1.
International Union for Conservation of Nature
–
The International Union for Conservation of Nature is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. It is involved in gathering and analysis, research, field projects, advocacy, lobbying. IUCNs mission is to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve nature and to ensure that any use of resources is equitable. Over the past decades, IUCN has widened its focus beyond conservation ecology and now incorporates issues related to equality, poverty alleviation. Unlike other international NGOs, IUCN does not itself aim to mobilize the public in support of nature conservation and it tries to influence the actions of governments, business and other stakeholders by providing information and advice, and through lobbying and partnerships. The organization is best known to the public for compiling and publishing the IUCN Red List. IUCN has a membership of over 1200 governmental and non-governmental organizations, some 11,000 scientists and experts participate in the work of IUCN commissions on a voluntary basis. It employs approximately 1000 full-time staff in more than 60 countries and its headquarters are in Gland, Switzerland. IUCN has observer and consultative status at the United Nations, and plays a role in the implementation of several conventions on nature conservation. It was involved in establishing the World Wide Fund for Nature, in the past, IUCN has been criticized for placing the interests of nature over those of indigenous peoples. In recent years, its relations with the business sector have caused controversy. It was previously called the International Union for Protection of Nature, establishment In 1947, the Swiss League for the Protection of Nature organised an international conference on the protection of nature in Brunnen. It is considered to be the first government-organized non-governmental organization, the initiative to set up the new organisation came from UNESCO and especially from its first Director General, the British biologist Julian Huxley. At the time of its founding IUPN was the international organisation focusing on the entire spectrum of nature conservation Early years. Its secretariat was located in Brussels and its first work program focused on saving species and habitats, increasing and applying knowledge, advancing education, promoting international agreements and promoting conservation. Providing a solid base for conservation action was the heart of all activities. IUPN and UNESCO were closely associated and they jointly organized the 1949 Conference on Protection of Nature. In preparation for this conference a list of endangered species was drawn up for the first time
2.
National park
–
A national park is a park in use for conservation purposes. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns, although individual nations designate their own national parks differently, there is a common idea, the conservation of wild nature for posterity and as a symbol of national pride. An international organization, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, although Yellowstone was not officially termed a national park in its establishing law, it was always termed such in practice and is widely held to be the first and oldest national park in the world. The first area to use national park in its legislation was the USs Mackinac Island. Australias Royal National Park, established in 1879, was the third official national park. In 1895 ownership of Mackinac Island was transferred to the State of Michigan as a state park, as a result, Australias Royal National Park is by some considerations the second oldest national park now in existence. The largest national park in the meeting the IUCN definition is the Northeast Greenland National Park. According to the IUCN,6,555 national parks worldwide met its criteria in 2006, IUCN is still discussing the parameters of defining a national park. National parks are almost always open to visitors, in 1971, these criteria were further expanded upon leading to more clear and defined benchmarks to evaluate a national park. In 1810, the English poet William Wordsworth described the Lake District as a sort of property, in which every man has a right and interest who has an eye to perceive. It was known as Hot Springs Reservation, but no authority was established. Federal control of the area was not clearly established until 1877, John Muir is today referred to as the Father of the National Parks due to his work in Yosemite. He published two articles in The Century Magazine, which formed the base for the subsequent legislation. President Abraham Lincoln signed an Act of Congress on July 1,1864, ceding the Yosemite Valley, according to this bill, private ownership of the land in this area was no longer possible. The state of California was designated to manage the park for use, resort. Leases were permitted for up to ten years and the proceeds were to be used for conservation, a public discussion followed this first legislation of its kind and there was a heated debate over whether the government had the right to create parks. The perceived mismanagement of Yosemite by the Californian state was the reason why Yellowstone at its establishment six years later was put under national control, in 1872, Yellowstone National Park was established as the United States first national park, being also the worlds first national park. In some European countries, however, national protection and nature reserves already existed, such as Drachenfels, Yellowstone was part of a federally governed territory
3.
Nepal
–
Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked central Himalayan country in South Asia. Nepal is divided into 7 provinces and 75 districts and 744 local units including 4 metropolises,13 sub-metropolises,246 municipal councils and 481 village and it has a population of 26.4 million and is the 93rd largest country by area. Bordering China in the north and India in the south, east, Nepal does not border Bangladesh, which is located within only 27 km of its southeastern tip. It neither borders Bhutan due to the Indian state of Sikkim being located in between, Nepal has a diverse geography, including fertile plains, subalpine forested hills, and eight of the worlds ten tallest mountains, including Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth. Kathmandu is the capital and largest city. It is a nation with Nepali as the official language. The territory of Nepal has a history since the Neolithic age. The name Nepal is first recorded in texts from the Vedic Age, the era which founded Hinduism, in the middle of the first millennium BCE, Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was born in southern Nepal. Parts of northern Nepal were intertwined with the culture of Tibet, the Kathmandu Valley in central Nepal became known as Nepal proper because of its complex urban civilization. It was the seat of the prosperous Newar confederacy known as Nepal Mandala, the Himalayan branch of the ancient Silk Road was dominated by the valleys traders. The cosmopolitan region developed distinct traditional art and architecture, by the 18th century, the Gorkha Kingdom achieved the unification of Nepal. The Shah dynasty established the Kingdom of Nepal and later formed an alliance with the British Empire, the country was never colonized but served as a buffer state between Imperial China and Colonial India. In the 20th century, Nepal ended its isolation and forged ties with regional powers. Parliamentary democracy was introduced in 1951, but was suspended by Nepalese monarchs in 1960 and 2005. The Nepalese Civil War resulted in the proclamation of a republic in 2008, modern Nepal is a federal secular parliamentary republic. Nepal is a nation, ranking 144th on the Human Development Index in 2016. The country struggles with the transition from a monarchy to a republic and it also suffers from high levels of hunger and poverty. Despite these challenges, Nepal is making progress, with the government declaring its commitment to elevate the nation from least developed country status by 2022
4.
Geographic coordinate system
–
A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
5.
Himalayas
–
The Himalayas, or Himalaya, form a mountain range in Asia separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The Himalayan range has the Earths highest peaks, including the highest, the Himalayas include over a hundred mountains exceeding 7,200 metres in elevation. By contrast, the highest peak outside Asia – Aconcagua, in the Andes – is 6,961 metres tall. The Himalayas are spread across five countries, Bhutan, India, Nepal, China, the Himalayan range is bordered on the northwest by the Karakoram and Hindu Kush ranges, on the north by the Tibetan Plateau, and on the south by the Indo-Gangetic Plain. Some of the major rivers, the Indus, the Ganges, and the Tsangpo-Brahmaputra, rise in the Himalayas. The Himalayas have profoundly shaped the cultures of South Asia, many Himalayan peaks are sacred in Hinduism and Buddhism. Lifted by the subduction of the Indian tectonic plate under the Eurasian Plate and its western anchor, Nanga Parbat, lies just south of the northernmost bend of Indus river. Its eastern anchor, Namcha Barwa, is just west of the bend of the Tsangpo river. The range varies in width from 400 kilometres in the west to 150 kilometres in the east, the name of the range derives from the Sanskrit Himā-laya, from himá and ā-laya. They are now known as the Himalaya Mountains, usually shortened to the Himalayas, formerly, they were described in the singular as the Himalaya. This was also previously transcribed Himmaleh, as in Emily Dickinsons poetry and Henry David Thoreaus essays. The mountains are known as the Himālaya in Nepali and Hindi, the Himalaya or The Land of Snow in Tibetan, the Hamaleh Mountain Range in Urdu, the flora and fauna of the Himalayas vary with climate, rainfall, altitude, and soils. The climate ranges from tropical at the base of the mountains to permanent ice, the amount of yearly rainfall increases from west to east along the southern front of the range. This diversity of altitude, rainfall and soil conditions combined with the high snow line supports a variety of distinct plant. The extremes of high altitude combined with extreme cold favor extremophile organisms, the unique floral and faunal wealth of the Himalayas is undergoing structural and compositional changes due to climate change. The increase in temperature is shifting various species to higher elevations, the oak forest is being invaded by pine forests in the Garhwal Himalayan region. There are reports of early flowering and fruiting in some species, especially rhododendron, apple. The highest known tree species in the Himalayas is Juniperus tibetica located at 4,900 metres in Southeastern Tibet, the Himalayan range is one of the youngest mountain ranges on the planet and consists mostly of uplifted sedimentary and metamorphic rock
6.
