List of protected areas of Nepal

The protected areas of Nepal cover mainly forested land and are located at various altitudes in the Terai, in the foothills of the Himalayas and in the mountains, thus encompassing a multitude of landscapes and preserving a vast biodiversity in the Palearctic and Indomalayan realms. Nepal covers 147,181 km2 (56,827 sq mi) in the central part of the Himalayas. Altitudes range from 67 m (220 ft) in the south-eastern Terai to 8,848 m (29,029 ft) at Mount Everest within a short horizontal span. This extreme altitudinal gradient has resulted in 11 bio-climatic zones ranging from lower tropical below 500 m (1,600 ft) to nival above 5,000 m (16,000 ft) in the High Himalayas, encompassing nine terrestrial ecoregions with 36 vegetation types.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Additionally, nine Ramsar sites were declared between 1988 and 2008.[7] Two wildlife reserves were declared as national parks in 2017.[8]

Classification

Further information: IUCN protected area categories

Nepal has the following kinds of protected areas, in the sense of the word designated by IUCN:

Botanical gardens

  • National Botanical Garden, Godawari, Lalitpur
  • Maipokhari Botanical Garden, Ilam
  • Dhanushadham Botanical Garden, Dhanusha
  • Mountain Botanical Garden, Daman, Makwanpur
  • World Peace Biodiversity Garden, Pokhara
  • Brindaban Botanical Garden, Makawanpur
  • Dhakeri Botanical Garden, Banke
  • Mulpani Botanical Garden, Salyan
  • Dhitachaur Botanical Garden, Jumla
  • Dewahariya Botanical Garden, Kailali
  • National Herbarium and Plant Laboratories:

Protected Areas

Name Image Districts Provinces Area

(square mile)

Declaration IUCN

Category

Notes
National Parks
Chitwan National Park Chitwan, Nawalpur, Makwanpur, Parsa Bagmati, Madhesh, Gandaki 952.63 km2 (367.81 sq mi) 1973 II UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984
Sagarmatha National Park Solukhumbu Koshi 1,148 km2 (443 sq mi) 19 July 1976 II UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979
Langtang National Park Nuwakot, Rasuwa, Sindhupalchowk Bagmati 1,710 km2 (660 sq mi) 1976 II
Rara National Park Mugu, Jumla Karnali 106 km2 (41 sq mi) 1976 II
Khaptad National Park Bajhang, Bajura, Achham, Doti Sudurpaschim 225 km2 (87 sq mi) 1984 II
Shey Phoksundo National Park Dolpa, Mugu Karnali 2,712 km2 (1,047 sq mi) 1984 II
Bardiya National Park Bardiya Lumbini 968 km2 (374 sq mi) 1988 II
Makalu Barun National Park Solukhumbu, Sankhuwasabha Koshi 1,500 km2 (580 sq mi) 1992 II
Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park Kathmandu. Nuwakot, Sindhupalchowk Bagmati 159 km2 (61 sq mi) 2002 II
Banke National Park Banke, Salyan, Dang Lumbini 550 km2 (210 sq mi) 12 July 2010 II
Shuklaphanta National Park Kanchanpur Sudurpaschim 305 km2 (118 sq mi) 1976 as Wildlife Reserve; 2017 as National Park II
Parsa National Park Bara, Makwanpur, Parsa Madhesh 637 km2 (246 sq mi) 1984 as Wildlife Reserve, 2017 as National Park II
Chhayanath National Park Mugu Karnali 906 km2 (350 sq mi) 4 September 2025[9] II Newest national park of Nepal
Conservation Areas
Annapurna Conservation Area Manang, Mustang, Kaski, Myagdi, Lamjung Gandaki 7,629 km2 (2,946 sq mi) 1992 VI Largest protected area in Nepal by land area
Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Taplejung Koshi 2,035 km2 (786 sq mi) 1997 VI
Manaslu Conservation Area Gorkha Gandaki 1,663 km2 (642 sq mi) 1998 VI
Blackbuck Conservation Area Bardiya Lumbini 16.95 km2 (6.54 sq mi) March 2009 VI Smallest protected area in Nepal by land area
Api Nampa Conservation Area Darchula Sudurpashchim 1,903 km2 (735 sq mi) 2010 VI
Gaurishankar Conservation Area Ramechhap, Dolakha, Sindhupalchowk Bagmati 2,197 km2 (848 sq mi) 10 January 2010 VI
Wildlife Reserve
Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve Sunsari, Saptari, Udayapur Koshi, Madhesh 175 km2 (68 sq mi) 1976 IV Also a Ramsar Wetland since 1987
Hunting Reserve
Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve Eastern Rukum, Myagdi, Baglung Gandaki, Lumbini 1,325 km2 (512 sq mi) 1987
Ramsar Wetlands
Bishazari Tal Chitwan Bagmati 32 km2 (12 sq mi) 13 August 2003 Part of Chitwan National Park
Ghodaghodi Tal Kailali Sudurpashchim 25.63 km2 (9.90 sq mi) 13 August 2003 Bird Sanctuary since March 2022
Gokyo Lake Complex Solukhumbu Koshi 1.962 km2 (0.758 sq mi) 13 September 2007 Part of Sagarmatha National Park
Gosaikunda Rasuwa Bagmati 0.138 km2 (0.053 sq mi) 23 September 2007 Part of Langtang National Park
Jagdishpur Reservoir Kapilvastu Lumbini 2.25 km2 (0.87 sq mi) 13 August 2003
Mai Pokhari Ilam Koshi 0.9 km2 (0.35 sq mi) 20 October 2008
Phoksundo Lake Dolpa Karnali 4.85 km2 (1.87 sq mi) 23 September 2007 Part of Shey Phoksundo National Park
Rara Lake Mugu Karnali 10.61 km2 (4.10 sq mi) 23 September 2007 Part of Rara National Park
Lake Cluster of Pokhara Valley Kaski Gandaki 261.1 km2 (100.8 sq mi) 2 February 2016 [10]

