Chitwan National Park

Location: Nepal

Area: 932 sq km

Established: 1973

Coordinates: 27°30’0”N 84°20’0”E

Chitwan National Park was established in 1973. Royal Chitwan National Park is the first National Park of Nepal. It covers an area of 932 sq km. The Park formerly extended over the foothills, the property covers an area of 93,200 hectares, extends over four Districts; Chitwan, Nawalparasi, Parsa and Makwanpur. It lies on the Subtropical Inner Terai lowland of South Central Nepal. Since 19^th century, the Chitwan National Park used to be a Favourite hunting ground for the Nepal ruling class. Chitwan’s forest and grasslands extended over more than 2,600 sq km and was home to about 800 Rhinos. The Park is located in the southern central Terai of Nepal. When poor farmers from the mid hills moved to the Chitwan valley in search of are able land, the area was subsequently opened for settlement, and poaching of wildlife became Rampant. In 1957, the country’s first conservation law inured to the protection of Rhinos and their habitat. The Chitwan has a particularly rich Flora and Fauna and is home to one of the last populations of single horned Asiatic Rhinocerous and is also one of the last refuges of the Bengal Tiger.In 1997, a Buffer Zone of 766.1 sq km was added to the North and West of the Narayani Rapti River system, and between the South eastern boundary of the park and the International Border to India. The spectacular landscape, covered with lush vegetation and the Himalayas as the backdrop makes the park an area of exceptional Natural Beauty. The forested Hills and changing River landscapes serve to make Chitwan one of the most stunning and attractive parts of Nepal’s lowlands. Situated in a river valley basin and characterized by steep cliffs on the south facing slopes and a mosaic of Riverine forest and grasslands along the river banks of the Natural landscape makes the property amongst the most visited Tourist destination of its kind in the Region. The property includes the Narayani River, the third largest River in Nepal which originates in the high Himalayas and drains into the Bay of Bengal providing dramatic River views and scenery as well as the River Terraces composed of layers of boulders and gravels.Chitwan National Park is an outstanding example of Biological evolution with a unique assemblage of Native Flora and Fauna from the Siwalik and inner Terai Eco-systems. The property includes the fragile Siwalik hill Eco-system, covering some of the youngest examples of this as well as alluvial flood plains, representing examples of ongoing Geological processes. The property is the last major surviving example of the Natural Eco-systems of the Terai and has witnessed minimal human impacts from the Traditional resource dependency of people, particularly the aboriginal Tharu community living in and around the park. The combination of alluvial flood plains and Riverine forest provides an excellent habitat for the Great One-horned Rhinoceros and the property is home for the second largest population of this species in the world.