Nuwakot District
–
Nuwakot District (Nepali, नुवाकोट जिल्ला Listen, a part of Province No. 3, is one of the districts of Nepal, a landlocked country of South Asia. The district, with Bidur as its headquarters, covers an area of 1,121 km² and had a population of 288,478 in 2001 and 277,471 in 2011. The name, Nuwakot, is made up of two words nawa and kort, nawa means nine in Nepali and kort means sacred religious sites at the top of hill. The district accordingly has 9 nine hills over which various deities are said to dwell thus overseeing and protecting Nuwakot and this has led Nuwakot often being called City of nine hills. Referring to the pages of history, the great king Prithivi Narayan Shah invaded Nuwakot which was under the ruling of Jaya Prakash Malla, Nuwakot, being a hilly area with very less plains, most of the areas are still undeveloped. In last few years, huge changes are observable, the city areas are provided with schools, colleges, hospitals and the road infrastructure is also developed. Two hydro power stations are currently in operation, people are dependent on agriculture, teaching, foreign economy, livestock farming, business, hotels, Agri Tourism, Eco Tourism and Khadya Bank etc. Jiling is recognized as SEZ Area where as lots of business is coming and going to grow business, Nuwakot, Bagmati, A seven storey palace lies on the top of Bidur Municipality. Beautiful sceneries of Nuwakot can be observed from the spot, Trishuli River, One of the major river of Saptakoshi passes right through mid area of Nuwakot. Stunning view of the river and the villages can be entertaining. Kakani, One of the gateway from Kathmandu to Nuwakot, the place is perfect for observing sunset and the mountains. Devighat, Near the union of Trishuli and Suryamati river lies devighat, the death place of the great king Prithvi Narayan Shah lies here. Kashitar, One of the place where people can enjoy and work in Eco Tourism, Agri Tourism. It is best place for work, play and enjoy, Nuwakot, consisting hindu religion as major, is provided with many historically as well as religious important places. There are 10 Village councils and 2 Municipalities
7.
Rasuwa District
–
Rasuwa District(Nepali, रसुवा जिल्ला Listen, a part of Province No. 3, is one of the districts of Nepal, a landlocked country Nepal. The district, with Dhunche as its headquarters, covers an area of 1,544 km² and has a population of 43,300. As per census 2011 total households in Rasuwa district is 9,778 and it is the smallest district by area, among 16 districts in the Himalaya region of Nepal. Origin of its name had begun as Rasowa which is believed to be derived as a combination of two Tibetan words ra and sowa as it was famous for its lamb and grazing lands, and later people started to call it Rasuwa. The administrative division of Rasuwa comprised 18 Village Development Committees each having 9 wards, Rasuwa is accessible by bus from Kathmandu via Pasang Lhamu highway, with its headquarters being about 120 km from Kathmandu. As of 2013,3 VDCs namely Thuman, Langtang and Haku is not touched by any kind of roadway and its territory has elevation ranging from 614 to 7,227 meters from mean sea Level. Forests cover 31. 43% of the land while 16. 63% is always snow-covered, steeply varying territory and plenty of natural blessings make Rasuwa a famous tourist destination in Nepal. Sightseeing places including Gosaikunda Lake and Mt. Langtang plus one of the hot springs in Nepal are located in the district, Langtang mountain range stands to the north of Rasuwa. The northern parts of the area largely fall within the boundaries of Langtang National Park, gosainkunda Lake, Ganja La Pass, and Tamang village in Bridim are the major highlights of Rasuwa for tourism. The Goshainkunda Lake, also known as Frozen Lake, one of the most beautiful mountain lakes lies in the Langtang region, there are about 108 kundas in this area. Saraswati Kund, Bhairab Kund, Surya Kund and Gosaikund are most important ones, Langtang valley is another attraction in Rasuwa which is aptly called the valley of glaciers, mountains rise soaring toward the sky. The valley offers pine forest, swift streams, rugged rock and snow-capped peaks, grassy down and meadows strewn with daisies. Zones of Nepal rasuwaonline. com Rasuwa District Profile 2011 Districts of Nepal
8.
Sindhupalchok District
–
Sindhupalchowk District is a part of Province No.3 and one of the seventy-five districts of Nepal, with an area of 2,542 km2. The districts headquarters is in Chautara, in 2006,336,478 people resided in 79 village development committees, in 2011 there were 287,798. The climatic zones found in the district comprise, The major towns are Chautara, Bahrabise, Melamchi, Jalbire, although this district is close to Nepals capital Kathmandu, it is one of the least developed districts in Nepal. The Arniko Highway, also called Kathmandu-Kodari Highway, extending from Kathmandu to Kodari links this district with Tibet, the district is mountainous and rich in natural resources. The district is accessible from Kathmandu. People depend entirely on agriculture for their survival, since the district is hilly, the land is not very fertile, and the yield is very low. Almost every VDC has access to electricity, and roads connecting to the highway, many NGOs and INGOs are working in the district in order to improve the living standards. The Bhote Koshi, Indrawati, Sun Kosi and Bramhayani rivers flow through this district, two FM radio stations also operate from Melchaur and Bahrabise. There are more than half dozen colleges offering degree in Sindhupalchowk. More than 25 schools are running +2 level programs, Chautara campus has just started science course in +2 level. There are almost one or more than one school in each VDC of Sindhupalchowk. Chautara Campus, Thokarpa Community Campus, Sunkoshi Campus, Jalbire Valley Campus are some leading educational institutions, higher level education is only available in Kavre and Kathmandu. There are more than 25 private schools in the district, there are more than 12 newspapers that publish news from the district including the daily newspapers Lokpriya Dainik and Sindhupalchok, and several monthly magazines. The newspapers have played a role in providing immediate news. Sindhusandesh is one of the oldest local newspapers and has gone online. Online sindhu. com Also Sindhusangram publishes online news, the small health centers in many VDCs are without Auxiliary Health Workers, Auxiliary Nurse Midwives and Community Health Workers. So, people seeking emergency health assistance have to long distance to headquarter or Kathmandu or end up dying because of lack of treatment. Many people still believe in Dhami and Jhakri and are against taking medicine or going to hospital for the treatment, an NGO, PHASE Nepal provides many healthcare facilities and training programs to two VDCs, Phulpingkot and Hagam
9.
Tibet Autonomous Region
–
The Tibet Autonomous Region or Xizang Autonomous Region, called Tibet or Xizang for short, is a province-level autonomous region of the Peoples Republic of China. Within China, Tibet is identified as an autonomous region, the current borders of Tibet were generally established in the eighteenth century and include about half of ethno-cultural Tibet. In 1950, the Peoples Liberation Army defeated the Tibetan army in a battle fought near the city of Chamdo, in 1951, the Tibetan representatives signed a 17-point agreement with the Chinese Central Peoples Government affirming Chinas sovereignty over Tibet and the incorporation of Tibet. The agreement was ratified in Lhasa a few months later, the Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 and renounced the 17-point agreement. Tibet Autonomous Region was established in 1965, thus making Tibet an administrative division that is equivalent in status to a Chinese province. The Tibet Autonomous Region is located on the Tibetan Plateau, the highest region on earth, in northern Tibet elevations reach an average of over 4,572 metres. Mount Everest is located on Tibets border with Nepal, Chinas provincial-level areas of Xinjiang, Qinghai and Sichuan lie to the north, northeast, and east, respectively, of the Tibet AR. There is also a border with Yunnan province to the southeast. The PRC has border disputes with the Republic of India over the McMahon Line of Arunachal Pradesh, the disputed territory of Aksai Chin is to the west, and its boundary with that region is not defined. The other countries to the south are Myanmar, Bhutan and Nepal. Physically, the Tibet AR may be divided into two parts, the region in the west and north-west, and the river region. On the south the Tibet AR is bounded by the Himalayas, the system at no point narrows to a single range, generally there are three or four across its breadth. Other lakes include Dagze Co, Namtso, and Pagsum Co, the lake region is a wind-swept Alpine grassland. This region is called the Chang Tang or Northern Plateau by the people of Tibet and it is some 1,100 km broad, and covers an area about equal to that of France. Due to its distance from the ocean it is extremely arid. The mountain ranges are spread out, rounded, disconnected, separated by flat valleys. The Tibet AR is dotted over with large and small lakes, generally salt or alkaline, due to the presence of discontinuous permafrost over the Chang Tang, the soil is boggy and covered with tussocks of grass, thus resembling the Siberian tundra. Salt and fresh-water lakes are intermingled, the lakes are generally without outlet, or have only a small effluent
10.
Gosaikunda
–
Together with associated lakes, the Gosaikunda Lake complex is 1,030 ha in size and has been designated a Ramsar site on 29 September 2007. The lake melts and sips down to form the Trishuli River, there are 108 lakes in this area, small to medium in size. The challenging Lauribina La pass at an altitude of 4,610 m is on its outskirts, the Gosaikunda area has been delineated as a religious site. Hindu mythology attributes Gosaikunda as the abode of the Hindu deities Shiva, the Hindu scriptures Bhagavata Purana, Vishnu Purana and the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata refer to Samudra manthan, which is directly related to the origin of Gosaikunda. Its waters are considered holy and of significance during the Gangadashahara. Gosaikunda is believed to have created by Lord Shiva when he thrust his Trishul into a mountain to extract water so that he could cool his stinging throat after he had swallowed poison. Gosaikunda is a significant place of interest on the Dhunche-Helambu trekking route and this trek adjoins the famous Langtang Valley trek in the same district. Basic accommodation is quite easily available, tea houses offer a variety of food and snacks. The trek to Gosaikunda starts in Dhunche Village or Syabru Besi in the Langtang Himal, when starting from Dhunche, the first day involves a long steady climb to reach Chandan Bari at an altitude of about 3,200 m. Laurebinayak at about 3,700 m can be reached on the second day, at this point, some trekkers choose to climb ahead to Gosaikunda, though altitude sickness is a concern as the ascent is rather steep. Many trekkers choose to stay at Laurebinayak, which also provides sunset and sunrise views of the Langtang and Ganesh Himal. The descent from Gosaikund to Sundarijal takes about four days and involves a climb to Laurebina La at 4,610 m. Depending on pace, there are options to stay at Thadepati, Mangengoth, Kutumsang, the trails are well marked, except between Ghopte and Thadepati. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, The Annotated Ramsar List of Nepal How to go to Gosaikunda
11.
