# 1.1.3 National Parks, Wildlife & Hunting Reserve, Conservation Area

Here is a well-structured and detailed summary of the information provided in the document about Nepal's protected areas, wildlife, wetlands, protected species, and demography:

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### **🌿 Protected Areas of Nepal**

Nepal has a well-established network of protected areas covering **23.39%** of the country’s total land area, extending from the Terai lowlands to the high Himalayas. The system includes:

* **12 National Parks**
* **1 Wildlife Reserve**
* **1 Hunting Reserve**
* **6 Conservation Areas**
* **13 Buffer Zones**

These areas support *in-situ* conservation of ecosystems and biodiversity and are internationally recognized.

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#### **🏞️ National Parks**

| S.N. | Name                             | Established (B.S.) | Location (Districts)                        | Area (km²) | Key Wildlife & Notes                                                    |
| ---- | -------------------------------- | ------------------ | ------------------------------------------- | ---------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 1    | Chitwan National Park            | 2030               | Chitwan, Makwanpur, Parsa, Nawalparasi      | 952.63     | One-horned rhino, tiger, leopard, gharial, dolphin; first national park |
| 2    | Langtang National Park           | 2032               | Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Sindhupalchowk             | 1710       | Red Panda, musk deer, Himalayan serow; high biodiversity                |
| 3    | Sagarmatha National Park         | 2032               | Solukhumbu                                  | 1148       | Snow leopard, Himalayan tahr; highest altitude national park            |
| 4    | Rara National Park               | 2032               | Mugu, Jumla                                 | 106        | Himalayan bear, serow, Goral; smallest national park                    |
| 5    | Bardiya National Park            | 2032               | Bardiya                                     | 968        | Tiger, elephant, rhino, black buck                                      |
| 6    | She-Phoksundo National Park      | 2040               | Dolpa, Mugu                                 | 3555       | Snow leopard, wild yak, Tibetan donkey; largest national park           |
| 7    | Khaptad National Park            | 2042               | Bajhang, Bajura, Doti, Achham               | 225        | Barking deer, leopard cat, Himalayan Goral                              |
| 8    | Makalu Barun National Park       | 2048               | Sankhuwasabha, Solukhumbu                   | 1500       | Himalayan black bear, rare vegetation                                   |
| 9    | Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park | 2058               | Kathmandu, Nuwakot, Sindhupalchowk, Dhading | 159        | Clouded leopard, Assamese macaque, pangolin                             |
| 10   | Banke National Park              | 2067               | Banke, Salyan, Dang                         | 550        | Tiger, hyena, four-horned deer                                          |
| 11   | Shuklaphanta National Park       | 2031               | Kanchanpur                                  | 305        | Rhino, tiger, elephant; upgraded from wildlife reserve in 2073 B.S.     |
| 12   | Parsa National Park              | 2040               | Chitwan, Makwanpur, Bara, Parsa             | 627.39     | Rhino, tiger, hyena, pangolin; upgraded in 2074 B.S.                    |

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#### **🎯 Hunting Reserve**

| S.N. | Name                      | Established (B.S.) | Area (km²) | Location               | Key Wildlife                              |
| ---- | ------------------------- | ------------------ | ---------- | ---------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| 1    | Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve | 2044               | 1325       | Rukum, Baglung, Myagdi | Blue sheep, snow leopard, Himalayan serow |

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#### **🌳 Conservation Areas**

| S.N. | Name         | Established (B.S.) | Area (km²) | Location (Districts)                    | Key Features                                                      |
| ---- | ------------ | ------------------ | ---------- | --------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 1    | Annapurna    | 2049               | 7629       | Lamjung, Manang, Mustang, Myagdi, Kaski | Conservation of Himalayan wildlife, vegetation, cultural heritage |
| 2    | Kanchanjunga | 2054               | 2035       | Taplejung                               | Snow leopard, red panda, grey bear                                |
| 3    | Manaslu      | 2055               | 1663       | Gorkha                                  | Snow leopard, musk deer, blue sheep                               |
| 4    | Krishnasar   | 2065               | 16.95      | Bardiya                                 | Black buck, hyena, python                                         |
| 5    | Gaurishankar | 2066               | 2179       | Ramechhap, Dolakha, Sindhupalchowk      | Snow leopard, tragopan, lophophorus                               |
| 6    | Api-Nampa    | 2067               | 1903       | Darchula                                | Snow leopard, Himalayan Goral, spikenard                          |

