Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park is a protected area in Myanmar that covers an area of 541.6 miles (1,403 kilometers). It was created in 1989 and is included in the list of ASEAN Heritage Parks. The park covers elevations ranging from 443 to 4,380 feet (135 to 1,335 meters) and is located in Kani and Mingin Townships within the Sagaing Region.
History
In 1893, the mountainous area between the Chindwin and Myittha Rivers was made a reserved forest and logged in a controlled way for teak. In the early 1980s, surveyors from the Food and Agriculture Organization and the United Nations Development Programme visited the area. They were invited by the Government of Myanmar to help find good places for national parks and nature reserves. The area was not disturbed much during their visit. In 1984, they suggested creating a park covering 1,606 km (620 sq mi) called Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park. The name honors a famous monk who lived there long ago. The national park was officially declared in 1989 and defined as covering 617 km (238 sq mi). However, the Myanmar Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation reports the actual area as 541.6 km (209.1 sq mi).
Biodiversity
Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park has a mix of different types of forests, including mixed deciduous forests, evergreen forests, and pine forests. These forests are home to 165 tree species and 39 species of medicinal plants.
During a transect survey in January 1999, several animals were seen, including Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), gaur (Bos gaurus), Himalayan black bears (Ursus thibetanus), sun bears (Helarctos malayanus), dholes (Cuon alpinus), sambar deer (Cervus unicolor), Indian muntjacs (Muntiacus muntjak), wild boars (Sus scrofa), Indian crested porcupines (Hystrix indica), and black giant squirrels (Ratufa bicolor). In 2003, the number of elephants was estimated to be between 2 and 41 individuals, based on dung surveys conducted over three years. A camera trap survey in 1999 recorded additional wildlife, such as yellow-throated martens (Martes flavigula), Asian palm civets (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus), large Indian civets (Viverra zibetha), small Indian civets (Viverricula indica), hog badgers (Arctonyx collaris), crab-eating mongooses (Herpestes urva), leopards (Panthera pardus), Asiatic golden cats (Catopuma temminckii), and leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis).
In 2000, the bent-toed gecko Cyrtodactylus annandalei was discovered in the park and officially described as a new species in 2003. This gecko lives in the same area as Cyrtodactylus slowinskii. Other gecko species found in the park include the Oriental leaf-toed gecko (Hemidactylus bowringii), Brooke's house gecko (H. brookii), common house gecko (H. frenatus), Indo-Pacific gecko (H. garnotii), and flat-tailed house gecko (H. platyurus).