Chitwan National Park

The Chitwan National Park is situated in the southern belt of Nepal, covering 952.63 sq. km.. in the tropical and subtropical lowlands of the inner Terai. The area of the park comprises the Rapti river to the foothills of the Mahabharat range. The area was gazetted as the country’s first national park in 1973, recognizing its unique ecosystems of international significance. UNESCO declared CNP a World Heritage Site in 1984, In 1996 an area of 750 sq. km. surrounding the park was declared a buffer zone, which consists of forests and private lands including cultivated lands. The park and the local people jointly initiate community development activities and manage natural resources in the buffer zone. The government of Nepal has made provision to provide 30-50 % of the parking revenue for community development and natural resource management in the buffer zone.

The Park consists of tropical and subtropical forests. Sal forests cover 70 percent of the park. Sal leaves are used locally for plates in festivals and religious offerings. Grasslands cover 20 percent of the park. There are more than 68 different types of grasses, including the elephant grass, renowned for its immense height. It can grow up to 8m in height. The park is home to more than 68 mammal species, over 678 birds, and 55 amphibians and reptiles. The endangered fauna found in the park is the One-horned rhinoceros, Gaur. Royal Bengal tiger. Wild elephant, Four-horned antelope, Pangolin, Golden monitor lizard, Python, etc. Bengal florican. Lesser florican, Giant hornbill, Black stork, While stork, etc.