Dorje Lhakpa
–
Dorje Lhakpa is a mountain in the Langtang Himal area in Nepal. Visible also from Kathmandu valley it has an elegant pyramid-shaped figure and is a target for photographers and mountaineers. Considered by many of intermediate difficulty with easiest route from the west ridge and its climb is offered by many trekking and mountaineering agencies in Nepal. The first attempt and successful climb recorded is by a Japanese expedition in the late 1960s by the west ridge, in 1986, a german-nepalese expedition reached the mountain from the southern Balephi Khola and attempt to climb it over the west ridge. On the 7.11.1986, Helmut Müller, Bernd Mayer reached the summit separately, an other attempt was made by a 7-members-team Italian expedition ADC89 during fall of 1989, again from the west ridge and approach from south. The climb was stopped after Camp 1 at approx 6100m due to instable snow, in the following years a German expedition successfully climbed the mountain again by the west ridge. In 1992, Carlos Buhler made a climb of Dorje Lhakpa. Buhler did not intend initially to climb solo, the climb became a solo of the West Ridge after Carlos partner, Jon Aylward, became ill at base camp. The climb is described in Carlos 1992 American Alpine Journal article Alone on Dorje Lhakpa, another successful expedition was a French team of 4 in 2001. View from Nagarkot, Nepal Climb short description 2001 successful climb description Página do site peakbagger. com sobre esta montanha
12.
Langtang Lirung
–
Langtang Lirung is the highest peak of the Langtang Himal, which is a subrange of the Nepalese Himalayas, southwest of the Eight-thousander Shishapangma. The Langtang Himal forms the western portion of a complex of mountains which also includes the Jugal Himal and this complex lies between the Sun Kosi valley on the east and the Trisuli Gandaki valley on the west. Langtang Lirung lies near the Trisuli Gandaki, and north of the Langtang Khola, though not high by the standards of major Himalayan peaks, Langtang Lirung is notable for its large vertical relief above local terrain. For example, it rises 5500m above the Trisuli Gandaki to the west in only 16 km and it has a large south face which long resisted climbing attempts. The List of the worlds highest 100 mountains puts it at number 99, the peak was reconnoitered by H. W. Tilman and P. Lloyd in 1949. Attempts were made to climb the peak via the East Ridge in the 1960s, in 1978, Seishi Wada and Pemba Tsering, from a Japanese-Sherpa expedition, succeeded in reaching the summit, via the same East Ridge route. According to the Himalayan Index, there have been 14 ascents of Langtang Lirung, mostly by the Southeast or Southwest Ridge routes, and 13 unsuccessful attempts on the peak. On November 9,2009, Slovenian mountaineer Tomaž Humar, who was on a solo climb via the South Face, had an accident during his descent, sources report that he became stuck on the mountain at an approximate height of 6300 meters with a broken leg. His only contact with the camp staff via a satellite phone was made on the day of the accident. The rescue party found his body on November 14 at the height of 5600 m, presumably, he died on November 9 or 10. H. Adams Carter, Classification of the Himalaya, American Alpine Journal 1985, pictures of Langtang Lirung with Cheng Liru Tomaž Humar dies in Langtang Lirung
13.
Trishuli River
–
The Trishuli River is a trans-boundary river and is one of the major tributaries of the Narayani River basin in central Nepal. It originates in Tibet Autonomous Region of China where it is called Kirong Tsangpo, in the Tibetan name, the suffix Tsangpo denotes a river flowing from or through Tsang, i. e. Tibet west of Lhasa. The westernmost parts of Tsang province are known as Lato. North Lato comprises the upper reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo and Raga Tsangpo, south Lato comprises the upper reaches of Bum-chu, Matsang Tsangpo and Kyirong Tsangpo. The Kyirong gorge and valley form one of Tibet’s most picturesque alpine regions, dzongka, the capital of Kyriong County overlooks the confluence of the Kyirong Tsangpo and its main tributary, the Zarong-chu. The Kyirong gorge opens out at Ragma, thereafter, it flows through Nepal and joins at Devghat the Narayani River, which at a lower stage flows into India and joins the Ganges. More than 60 per cent of the drainage basin of the Trishuli lies in Tibet with about 9 per cent being covered by snow. 85 per cent of its catchment area of 4,640 square kilometres lies above 3,000 metres out of which 11 per cent lies above 6,000 metres and it has been regularly gauged at Betrawati at an elevation of 600 metres. The average lowest and the melt season discharges of this river are close to average discharges recorded on the Narayani River, trisuli is Nepal’s most popular rafting river with impressive gorges, exciting rapids, some easier sections and easy accessibility from Kathmandu and Pokhara. Easy access to the Prithivi Highway makes “breaking off” the journey easy, chitwan National Park is also easily accessible
14.
Kathmandu Valley
–
The Kathmandu Valley, located in Nepal, lies at the crossroads of ancient civilizations of Asia, and has at least 130 important monuments, including several pilgrimage sites for Hindus and Buddhists. There are seven World Heritage Sites within the valley, historically, the valley and adjoining areas made up a confederation known as the Nepal Mandala. Until the 15th century, Bhaktapur was its capital, when two other capitals, Kathmandu and Lalitpur, were established. After the annexation of the valley by the Gorkha Kingdom, and subsequent conversion of the valley as the capital of their empire, the Kathmandu Valley is the most developed and populated place in Nepal. The majority of offices and headquarters are located in the valley and it is popular with tourists for its unique architecture, and rich culture that includes the highest number of jatras in Nepal. The valley itself was referred to as Nepal Proper by British historians, thousands of people died and tens of thousands of buildings and structures collapsed in Kathmandu Valley in the April 2015 Nepal earthquake. The city of Kathmandu is named after a structure in Durbar Square called by the Sanskrit name Kāsṣtha mandapa Wooden shelter and it was destroyed in the 2015 earthquake. This unique temple, also known as the Maru Sattal, was built in 1596 by King Lakshminarasimha Malla, the entire structure contained no iron nails or supports and was made entirely from wood. Legend has it that the used for this two-story pagoda was obtained from a single tree. The Kathmandu Valley may have been inhabited as early as 300 BCE, the earliest known inscription is dated 185 CE. The oldest firmly dated building in the valley is almost 1,992 years old. As with the tales of the Buddhas visit, there is no evidence supporting Ashoks visit, the Licchavis, whose earliest inscriptions date to 464, were the next rulers of the valley and had close ties with the Gupta Empire of India. His victory in the Battle of Kirtipur was the beginning of his conquest of the valley, the Newars are the indigenous inhabitants and the creators of the historic civilization of the valley. The language is known as Nepal Bhasa. They are understood to be the descendants of the various ethnic, scholars have also described the Newars as a nation. They have developed a division of labour and an urban civilization not seen elsewhere in the Himalayan foothills. They are known for their contributions to art, sculpture, architecture, culture, literature, music, industry, trade, agriculture and cuisine, newa architecture consists of the pagoda, stupa, shikhara, chaitya and other styles. The valleys trademark is the pagoda which may have originated in this area and spread to India, China, Indochina
15.
Indomalayan realm
–
The Indomalayan realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms. It extends across most of South and Southeast Asia and into the parts of East Asia. Indomalaya also includes the Philippines, lowland Taiwan, and Japans Ryukyu Islands, the tropical moist forests of Indomalaya are mostly dominated by trees of the dipterocarp family. The Indian Subcontinent bioregion covers most of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, the Hindu Kush, Karakoram, and Himalaya are a major biogeographic boundary between the subtropical and tropical flora and fauna of the Indian subcontinent and the temperate-climate Palearctic realm. The Indochina bioregion includes most of mainland Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, malesia is a botanical province which straddles the boundary between Indomalaya and Australasia. It includes the Malay Peninsula and the western Indonesian islands, the Philippines, the eastern Indonesian islands, the flora of Indomalaya blends elements from the ancient supercontinents of Laurasia and Gondwana. India collided with Asia 30-45 MYA, and exchanged species, two orders of mammals, the colugos and treeshrews, are endemic to the realm, as are families Craseonycteridae, Diatomyidae, Platacanthomyidae, Tarsiidae and Hylobatidae. Large mammals characteristic of Indomalaya include the leopard, tigers, water buffalos, Asian Elephant, Indian Rhinoceros, Javan Rhinoceros, Malayan Tapir, orangutans, Indomalaya has three endemic bird families, the Irenidae, Megalaimidae and Rhabdornithidae. Also characteristic are pheasants, pittas, Old World babblers, more information is available under Indomalayan realm fauna. Malesia Sundaland Ecoregions of India Ecoregions of the Philippines Map of the Indomalaya ecozone. Wikramanayake, E. E. Dinerstein, C. J. Loucks, D. M. Olson, J. Morrison, J. L. Lamoreux, M. McKnight, terrestrial ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific, a conservation assessment
16.
