Wildlife of Nepal

Wildlife diversity is a notable feature of Nepal. Because of the variance in climate, from tropical to arctic, Nepal has a large variety of plants and animals. Wildlife tourism is also a major source of tourism in the country There are some animal species which are unique to Nepal, such as the spiny babbler. Nepal is also host to a large number of rhododendron species. The wildlife of Nepal includes its flora and fauna. They are no natural habitats in Nepal. Nepal has established numerous National Parks and reserves in order to protect its diverse fauna. Nepal is a biodiversity hot spot with ecoregions broadly comprising the mountainous ecoregion, the savanna and grasslands ecoregion of the terai (foothills), and the Rara Lake ecoregion, which has many endemic species.

Nepal has established numerous national parks and reserves in order to protect its diverse fauna ever since 1973, with the passing of the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2029 BS. There are four different "classes" of protection, ranging from national parks and nature reserves to wildlife and hunting reserves. By 1992 Nepal had established seven national parks, protecting in total over 893,200 hectares (3,449 sq mi) of land. Under these classes as of 2002 there were 23 protected areas: nine national parks, three wildlife reserves, three conservation areas, one hunting reserve, three additional Ramsar sites, and four additional world heritage sites. The most noted world heritage sites are Sagarmatha National Park and Chitwan National Park. In addition, the world heritage site in the Kathmandu Valley also covers zones of significant biodiversity.

There are 208 mammal species reported including 28 species outside the limits of the protected areas but excluding four known extinct species. Among the several species of mammal found in Nepal, notable are the Bengal fox, Bengal tiger, clouded leopard, corsac fox, One horned rhinoceros, Asiatic elephant, marbled cat, red panda, snow leopard, Tibetan fox, and Tibetan wolf. Some of these, including the internationally recognised snow leopard are endangered and at risk of extinction.

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