Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park is the ninth national park in Nepal and was created in 2002. It is located in the mountainous region north of the Kathmandu Valley and is named after Shivapuri Peak, which is 2,732 meters (8,963 feet) high. The park spans an area of 159 square kilometers (61 square miles) across the districts of Kathmandu, Nuwakot, and Sindhupalchowk. It borders 23 Village Development Committees and reaches into the Dhading District.
History
The area has always been a key place for collecting water, providing the Kathmandu Valley with hundreds of thousands of cubic liters of water each day. In 1976, the area was designated as a protected watershed and wildlife reserve. In 2002, it was officially named Shivapuri National Park, starting with an area of 144 km (56 sq mi). In 2009, the park was expanded by adding the Nagarjun Forest Reserve, which covers 15 km (5.8 sq mi).
The park contains several historical and religious sites, as well as a popular hiking path used by both local people and tourists.
Climate
The park is in an area where two climate types meet: subtropical and temperate. About 1,400 mm (55 in) of yearly rainfall occurs mainly between May and September, with 80% of it during the monsoon season. Winter temperatures range from 2–17 °C (36–63 °F), and summer temperatures range from 19–30 °C (66–86 °F).
Vegetation
The park's usual plant life is middle hill forest found between 1,000 and 1,800 meters (3,300 and 5,900 feet) in elevation. This includes:
- Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests in the lower and upper subtropical areas, mainly made up of Schima and Castanopsis plants. Chir pine grows on dry southern ridges, while alder, wild Himalayan cherry, Engelhardia, and ring-cupped oak grow near streams;
- Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests in the lower temperate area, with mostly evergreen broadleaf trees from the oak and laurel families. Rhododendron mixes with these trees on northern slopes.
At higher elevations, many medicinal herbs grow. Botanists have recorded 129 mushroom species and 2,122 plant species. Of these, 449 are vascular plants, and 16 are plants found only in this area.
Fauna
Since 2002, several surveys have been conducted to learn about the variety of animals living in the protected area. A field study from July 2003 to July 2004 identified many species, including Indian leopard, jungle cat, large Indian civet, golden jackal, Himalayan black bear, yellow-throated marten, small Indian mongoose, Himalayan goral, Indian muntjac, wild boar, rhesus monkey, Hanuman langur, Chinese pangolin, Indian crested porcupine, Royle's pika, Indian hare, orange-bellied Himalayan squirrel, fawn-colored mouse, Hodgson's brown-toothed shrew, and black rat. In 2010, camera traps captured images of clouded leopard, leopard cat, masked palm civet, crab-eating mongoose, Indian pangolin, rhesus macaque, and yellow-throated marten.
In the western part of the park, herpetologists found several reptiles and amphibians during the summer of 2009. These included monocled cobra, Himalayan keelback, olive Oriental slender snake, yellow-bellied worm-eating snake, variegated mountain lizard, Oriental garden lizard, many-keeled grass skink, Sikkim skink, black-spined toad, long-legged cricket frog, and horned frog.
Ornithologists recorded 318 bird species in the area. Examples include Eurasian eagle-owl, slender-billed scimitar-babbler, white-gorgeted flycatcher, barred cuckoo-dove, and golden-throated barbet.