Palearctic realm
–
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms constituting the Earths surface. It consists of Europe, Asia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, North Africa, the Palearctic realm comprises the smaller terrestrial ecoregions of the Euro-Siberian region, the Mediterranean Basin, the Sahara and Arabian Deserts, and Western, Central and East Asia. The Palaearctic realm also has rivers and lakes, forming several freshwater ecoregions. Some of the rivers were the source of water for the earliest recorded civilizations that used irrigation methods, the Palearctic realm includes mostly boreal/subarctic-climate and temperate-climate ecoregions, which run across Eurasia from western Europe to the Bering Sea. South of the taiga are a belt of temperate broadleaf and mixed forests and this vast Euro-Siberian region is characterized by many shared plant and animal species, and has many affinities with the temperate and boreal regions of the Nearctic ecoregion of North America. Many zoologists consider the Palearctic and Nearctic to be a single Holarctic realm, the Palearctic and Nearctic also share many plant species, which botanists call the Arcto-Tertiary Geoflora. The Mediterranean basins mosaic of Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub are home to 13,000 endemic species. Formerly the region was covered with forests and woodlands, but heavy human use has reduced much of the region to the sclerophyll shrublands known as chaparral, matorral, maquis. Conservation International has designated the Mediterranean basin as one of the biodiversity hotspots. A great belt of deserts, including the Atlantic coastal desert, Sahara desert, Central Asia and the Iranian plateau are home to dry steppe grasslands and desert basins, with montane forests, woodlands, and grasslands in the regions high mountains and plateaux. In southern Asia the boundary of the Palearctic is largely altitudinal, the middle altitude foothills of the Himalaya between about 2000–2500 m form the boundary between the Palearctic and Indomalaya ecoregions. East Asia was not much affected by glaciation in the ice ages, the mountains of southwest China are also designated as a biodiversity hotspot. In Southeastern Asia, high mountain ranges form tongues of Palearctic flora and fauna in northern Indochina, isolated small outposts occur as far south as central Myanmar, northernmost Vietnam and the high mountains of Taiwan. One bird family, the accentors is endemic to the Palearctic region, the Holarctic has four other endemic bird families, the divers or loons, grouse, auks, and waxwings. There are no endemic mammal orders in the region, but several families are endemic, Calomyscidae, Prolagidae, contributions to the zooarchaeology of Iceland, some preliminary notes. Iowa City, University of Iowa Press, pages 203–227,1989, buckland, P. C. et al. Holt in Eyjafjasveit, Iceland, a paleoecological study of the impact of Landnám. in Acta Archaeologica 61, pp. 252–271
17.
Buffer zone
–
A buffer zone is generally a zonal area that lies between two or more other areas, but depending on the type of buffer zone, the reason for it may be to segregate regions or to conjoin them. Common types of zones are demilitarized zones, border zones and certain restrictive easement zones. Such zones may be, but not necessarily be, comprised by a sovereign state, Buffer zones have various purposes, political or otherwise. Buffer zones often result in large uninhabited regions which are noteworthy in many increasingly developed or crowded parts of the world. For use in conservation, a buffer zone is often created to enhance the protection of areas under management for their biodiversity importance. A buffer zone can also be one of the protected area categories or a classification depending on the conservation objective. The importance and function of a zone and the necessary protective measures derived thereof is a relatively new concept in conservation science. Buffer state Demilitarized zone March Cordon sanitaire Seam Zone Buffer strip United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus The World Heritage Convention, kyushu University Graduate School of Law - Programs in English. World Heritage and Buffer Zones Patrimoine mondial et zones tampons, international Expert Meeting on World Heritage and Buffer Zones, Davos, Switzerland 11–14 March 2008. Buffer zones are an important tool for conservation of properties inscribed on the World Heritage List
18.
Alternative energy
–
Alternative energy is any energy source that is an alternative to fossil fuel. These alternatives are intended to address concerns about such fossil fuels, such as its carbon dioxide emissions. Marine energy, hydroelectric, wind, geothermal and solar power are all sources of energy. The nature of what constitutes an alternative energy source has changed considerably over time, because of the variety of energy choices and differing goals of their advocates, defining some energy types as alternative is considered very controversial. Historians of economies have examined the key transitions to alternative energies, prior to the shift to an alternative energy, supplies of the dominant energy type became erratic, accompanied by rapid increases in energy prices. In the late period, coal was the new alternative fuel to save the society from overuse of the dominant fuel. The deforestation had resulted in shortage of wood, at that time soft coal appeared as a savior, historian Norman F. Cantor describes how, Europeans had lived in the midst of vast forests throughout the earlier medieval centuries. After 1250 they became so skilled at deforestation that by 1500 AD they were running short of wood for heating and cooking. By 1500 Europe was on the edge of a fuel and nutritional disaster, which it was saved in the century only by the burning of soft coal. In 1917, Alexander Graham Bell advocated ethanol from corn, wheat and other foods as an alternative to coal and oil, for Bell, the problem requiring an alternative was lack of renewability of orthodox energy sources. Since the 1970s, Brazil has had an ethanol fuel program which has allowed the country to become the second largest producer of ethanol. Brazil’s ethanol fuel program uses modern equipment and cheap sugar cane as feedstock, there are no longer light vehicles in Brazil running on pure gasoline. By the end of 2008 there were 35,000 filling stations throughout Brazil with at least one ethanol pump, cellulosic ethanol can be produced from a diverse array of feedstocks, and involves the use of the whole crop. As of 2008, there are nine commercial cellulosic ethanol plants which are operating, or under construction. Second-generation biofuels technologies are able to manufacture biofuels from inedible biomass, as of July 2010, there is one commercial second-generation ethanol plant Inbicon Biomass Refinery, which is operating in Denmark. In the 1970s, President Jimmy Carters administration advocated coal gasification as an alternative to imported oil. The program, including the Synthetic Fuels Corporation was scrapped when petroleum prices plummeted in the 1980s, the carbon footprint and environmental impact of coal gasification are both very high. Hydro electricity captures energy from falling water, nuclear energy uses nuclear fission to release energy stored in the atomic bonds of heavy elements
19.
Monsoon
–
Usually, the term monsoon is used to refer to the rainy phase of a seasonally changing pattern, although technically there is also a dry phase. The term is sometimes used for locally heavy but short-term rains. The major monsoon systems of the world consist of the West African and Asia-Australian monsoons, the inclusion of the North and South American monsoons with incomplete wind reversal has been debated. The south-west monsoon winds are called Nairutya Maarut in India, the English monsoon came from Portuguese monção, ultimately from Arabic mawsim and/or Hindi mausam, perhaps partly via early modern Dutch monsun. Strengthening of the Asian monsoon has been linked to the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau after the collision of the Indian sub-continent and Asia around 50 million years ago. Because of studies of records from the Arabian Sea and that of the wind-blown dust in the Loess Plateau of China, testing of this hypothesis awaits deep ocean sampling by the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program. The monsoon has varied significantly in strength since this time, largely linked to climate change. A study of marine plankton suggested that the Indian Monsoon strengthened around 5 million years ago, then, during ice periods, the sea level fell and the Indonesian Seaway closed. When this happened, cold waters in the Pacific were impeded from flowing into the Indian Ocean and it is believed that the resulting increase in sea surface temperatures in the Indian Ocean increased the intensity of monsoons. Five episodes during the Quaternary at 2.22 Ma,1.83 Ma,0.68 Ma,0.45 Ma and 0.04 Ma were identified which showed a weakening of Leeuwin Current. The weakening of the LC would have an effect on the sea surface temperature field in the Indian Ocean, thus these five intervals could probably be those of considerable lowering of SST in the Indian Ocean and would have influenced Indian monsoon intensity. The impact of monsoon on the weather is different from place to place. In some places there is just a likelihood of having a more or less rain. In other places, quasi semi-deserts are turned into green grasslands where all sorts of plants. The Indian Monsoon turns large parts of India from a kind of semi-desert into green lands, see photos only taken 3 months apart in the Western Ghats. In places like this it is crucial for farmers to have the right timing for putting the seeds on the fields, Monsoons are large-scale sea breezes which occur when the temperature on land is significantly warmer or cooler than the temperature of the ocean. These temperature imbalances happen because oceans and land absorb heat in different ways, in contrast, dirt, sand, and rocks have lower heat capacities, and they can only transmit heat into the earth by conduction and not by convection. Therefore, bodies of water stay at an even temperature
20.
