Chitwan National Park

Big rivers flow down from the snowy mountains.

They carry stones and gravel. Over a long time, they built flat land beside the rivers. Grass and forests grow there.

Chitwan lies where the high mountains meet the flat plains. The Siwalik hills, the outer range of the Himalayas, rise in and around the park. UNESCO says their fragile ecosystem includes some of the youngest examples of its kind.

The Narayani River, the third-largest river in Nepal, starts high in the Himalayas and flows past the park. Rivers like it have spread out over the land, leaving flat floodplains and terraces made of layers of boulders and gravel. UNESCO says these floodplains show geological processes that are still going on today.

UNESCO's criterion (ix) cites the fragile Siwalik-hill ecosystem, including some of the youngest examples of these foothills, and the alluvial floodplains as examples of ongoing geological processes. The Narayani (Gandaki), Nepal's third-largest river, rises in the high Himalayas and drains toward the Bay of Bengal; along it, river terraces of layered boulders and gravel record the river's work.

The resulting landscape, a river-valley basin with steep cliffs on south-facing slopes and a mosaic of riverine forest and grassland on the banks, combines Siwalik and inner Terai ecosystems. With the adjoining Parsa park, Chitwan forms the largest and least disturbed example of sal forest and associated communities in the Terai, and it protects the catchment of the rivers within its boundaries.

Chitwan is full of birds. More than 350 kinds live here!

There are forests, tall grass, rivers and quiet pools. Each place is a home for different animals.

Chitwan is one of the richest places for wildlife in Nepal. UNESCO says the park holds 61 percent of all the bird species recorded in Nepal, more than 350 kinds, and one of the highest concentrations of birds in the world. It also has about a third of Nepal's mammal species and nearly two-thirds of its fish species.

The main habitats are the Siwalik hills, forests of sal trees, forests along the rivers and grasslands. Beeshazar and its nearby lakes, in the buffer zone, are a wetland of international importance.

UNESCO credits the park with 31% of Nepal's recorded mammals, 61% of its birds (over 350 species), 34% of its amphibians and reptiles and 65% of its fishes, and notes its recognition as part of a Conservation International biodiversity hotspot and among WWF's Global 200 ecoregions. Major ecosystems are the Siwalik hills, subtropical deciduous (sal) forest, riverine forest and grassland.

The main ecological pressures UNESCO lists are invasive species such as Mikania macrantha, which has encroached on grasslands and riverine habitats; pollution of the aquatic ecosystem from sources near the Narayani; timber theft; and poaching of wildlife and plants, the most significant threat to many species despite strong enforcement.

People have lived around Chitwan for a long time.

The Tharu people have lived here for hundreds of years. Today, people living near the park help look after it.

Chitwan is the land of the Indigenous Tharu people, who have lived in the area for centuries and are known for their own cultural traditions, UNESCO says. Many people still live in villages around the park.

To help people and wildlife share the land, a buffer zone was created around the park in 1996. People living there take part in conservation and share in its benefits, and families can receive compensation for losses caused by wild animals. Nepal's army has helped protect the park since 1975.

UNESCO notes that the indigenous Tharu community has inhabited the area for centuries and that traditional use of forest resources by local people is well controlled and has not harmed the property. Protection dates back to the early 1800s; the park was established under the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act of 1973, the Nepalese Army has been deployed for protection since 1975, and the Buffer Zone Management Regulation of 1996 provides for local participation and socio-economic benefits.

UNESCO describes this as an outstanding example of government-community partnership but flags ongoing concerns: balancing conservation with the needs of people living nearby, human-wildlife conflict, traffic at the Kasara bridge, proposed infrastructure and high visitor numbers in one of Nepal's most popular tourist destinations.

Rhinos and tigers are big wild animals.

Go with a park guide and stay with your group. Be quiet and watch from far away.

Chitwan is one of the most visited places in Nepal, UNESCO says, because wildlife is easy to see and the scenery is spectacular. But rhinos and tigers are large, wild animals, and conflicts between people and wildlife are a serious issue around the park.

Visit with trained park guides, follow park rules and stay with your group. Keep a safe distance from all animals, stay quiet and never feed wildlife. Respect the people who live around the park and the rules that help them share the land with wildlife.

UNESCO identifies high visitation and the maintenance of adequate facilities as ongoing management issues, while describing park accommodation as a model of its kind and tourism as a significant economic benefit. Human-wildlife conflict is an important issue, and the Kathmandu Post reports that growing tiger numbers have raised concerns in nearby communities.

Visitors reduce risk to themselves and to wildlife by following park regulations, traveling with authorized guides, keeping well away from rhinos, tigers and other large animals, and supporting buffer-zone communities, whose participation UNESCO considers central to the park's protection.