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#### **🛡️ Buffer Zones**

| S.N. | Protected Area                   | Year Declared (B.S.) | Area (km²) |
| ---- | -------------------------------- | -------------------- | ---------- |
| 1    | Chitwan National Park            | 2053                 | 729.37     |
| 2    | Langtang National Park           | 2055                 | 420        |
| 3    | Sagarmatha National Park         | 2058                 | 275        |
| 4    | Rara National Park               | 2063                 | 198        |
| 5    | Bardiya National Park            | 2053                 | 507        |
| 6    | She-Phoksundo National Park      | 2055                 | 1349       |
| 7    | Khaptad National Park            | 2063                 | 225        |
| 8    | Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park | 2072                 | 118.61     |
| 9    | Banke National Park              | 2067                 | 343        |
| 10   | Makalu Barun National Park       | 2055                 | 830        |
| 11   | Shuklaphanta National Park       | 2061                 | 243.5      |
| 12   | Parsa National Park              | 2062                 | 285.3      |
| 13   | Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve     | 2061                 | 173        |

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#### **🐘 Wildlife Reserve**

| S.N. | Name                         | Established (B.S.) | Area (km²) | Location | Key Wildlife                                              |
| ---- | ---------------------------- | ------------------ | ---------- | -------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| 1    | Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve | 2032               | 175        | Sunsari  | Wild buffalo, gharial, mugger crocodile, Gangetic dolphin |

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#### **💧 Wetlands (Ramsar Sites)**

| S.N. | Name                           | Area (Ha.) | Listed (A.D.) | Managing Authority                 |
| ---- | ------------------------------ | ---------- | ------------- | ---------------------------------- |
| 1    | Koshi Tappu                    | 17500      | 1987          | Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve       |
| 2    | Bishajari & surrounding lakes  | 3200       | 2003          | Chitwan National Park              |
| 3    | Ghodaghodi Lake area           | 2563       | 2003          | District Forest Office, Kailali    |
| 4    | Jagadishpur Pond               | 225        | 2003          | District Forest Office, Kapilvastu |
| 5    | Rara Lake                      | 1583       | 2007          | Rara National Park                 |
| 6    | Shey-Phoksundo                 | 494        | 2007          | She-Phoksundo National Park        |
| 7    | Gosaikunda & surrounding lakes | 1030       | 2007          | Langtang National Park             |
| 8    | Gokyo & surrounding lakes      | 7770       | 2007          | Sagarmatha National Park           |
| 9    | Maipokhari                     | 90         | 2008          | District Forest Office, Ilam       |
| 10   | Pokhara Valley Lakes Cluster   | 26106      | 2016          | District Forest Office, Pokhara    |

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#### **🦌 Protected Species**

| Category         | Species (Examples)                                                                                                |
| ---------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Mammals (26)** | Red Panda, Snow Leopard, Bengal Tiger, One-horned Rhino, Elephant, Himalayan Black Bear, Wild Yak, Pangolin, etc. |
| **Birds (9)**    | Black Stork, Sarus Crane, Himalayan Monal, Satyr Tragopan, Great Hornbill, etc.                                   |
| **Reptiles (3)** | Indian Python, Gharial, Yellow Monitor Lizard                                                                     |

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#### **📊 Demography of Nepal**

* **First modern census**: 1952/54 AD
* **First computerized census**: 1971 (using IBM 1401)
* **11th census**: 2068 B.S. (2011 AD) – growth rate **1.35%**
* **Census Day**: 8th of Ashadh
* **12th census**: 2021 AD (ongoing)
* **Conducted by**: National Statistics Office (formerly Central Bureau of Statistics)

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