Ecosystem
–
An ecosystem is a community of living organisms in conjunction with the nonliving components of their environment, interacting as a system. These biotic and abiotic components are regarded as linked together through nutrient cycles, as ecosystems are defined by the network of interactions among organisms, and between organisms and their environment, they can be of any size but usually encompass specific, limited spaces. Energy, water, nitrogen and soil minerals are other essential components of an ecosystem. The energy that flows through ecosystems is obtained primarily from the sun and it generally enters the system through photosynthesis, a process that also captures carbon from the atmosphere. By feeding on plants and on one another, animals play an important role in the movement of matter and they also influence the quantity of plant and microbial biomass present. Ecosystems are controlled both by external and internal factors, other external factors include time and potential biota. Ecosystems are dynamic entities—invariably, they are subject to disturbances and are in the process of recovering from some past disturbance. Ecosystems in similar environments that are located in different parts of the world can have different characteristics simply because they contain different species. The introduction of species can cause substantial shifts in ecosystem function. Internal factors not only control ecosystem processes but are controlled by them and are often subject to feedback loops. Other internal factors include disturbance, succession and the types of species present, although humans exist and operate within ecosystems, their cumulative effects are large enough to influence external factors like climate. Biodiversity affects ecosystem function, as do the processes of disturbance, classifying ecosystems into ecologically homogeneous units is an important step towards effective ecosystem management, but there is no single, agreed-upon way to do this. The term ecosystem was first used in 1935 in a publication by British ecologist Arthur Tansley, Tansley devised the concept to draw attention to the importance of transfers of materials between organisms and their environment. He later refined the term, describing it as The whole system, including not only the organism-complex, but also the whole complex of physical factors forming what we call the environment. Tansley regarded ecosystems not simply as natural units, but as mental isolates, Tansley later defined the spatial extent of ecosystems using the term ecotope. G. Raymond Lindeman took these ideas one step further to suggest that the flow of energy through a lake was the driver of the ecosystem. Most mineral nutrients, on the hand, are recycled within ecosystems. Ecosystems are controlled both by external and internal factors, external factors, also called state factors, control the overall structure of an ecosystem and the way things work within it, but are not themselves influenced by the ecosystem
21.
Tropical forest
–
The biome includes several types of forests, Lowland equatorial evergreen rain forests, commonly known as tropical rainforests, are forests which receive high rainfall throughout the year. These forests occur in a belt around the equator, with the largest areas in the Amazon basin of South America, the Congo basin of central Africa, some trees in these forests drop some or all of their leaves during the winter dry season. These forests are found in parts of South America, in Central America and around the Caribbean, in coastal West Africa, parts of the Indian subcontinent, montane rain forests, are found in cooler-climate mountainous areas. Those with elevations high enough to regularly encounter low-level cloud cover are known as cloud forests, flooded forests, including freshwater swamp forests and peat swamp forests. In contrast to TSMF, tropical forest regions with lower levels of rainfall are home to tropical dry broadleaf forests, temperate rain forests also occur in certain humid temperate coastal regions. Rainforests now cover less than 6% of Earths land surface, scientists estimate that more than half of all the worlds plant and animal species live in tropical rain forests
22.
Wayback Machine
–
The Internet Archive launched the Wayback Machine in October 2001. It was set up by Brewster Kahle and Bruce Gilliat, and is maintained with content from Alexa Internet, the service enables users to see archived versions of web pages across time, which the archive calls a three dimensional index. Since 1996, the Wayback Machine has been archiving cached pages of websites onto its large cluster of Linux nodes and it revisits sites every few weeks or months and archives a new version. Sites can also be captured on the fly by visitors who enter the sites URL into a search box, the intent is to capture and archive content that otherwise would be lost whenever a site is changed or closed down. The overall vision of the machines creators is to archive the entire Internet, the name Wayback Machine was chosen as a reference to the WABAC machine, a time-traveling device used by the characters Mr. Peabody and Sherman in The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, an animated cartoon. These crawlers also respect the robots exclusion standard for websites whose owners opt for them not to appear in search results or be cached, to overcome inconsistencies in partially cached websites, Archive-It. Information had been kept on digital tape for five years, with Kahle occasionally allowing researchers, when the archive reached its fifth anniversary, it was unveiled and opened to the public in a ceremony at the University of California, Berkeley. Snapshots usually become more than six months after they are archived or, in some cases, even later. The frequency of snapshots is variable, so not all tracked website updates are recorded, Sometimes there are intervals of several weeks or years between snapshots. After August 2008 sites had to be listed on the Open Directory in order to be included. As of 2009, the Wayback Machine contained approximately three petabytes of data and was growing at a rate of 100 terabytes each month, the growth rate reported in 2003 was 12 terabytes/month, the data is stored on PetaBox rack systems manufactured by Capricorn Technologies. In 2009, the Internet Archive migrated its customized storage architecture to Sun Open Storage, in 2011 a new, improved version of the Wayback Machine, with an updated interface and fresher index of archived content, was made available for public testing. The index driving the classic Wayback Machine only has a bit of material past 2008. In January 2013, the company announced a ground-breaking milestone of 240 billion URLs, in October 2013, the company announced the Save a Page feature which allows any Internet user to archive the contents of a URL. This became a threat of abuse by the service for hosting malicious binaries, as of December 2014, the Wayback Machine contained almost nine petabytes of data and was growing at a rate of about 20 terabytes each week. Between October 2013 and March 2015 the websites global Alexa rank changed from 162 to 208, in a 2009 case, Netbula, LLC v. Chordiant Software Inc. defendant Chordiant filed a motion to compel Netbula to disable the robots. Netbula objected to the motion on the ground that defendants were asking to alter Netbulas website, in an October 2004 case, Telewizja Polska USA, Inc. v. Echostar Satellite, No.02 C3293,65 Fed. 673, a litigant attempted to use the Wayback Machine archives as a source of admissible evidence, Telewizja Polska is the provider of TVP Polonia and EchoStar operates the Dish Network
23.
International Standard Book Number
–
The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an e-book, a paperback and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, the method of assigning an ISBN is nation-based and varies from country to country, often depending on how large the publishing industry is within a country. The initial ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering created in 1966, the 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108. Occasionally, a book may appear without a printed ISBN if it is printed privately or the author does not follow the usual ISBN procedure, however, this can be rectified later. Another identifier, the International Standard Serial Number, identifies periodical publications such as magazines, the ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 in the United Kingdom by David Whitaker and in 1968 in the US by Emery Koltay. The 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108, the United Kingdom continued to use the 9-digit SBN code until 1974. The ISO on-line facility only refers back to 1978, an SBN may be converted to an ISBN by prefixing the digit 0. For example, the edition of Mr. J. G. Reeder Returns, published by Hodder in 1965, has SBN340013818 -340 indicating the publisher,01381 their serial number. This can be converted to ISBN 0-340-01381-8, the check digit does not need to be re-calculated, since 1 January 2007, ISBNs have contained 13 digits, a format that is compatible with Bookland European Article Number EAN-13s. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, a 13-digit ISBN can be separated into its parts, and when this is done it is customary to separate the parts with hyphens or spaces. Separating the parts of a 10-digit ISBN is also done with either hyphens or spaces, figuring out how to correctly separate a given ISBN number is complicated, because most of the parts do not use a fixed number of digits. ISBN issuance is country-specific, in that ISBNs are issued by the ISBN registration agency that is responsible for country or territory regardless of the publication language. Some ISBN registration agencies are based in national libraries or within ministries of culture, in other cases, the ISBN registration service is provided by organisations such as bibliographic data providers that are not government funded. In Canada, ISBNs are issued at no cost with the purpose of encouraging Canadian culture. In the United Kingdom, United States, and some countries, where the service is provided by non-government-funded organisations. Australia, ISBNs are issued by the library services agency Thorpe-Bowker
24.
Protected areas of Nepal
–
Nepal covers 147,181 km2 in the central part of the Himalayas. Altitudes range from 67 m in the south-eastern Terai to 8,848 m at Sagarmatha within a horizontal span. Botanists recorded 1,120 species of non-flowering plants and 5,160 species of flowering plants, nepal ranks 10th in terms of richest flowering plant diversity in Asia. Zoologists recorded 181 mammal species,844 bird species,100 reptile species,43 amphibian species,185 freshwater fish species, in 2017, the Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve was upgraded to a national park
25.
Bardiya National Park
–
The Bardiya National Park, also spelled Bardia, is a protected area in Nepal that was established in 1988 as Royal Bardia National Park. Its northern limits are demarcated by the crest of the Siwalik Hills, the Nepalgunj-Surkhet highway partly forms the southern boundary, but seriously disrupts the protected area. Natural boundaries to human settlements are formed in the west by the Geruwa, a branch of the Karnali River, in 1815, Nepal lost this region to the East India Company through the Sugauli Treaty. For 45 years it was a part of British India and returned to Nepal in 1860 in recognition for supporting the suppression of the Indian Independence movement in 1857, today, this annexed area is still called Naya Muluk meaning new country. An area of 368 km2 was set aside as Royal Hunting Reserve in 1969, in 1982, it was proclaimed as Royal Bardia Wildlife Reserve and extended to include the Babai River Valley in 1984. Finally in 1988, the area was gazetted as national park. The approximately 1500 people who used to live in this valley have been resettled elsewhere, since farming has ceased in the Babai Valley, the natural regenerated vegetation makes the area a prime habitat for wildlife. About 70% of the park is covered with forest, with the balance a mixture of grassland, savannah, the flora recorded in the park comprises 839 species of flora, including 173 vascular plant species comprising 140 dicots,26 monocots, six fern, and one gymnosperm species. The wide range of types in forest and grassland provides excellent habitat for 642 faunal species. The Karnali-Babai river system, their tributaries and myriads of oxbow lakes is habitat for 125 recorded species of fish. A small population of gharial inhabits the rivers, apart from the mugger crocodiles,23 reptile and amphibian species have been recorded. The Bardiya National Park is home to at least 53 mammals including rhinoceros, wild elephant, Bengal tiger, swamp deer, rhinoceros, Translocation of rhinos from Chitwan to Bardia National Park commenced in 1986, with 58 individuals relocated until 2000. From 1994 to 2000, hunters have been unsuccessful at poaching rhinos, in April 2000, there were 67 rhinos in the park, most of them resident in the Babai Valley. In May 2006, a survey was carried out in the Babai River floodplain. Poaching was suspected to be the cause of this decline. Subsequent surveys in 2007 and 2008 have confirmed the disappearance of rhinos from Babai Valley. In different habitats of the Karnali floodplain 25 rhinos were recorded based on observation and indirect signs of rhino dung. They were mostly congregated in the grassland, riverine forest
26.
