Neora Valley National Park
| Neora Valley National Park | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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| Location | Kalimpong district, West Bengal, India |
| Nearest city | Kalimpong |
| Coordinates | 27°04′N 88°42′E / 27.06°N 88.7°ECoordinates: 27°04′N 88°42′E / 27.06°N 88.7°E |
| Area | 88 km2 (34 sq mi) |
| Established | 1986 |
| Governing body | Government of India, Government of West Bengal |
Neora Valley National Park is situated in the Kalimpong district, West Bengal, India and was established in 1986. It spreads over an area of 88 km² and is one of the richest biological zones in the entire Eastern India. It is the land of the elegant red panda in the pristine undisturbed natural habitat with rugged inaccessible hilly terrain and rich diverse flora and fauna making this park an important wilderness zone.
The park is spread over 159.89 km². The forest in Neora Valley has such luxurious growth that even sunlight finds it difficult to touch the ground. Much of the park is still inaccessible, making it an adventurous place for the nature lovers/trekkers who can take the challenge to explore the still-unknown terrain in the Kalimpong hills. Virgin natural forests, dense bamboo groves, colourful canopy of Rhododendron trees, lush green valley, meandering rivers and streams with snowcapped mountains in the backdrop form a picturesque landscape.
The park reaches up to an elevation of 10600 ft at Rachela Danda(रचेला डाँड़ा), the highest point of Neora Valley National Park, which borders Sikkim and Bhutan. The Neora River is the major water source for Kalimpong town.
Avian fauna listed from this park are of A1, A2 and A3 categories with IBA site code IN-WB-06.
Inside this wildlife sanctuary, the primary biomes corresponding to the ecozone are:
All of these are typical forest type of foothills of the Bhutan - Nepal - India hilly region between altitudinal range 1000 m to 3,600 m.
Neora Valley, one of the last tracts of virgin wilderness in the country, sustains a unique ecosystem where tropical, sub-tropical, sub-temperate, and temperate vegetative system still harbours a wealth of flora and fauna. The forests consists of mixed species like rhododendron, bamboo, oak, ferns, sal, etc. The valley also has numerous species of orchids.
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Wikipedia