References

  1. ^ Bhuju, U. R.; Shakya, P. R.; Basnet, T. B.; Shrestha, S. (2007). Nepal Biodiversity Resource Book. Protected Areas, Ramsar Sites, and World Heritage Sites (PDF). Kathmandu: International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, in cooperation with United Nations Environment Programme, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. ISBN 978-92-9115-033-5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  2. ^ Bhushal, R. P. (2010). "Nod to Banke National Park". The Himalayan Times. Kathmandu. Archived from the original on 2014-12-18. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  3. ^ Chaudhary, H.; Poudyal, L.P. (2016). Bird Survey of Api Nampa Conservation Area in Nepal, 2016: Report to the Api Nampa Conservation Area Office, Khalanga, Darchula, Nepal (Report). Kathmandu, Nepal: Nepalese Ornithological Union and Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. Archived from the original on 2018-10-08. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  4. ^ NTNC (2010). Gaurishankar Conservation Area Project (Report). Kathmandu, Nepal: National Trust for Nature Conservation. Archived from the original on 2018-12-04. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  5. ^ DNPWC (2014). Blackbuck Conservation Area (Report). Kathmandu: Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. Archived from the original on 2015-01-28. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  6. ^ Prasad, Madhav (2016-04-08). "Top Must See Places in Bhutan". Mosaic Adventure. Archived from the original on 2023-06-25. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
  7. ^ Bhandari, B. B. (2009). "Wise use of Wetlands in Nepal". Banko Janakari. 19 (3): 10–17.
  8. ^ "DNPWC". Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. Archived from the original on 2020-02-18. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  9. ^ "Govt establishes Chhayanath National Park in Mugu District". Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  10. ^ Baral, S.; Dhakal, M.; Khanal, R. (2016). Lake Cluster of Pokhara Valley. Kathmandu: Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, IUCN Nepal. Archived from the original on 2023-06-10. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
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