Chitwan National Park
–
Chitwan National Park is the first national park in Nepal. It was established in 1973 and granted the status of a World Heritage Site in 1984 and it covers an area of 932 km2 and is located in the subtropical Inner Terai lowlands of south-central Nepal in the districts of Nawalparasi, Parsa, Chitwan and Makwanpur. In altitude it ranges from about 100 m in the valleys to 815 m in the Churia Hills. In the north and west of the area the Narayani-Rapti river system forms a natural boundary to human settlements. Adjacent to the east of Chitwan National Park is Parsa Wildlife Reserve, since the end of the 19th century Chitwan – Heart of the Jungle – used to be a favorite hunting ground for Nepal’s ruling class during the cool winter seasons. Until the 1950s, the journey from Kathmandu to Nepal’s south was arduous as the area could only be reached by foot and took several weeks. Comfortable camps were set up for the big game hunters and their entourage. In 1950, Chitwan’s forest and grasslands extended over more than 2,600 km2 and was home to about 800 rhinos. When poor farmers from the moved to the Chitwan Valley in search of arable land, the area was subsequently opened for settlement. In 1957, the countrys first conservation law inured to the protection of rhinos, by the end of the 1960s, 70% of Chitwan’s jungles were cleared using DDT, thousands of people had settled there, and only 95 rhinos remained. In 1977, the park was enlarged to its present area of 932 km2. In 1997, a bufferzone of 766.1 km2 was added to the north and west of the Narayani-Rapti river system, the park’s headquarters is in Kasara. Close-by the gharial and turtle conservation breeding centres have been established, Chitwan has a tropical monsoon climate with high humidity all through the year. The area is located in the climatic zone of the Himalayas. During these 14–15 weeks most of the 2,500 mm yearly precipitation falls – it is pouring with rain. After mid-October the monsoon clouds have retreated, humidity drops off, nights cool down to 5 °C /41.0 °F until late December, when it usually rains softly for a few days. The typical vegetation of the Inner Terai is Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests with predominantly sal trees covering about 70% of the park area. The purest stands of sal occur on well drained ground in the centre
27.
Khaptad National Park
–
The Khaptad National Park is a protected area in the Far-Western Region, Nepal that was established in 1984. Stretching over the four districts of Bajhang, Bajura, Achham and Doti it covers an area of 225 km2, Khaptad National Park was established in 1984 on the advice of the region’s holy man Khaptad Baba. The renowned Khaptad Baba Ashram, a site where Hindu pilgrims come to worship Shiva on the full moon of July–August each year, is located near the park headquarters. A buffer zone of 216 km2 was declared in 2006, Khaptad Baba moved to the area in the 1940s to meditate and worship. He spent about 50 years as a hermit and became a renowned spiritual saint, the landscape consists of moorland, steep slopes, and streams. 567 species of flora have been recorded in the protected area, vegetation types include chir pine-rhododendron forest, oak forest and Himalayan fir-hemlock-oak forest and alder forest in riverine areas. Current checklists include 23 mammals,287 birds, and 23 amphibians, mammal species symbolic of the park are leopard, Himalayan black bear, wild dog, and musk deer. Bird species symbolic of the include the impeyan pheasant, peregrine falcon. Information of Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Nepal Welcome to Khaptad, Khaptad is a solitude-seeker’s dream come true
28.
Makalu Barun National Park
–
The Makalu Barun National Park is the eighth national park in the Himalayas of Nepal and was established in 1992 as eastern extension of the Sagarmatha National Park. The bufferzone adjacent to the southern and southeastern border covers an area of 830 km2. The rugged summits of Makalu, with 8,463 m the fifth highest mountain of the world, Chamalang, Baruntse, the protected area extends to about 66 km from west to east and to about 44 km from north to south. From the Arun river valley in the southeast, located at altitudes of 344–377 m, the national park shares the international border with the Qomolangma National Nature Preserve of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the north. The protected area is part of the Sacred Himalayan Landscape, in the early- and mid-1980s, personnel of The Mountain Institute conducted surveys in the Barun Valley to study the biological richness. The results of surveys led to interest in creating a new protected area. A respective proposal was formulated in 1985, in 1988, the Makalu-Barun Conservation Area Project was initiated as a joint endeavor of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and TMI. The MBNPCA was officially gazetted in 1991, an innovative community-based conservation approach emphasized management of biodiversity together with local communities. Community Forest User Groups were created with legal rights to use designated forested areas on a sustainable basis, ecotourism was promoted as a way of expanding off-farm employment opportunities for local people while at the same time minimizing negative environmental impact. Hunting and trapping of rare and endangered wild animals is prohibited in the MBNPCA. There was also a provision for compensating farmers for crop and livestock depredation caused by endangered species, in 1999, the conservation area was converted into a buffer zone. The inaccessible valleys of the Barun River, the tributary to the Arun River, treasure some of the last remaining pristine forests. The park is located in the climatic zone of the Himalayas. During these months about 70% of the precipitation of 4,000 mm falls. The first monsoon clouds reach the area in April, temperatures vary greatly due to the extreme difference in altitude in the entire area. Lower elevations are temperate throughout winter and hot during April and May, forests below 2,000 m are strongly affected by subsistence agriculture, so that only some ecologically significant stands remain there. Above 2,000 m forests are usually extensive since the cool, on alpine pastures at altitudes above 4,000 m the religiously important dwarf rhododendron and juniper, aromatic herbs and delicate wildflowers prosper. The region above 5,000 m comprises mainly rock and ice with little vegetation, the protected area is habitat for a wide diversity of faunal species
29.
Rara National Park
–
Rara National Park is a protected area in the Himalayas of Nepal and was established in 1976. Covering an area of 106 km2 in the Mugu and Jumla districts and its main feature is Rara Lake at an altitude of 2,990 m. The park was established to protect the flora and fauna of the Humla–Jumla Region of Nepal. The park ranges in elevation from 2,800 m to 4,039 m at Chuchemara Peak on the side of Rara Lake. On the northern side, the peaks of Ruma Kand and Malika Kand frame the alpine lake, which is the largest lake in Nepal with a surface of 10.8 km2. It is oval-shaped with an east–west axis, a length of 5 kilometres, Rara National Park is managed by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and protected with the assistance of the Nepal Army. The climate of Rara National Park is pleasant during the summer, the best times to visit the park are in September, October, April, and May. During the winter, temperatures drop below freezing, and many high passes become blocked by snow, the summer is warm, but June to August is monsoon season, making the trek to Rara National Park difficult. One thousand and seventy species of flora are estimated from Rara National Park, rhododendron, fir, brown oak, and birch species are found in the sub-alpine region. Below 3,200 m, the vegetation consists of blue pine, rhododendron, west Himalayan spruce, black juniper. Above 3,200 metres, the changes to a coniferous forest consisting of a mixture of fir, spruce. There are 241 recorded species of birds, including 49 wetland species, coots are often found in the lake. During the winter, great-crested and black-necked grebes, red-crested pochards, mallard, common teal, other birds seen often include the Himalayan snowcock, chukar partridge, Himalayan monal, kalij pheasant and blood pheasant. Also in 1979, the frog species Paa rarica has been first recorded as endemic to the lake, Rara is not generally a tourist destination, as there are little to no accommodations within the park, no health post, and it is difficult to get to. Visitors must fly from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj, followed by a flight to Jumla or Kolti, from there, a three-day trek will bring them to the park office. Alternatively, visitors can travel from Nepalgunj to Surkhet, where it is a trek to the park. The lake has not received over 200 tourists in any year and it is also tough on the bones, involving several 11, 000-foot passes. Agriculture is the basis for the economy in the surrounding areas
30.
