Matuwalis, 23 percent Bahun/Chhetri, 8 percent Newar, 6 percent Madhesi, 5 percent foreigners and 10 percent others were found to be involved in wildlife hunting and trade. This has been a lucrative business in Nepal. Mostly, people of the age group 20-40 are found actively involved in these kinds of activities. Involvement of more than 8 people -- shooter, runner, arms provider, market finder or broker and storekeeper -- has made hunting and trading easy. 

         Illegal hunting and trade of tiger, red panda, pangolins, leopard, deer, elephant, owl, Himalayan yew (lauth salla), caterpillar fungus (yarshagumba), marsh orchids (panch aaunle), red sanders (raktachandan) are emerging these days. The trade of red panda hides, leopard and deer skins, pangolin scales, musk pods, bear bile, tiger bones and skin, bird feathers, otter skin, rhino horns, and elephant ivories are sold at a high price. 

       International drug smugglers were found to be using Kathmandu as a transit for smuggling wildlife body parts. Political patronage to the poachers and smugglers has made this issue more complex and challenging for conservationists. WCN reported that 74 percent of wildlife hunting and trade is found to be in Chitwan district followed by Nawalparasi (8 percent), Makawanpur (8 percent), and others 10 percent.

           National legislation and appropriate penalties for illegal wildlife trade are missing in the country. Concerning the illegal wildlife hunting and trade, it's our prime duty to aware of the local people, motivates the conservationists, and pressurize the government and concerned authorities. Strict laws and security systems should be maintained in national parks, wildlife reserves, and conservation areas. Conservation has also progressed nowadays by the use of new technologies like aerial surveillance, drones, and spy dog. Illegal hunting and trade have been a real threat to wildlife. As a wildlife and their habitat can’t speak, we must all unite together with a common aim to protect them. If we are united, we will succeed.