Sagarmatha National Park
–
The Sagarmāthā National Park is a protected area in the Himalayas of eastern Nepal that is dominated by Mount Everest. It encompasses an area of 1,148 km2 in the Solukhumbu District, in the north, it shares the international border with the Qomolangma National Nature Preserve of Tibet and extends to the Dudh Kosi river in the south. Adjacent to the east is the Makalu Barun National Park, Sagarmāthā is a Nepali word derived from सगर् sagar meaning sky and माथा māthā meaning head. The protected area has identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International and is included in the Sacred Himalayan Landscape. The Sagarmatha National Park was established in 1976, in 1979, it became the countrys first national park that was inscribed as a Natural World Heritage Site. In January 2002, a Buffer Zone comprising 275 km2 was added, tourism to the area began in the early 1960s. In 2003, about 19,000 tourists arrived, about 3500 Sherpa people live in villages and seasonal settlements situated along the main tourist trails. The parks visitor centre is located at the top of a hill in Namche Bazaar, the parks southern entrance is a few hundred metres north of Monzo at 2,835 m, a one-day trek from Lukla. The park contains the upper catchment areas of the Dudh Kosi river, Bhotekoshi river basin and the Gokyo Lakes. It is largely composed of rugged terrain and gorges of the high Himalayas, other peaks above 6,000 m are Lhotse, Cho Oyu, Thamserku, Nuptse, Amadablam and Pumori. Barren land above 5,000 m comprises 69% of the park while 28% is grazing land and the remaining 3% is forested. Climatic zones include a temperate zone, a subalpine zone above 3,000 m. The nival zone starts at 5,000 m, in the lower forested zone, birch, juniper, blue pines, firs, bamboo and rhododendron grow. Above this zone the vegetation is dwarf-sized or comprises shrubs, as the altitude increases, plant life is restricted to lichens and mosses. Plants cease to grow at about 5,750 m, because this is the permanent snow line in the Himalayas, forests of pine and hemlock cover the lower elevations of the national park. At elevations of around 3,500 m and above, forests of fir, birch, rhododendron. The forests provide habitat to at least 118 species of birds, including Himalayan monal, blood pheasant, red-billed chough, Sagarmāthā National Park is also home to a number of rare mammal species, including musk deer, snow leopard, Himalayan black bear and red panda. Himalayan thars, langur monkeys, martens and Himalayan wolves are found in the park
31.
Shey Phoksundo National Park
–
The Shey Phoksundo National Park is the largest and only trans-Himalayan national park in Nepal. It was established in 1984 and covers an area of 3,555 km2 in the districts of Dolpa and Mugu in the Mid-Western Region, the protected area ranges in elevation from 2,130 m to 6,885 m. Phoksundo Lake is the prominent feature, located at an elevation of 3,612 m. The parks headquarters are in Palam, Dolpa District, Shey Phoksundo National Park provides a diversity of spectacular landscapes and ranks among the most scenic mountain parks in the world. Much of the park north of the Himalayan crest. Elevations range from 2,130 m in the southeast near Ankhe to 6,883 m at the summit of Kanjiroba Himal, Phoksundo Lake lies at an elevation of 3,660 m in the upper reaches of the Suligad river. It is surrounded by glaciers and famous for its magnificent turquoise color, near the lake’s outlet is the country’s highest waterfall. Phoksundo Lake has a surface of 494 ha, and was declared a Ramsar site in September 2007. The lake is up to 145 m deep, measured using echo-sounding technology, the Langu river drains the high Dolpo plateau located in the north-east of the park. The Suligad and Jugdual rivers form the southern catchment flowing south into the Thuli Bheri river, spanning the northern and southern aspects of the Himalayan crest, the park experiences a wide climatic range and lies in the transition zone from a monsoon dominated to an arid climate. Annual precipitation reaches 1,500 mm in the south, whereas on northern slopes less than 500 mm of rain falls, most of the precipitation occurs during monsoon from July to September. The Dhaulagiri and Kanjiroba massifs form a barrier preventing most of the rain from reaching the Trans-Himalayan area. Winters are quite severe with frequent snowfalls above 2,500 m, the flora found within the park is exteremely diverse. The northern regions contain barren areas of the upper Himalayas, the Trans-Himalayan slope lands consist of some rhododendron, caragana shrubs, salix, juniper, white Himalayan birch, and the occasional silver fir dominate the high meadows of the Himalayas. Less than five percent of the park is forested, with much of it lying in the southern portion, the Suligad Vally’s flora consists of blue pine, spruce, hemlock, cedar, silver fir, poplar, rhododendron, and bamboo. The park also contains 286 species of ethnobotanical importance, the park provides important habitat for endangered species including the snow leopard, grey wolf, musk deer, and blue sheep. Goral, great Tibetan sheep, Himalayan tahr, leopard, jackal, Himalayan black bear, the park is home to six reptiles and 29 species of butterfly, including the highest flying butterfly in the world, Paralasa nepalaica. The park provides habitat for over 200 species of birds, such as Tibetan partridge, wood snipe, white-throated tit, wood accentor, the park contains many gompas and religious sites, many of which have been renovated
32.
Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park
–
Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park is the ninth national park in Nepal and was established in 2002. It is located in the countrys mid-hills on the fringe of the Kathmandu Valley. It covers an area of 159 km2 in the districts of Kathmandu, Nuwakot and Sindhupalchowk, in the west, the protected area extends to the Dhading District. The area has always been an important water catchment area, supplying the Kathmandu Valley with several hundred thousands 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 and it was extended by the Nagarjun Forest Reserve covering 15 km2 in 2009. The park includes some historical and religious sites, and a hiking route for local people. The annual precipitation of about 1,400 mm falls mostly from May to September, temperatures vary from 2–17 °C during the winter season, rising to 19–30 °C during the summer season. On higher elevation a variety of medicinal herbs prosper, botanists have recorded 129 species of mushrooms and 2,122 floral species, out of which 449 are vascular and 16 are endemic plants. Since 2002 several surveys have been carried out to determine the diversity of the protected area. Clouded leopard, leopard cat, jungle cat, large Indian civet, masked palm civet, crab-eating mongoose, pangolin, rhesus macaque, in 2008, intermediate horseshoe, greater horseshoe and big-eared horseshoe bats were mist netted at the entrance of Nagarjuna cave inside the park. Ornithologists recorded 318 species of birds including Eurasian eagle-owl, slender-billed scimitar-babbler, white-gorgeted flycatcher, barred cuckoo-dove, published in cooperation with Shivapuri National Park, Kathmandu. Information of Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Nepal BirdLife IBA factsheet about Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park Nepal Tourism directory, Shivapuri National Park
33.
Shuklaphanta National Park
–
It was gazetted in 1976 as Royal Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve. A small part of the reserve extends north of the East-West Highway to create a corridor for seasonal migration of wildlife into the Sivalik Hills, the protected area is part of the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands ecoregion and is one of the best-conserved examples of floodplain grassland. It is included in the Terai Arc Landscape, the area was a favorite hunting ground for Nepals ruling class and was declared a Royal Hunting Reserve in 1969. In 1973, the area was gazetted as Royal Sukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve, initially comprising 155 km2, a buffer zone of 243.5 km2 was added in May 2004. In 2017, the status of the area was changed to a national park. The name Suklaphanta was derived from one of the grasslands found inside the protected area, the main grassland called Sukla Phanta is the largest patch of continuous grassland in Nepal covering an area of about 16 km2. The jungles of the Shuklaphanta National Park were once the site of an ancient kingdom, to this day, ruins of that kingdom can be seen in some places. Near Rani Tal, a lake in the reserve, there remains a brick girdle. It is considered by locals to be a remnant of the fort of Tharu king Singpal, the climate of the region is subtropical monsoonal with mean annual rainfall of 1,579 mm that occurs from June to September and is highest in August. The winter months of December and January are fairly cold with temperatures of 7–12 °C. From February onwards temperatures rise up to 25 °C in March and reach 42 °C by end of April, when the first pre-monsoon rains reach the area in May, humidity increases. Some 700 species of flora are estimated in the park including 553 vascular plants,18 pteridophytes,410 dicots and 125 monocots, grassland constitutes almost half the reserves vegetation. The main grass species are Imperata cylindrica and Heteropogon contortus, khagra reed and Saccharum spontaneum grow in the marshes surrounding the seven small lakes. The dominant forest type is sal, khair and sissoo grow alongside rivers. Grassland encroachment by tree and shrub saplings are major threats to the existence of the main phantas. Trees outcompete any grasses growing under them, especially those that need plenty of sunlight, tree seeds are dispersed all over the grasslands and generally germinate near existing trees. Additionally, trees encourage the growth of shade-loving grasses and inhibit growth of sun-loving species and this process of succession usually converts grassland into woodland over time. The extensive open grasslands and wetlands around the lakes of the park are habitat for a range of fauna
34.
Parsa National Park
–
Parsa Wildlife Reserve is a protected area in the Inner Terai lowlands of south-central Nepal. Established in 1984 A. D, it covers an area of 637.37 km2 in the Parsa, Makwanpur, a bufferzone declared in 2005 comprises 298.2 km2. In altitude it ranges from 435 m to 950 m in the Siwalik Hills, in 2015, the protected area has been extended by 128 km2. In the north of the area the Rapti River and Siwalik Hills form a natural boundary to human settlements. In the east it extends up to the Hetauda – Birgunj highway, in the south, a forest roads demarcates the boundary. Adjacent to the west is Chitawan National Park, before being converted to a protected area, the region used to be a hunting ground of the ruling class. The typical vegetation of the park is tropical and subtropical forest types with sal forest constituting about 90% of the vegetation, 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. An estimated 919 species of flora have been recorded including 298 vascular plants,234 dicots,58 monocots, five pteridophytes, in May 2008, a census conducted in the reserve confirmed the presence of 37 gaurs. A survey combined with extensive camera-trapping conducted in 2008 estimated four adult Bengal tigers resident in the reserve
35.
Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve
–
The Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve is a protected area in the Terai of eastern Nepal covering 175 km2 of wetlands in the Sunsari, Saptari and Udayapur Districts. It comprises extensive mudflats, reed beds, and freshwater marshes in the floodplain of the Sapta Kosi River and it was established in 1976 and designated as a Ramsar site in December 1987. It can be accessed from the Mahendra Highway, during 1997 to 1998, an interview survey was conducted in the Paschim Kasuha VDC adjacent to the east of the reserve to investigate the extent of park–people conflict. The findings showed that water buffalo and wild boar were major crop raiders between September and February. Large numbers of cattle were found grazing freely inside the reserve, local people are responsible for illegal utilization of forest products, poaching and river fishing inside the reserve. In 2005, the reserve together with the Koshi Barrage was identified as one of 27 Important Bird Areas of Nepal, the vegetation of the reserve is mainly characterised by mixed deciduous riverine forest, grasslands and marshy vegetation. The coverage of grasslands is 68%, compared to only about 6% of forest, patches of catechu forest are more prevalent towards the northwestern part. The grasslands near the water bodies are maintained by the annual flooding and grazing by wildlife. The Sapta Koshi River, a tributary of the Ganges, causes rapid, in the extensive wetlands,514 plant species are found including kapok, sugarcane, reed, cattail, Imperata cylindrica, eel grass, and species of Eichhornia, Hydrilla, Azolla and lotus. A wide range of animals inhabit the protected area, in its water courses and ponds,200 species of fish have been recorded, most of which are resident. Two toad species, nine species, six lizard species, five snake species. Gharial and mugger crocodile occur as well, the 31 species of mammals recorded include the Asian elephant, spotted deer, hog deer, wild pig, smooth-coated otter and golden jackal. The Ganges river dolphin has been sighted in the Koshi River, gaur and blue bull have declined in numbers. Nepal’s last remaining population of about 150 wild water buffalo inhabit the area and this population has now grown to a total of 432 individuals with an annual growth rate of 7.27 percent, according to the latest census carried out in 2016. Swamp francolin and Nepal rufous-vented prinia occur as well, in spring 2011,17 Bengal floricans were recorded from nine different sites along a 39 km north-south stretch of the Koshi River. Seven were males and 10 were females, only five individuals were recorded outside the reserve, two pairs north of Koshi Tappu, and one female seen twice near the Koshi Barrage area. Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve BirdLife International Important Bird Areas factsheet, Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve The Ramsar Sites Database
36.
Annapurna Conservation Area
–
The Annapurna Conservation Area is Nepals largest protected area covering 7,629 km2 in the Annapurna range of the Himalayas across the Manang, Mustang, Kaski, Myagdi, and Lamjung districts. The area ranges in altitude from 790 m to the peak of Annapurna I at 8,091 m, the Annapurna Conservation Area was established in 1985 and gazetted in 1992. It is managed by the National Trust for Nature Conservation, there are two distinct climatic regions within a span of 120 km and an altitude of 1,000 to 8,000 m. Annual rainfall averages 3,000 mm in the south, department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Nepal, Annapurna Conservation Area
37.
Blackbuck Conservation Area
–
The Blackbuck Conservation Area is located in the Mid-Western Region, Nepal and was established in 2009 to conserve the endangered blackbuck. This protected area covers 16.95 km2 in the Bardiya District, attempts for the conservation of blackbuck in Nepal began in 1975 when a small herd was spotted in Khairapur VDC of Bardiya District. Realizing their fragile existence, immediate efforts were made to protect the herd, the government deployed five staff members, providing four of them with arms. A guard post was established in the same year. This particular herd is the northernmost surviving herd of blackbucks in the world, in 2009, the herd numbered 202 comprising 73 males,111 females and 18 calves. During 1995-1997, the Government of Nepal obtained private land for blackbuck conservation, department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Nepal, Blackbuck Conservation Area
38.
Gaurishankar Conservation Area
–
It is contiguous with Tibet in the north. The protected area connects the Langtang and Sagarmatha National Parks, the Government of Nepal handed over the management of Gaurishankar Conservation Area to National Trust for Nature Conservation for 20 years in 2010. Following the models of Annapurna and Manaslu Conservation Areas, NTNC has been managing the area through its Gaurishankar Conservation Area Project and it is a part of the Sacred Himalayan Landscape The headquarters is in Charikot. In April 2006, the Dolakha Chamber of Commerce and Industries has requested the Government of Nepal, the Gaurishankar Conservation Area encompasses 22 VDCs, covering three districts. In Ramechhap, it includes the Chuchure and Gumdel VDCs, the Shyama, Suri, Chankhu, Marbu, Khare, Orang, Bulung, Laduk, Chilankha, Aalampu, Bigu, Kalinchok, Lamabagar and Gaurishankar VDCs of Dolakha also fall within its boundaries. And six VDCs of the Sindhupalchok District - Ghorthali, Marming, Listikot, Tatopani, Fulpingkatti, the Gaurishankar Conservation Area is rich in bio-diversity. The Gaurishankar Conservation Areas mammalian population totals 34 species of mammals, one of the most rare animals in the area is the Red panda. A total of 235 species of birds have been recorded from the Gaurishankar Conservation Area, the conservation area also has 14 snake species,16 species of fish,10 types of amphibians and 8 lizard species. There is a shrine of the Kalinchowk Bhagwati in Kuri village in the Kalinchowk VDC. It is a pilgrimage site for Hindus. Sun Kosi Sherpa people Information of Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Nepal
39.
Manaslu Conservation Area
–
The Manaslu Conservation Area is a protected area in Nepal. Established in 1998 it covers 1,663 km2 in the Mansiri Himal range of the Himalayas in the Gorkha District, the area comprises mountains, glaciers, and watercourses. In elevation, the ranges from 1,400 m to 8,156 m at Manaslu. The region is home to 33 species of mammals including snow leopard, musk deer, there are over 110 species of birds and three species of reptiles and over 1500-2000 species of flowering plants. Information of Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Nepal
40.
Ghodaghodi Tal
–
Ghodaghodi Tal is a Ramsar site in western Nepal. Established in August 2003 it covers an area of 2,563 ha in Kailali District at an altitude of 205 m on the slopes of the Siwalik Hills. This Ramsar site consists of a system of around 13 large and shallow lakes and ponds with associated marshes. It is surrounded by deciduous forest and some streams along the periphery. The lake has record of 388 vascular plants, five ptredophytes,253 dicots, the forest and wetlands serve as a wildlife corridor between the Terai lowland and the Siwalik Hills. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, The Annotated Ramsar List of Nepal
41.
Gokyo Lakes
–
Gokyo Lakes are oligotrophic lakes in Nepals Sagarmatha National Park, located at an altitude of 4, 700–5,000 m above sea level. These lakes are the world’s highest freshwater lake system comprising six main lakes, in September 2007, Gokyo and associated wetlands of 7,770 ha have been designated a Ramsar site. Gokyo lakes are located in Khumjung Village Development Committee of Solukhumbu District in Sagarmatha Zone in north-eastern Nepal, Gokyo Cho, also called Dudh Pokhari, is the main lake with an area of 42.9 ha, and the village of Gokyo lies on its eastern shore. Thonak Cho is the largest lake with an area of 65.07 ha, gyazumpa Cho is 29 ha in size, followed by Tanjung Cho with an area of 16.95 ha, and Ngojumba Cho with an area of 14.39 ha. As sources of permanent fresh water they have high hydrological value and these are glacier-fed freshwater wetlands and discharge water to the Dudh Kosi headway via the Taujon Lake and the Longabanga Lake. These lakes are deeper than previously assumed by the researchers, fourth Lake is the deepest lake followed by the Gokyo Lake which is 43 m. A direct connection between the Gokyo Lake and the upper Thonak Cho and the Ngozumpa Cho has not been observed, the Gokyo lake system is naturally vulnerable, as it is lying in an ecologically fragile and unstable zone. The outburst of Ngozumpa glacier is always a threat to the existence of the lakes, the Gokyo lake system of 19 lakes is spread over an area of 196.2 ha lying between 4,600 and 5,100 m. The wetland lies on the head of the Dudh Kosi, which descends from Cho Oyu, the Gokyo Lakes are considered sacred by both Hindus and Buddhists. About 500 Hindus take a bath in the lakes during the Janai Purnima festival. On an average 7,000 tourists annually visit the Gokyo Lakes, the site is worshipped as the residing place of ‘Nag Devata’, a temple of the Hindu deities Lords Vishnu and Shiva is situated at the western corner of the lake. The belief that birds and wildlife in the area should not be harmed has traditionally protected fauna, Gokyo is among the most popular tourist destinations leading towards the Sagarmatha base camp and other areas. Gokyo village at 4,790 metres elevation is a centre in the area. The site is two days walk uphill from Namche Bazaar, a visit to the area often includes climbing Gokyo Ri. The Gokyo Lakes are also part of an extended Everest Base Camp trek known as the EBC trek via Gokyo Lakes and this trek is commonly hiked by people with slightly more time to trek as the trail is 4 days longer than the standard EBC trek. The Gokyo Lakes trek also has the benefit of being a circular route as opposed to the standard EBC trek which returns along the same trail
