Parsa National Park and Buffer Zone (14339)
Nepal, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2025
National site name: Parsa National Park and Buffer Zone
Central coordinates: Latitude: 27.4667, Longitude: 84.3333
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 200 to 950
Area of KBA (km2): 683.43236
Protected area coverage (%): 83.46
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: PNP lies in Makwanpur District of Bagmati Province and Bara and Parsa Districts of Madhesh Province. The reserve is contiguous with Chitwan National Park in the west. The soil is primarily composed of gravel and conglomerates, making it susceptible to erosion. The hills present a very rugged face with numerous gullies and dry streambeds.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: A total of 341 species has been recorded in Parsa National Park (NTNC 2017, Giri and Inskipp 2023). This total includes 335 species listed in NTNC (2017) and six species that Tikram Giri and Carol Inskipp recorded during a five-day visit to the park in March 2023. The list includes significant populations of globally threatened species: Indian Spotted Eagle, Great Hornbill, Grey-crowned Prinia and Bristled Grassbird. <div>Other globally threatened species recorded are: Great Slaty Woodpecker Mulleripicus pulverulentus, White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis, Slender-billed Vulture Gyps tenuirostris, Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus, and Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis.<br><p>Non-bird biodiversity: A total of 37 species of mammals, 336 species of plant, 3 species of Amphibians, 8 species of Pisces thirteen species of reptiles are reported from park (BPP 1995, PNP 2018). The Park is home to several globally threatened mammals including Asian Elephant Elephas maximus, Tiger Panthera tigris, Indian Rhinoceros Rhinoceros unicornis and Sloth Bear Melursus ursinus, and also the near-threatened Striped Hyena Hyaena hyaena. Other mammals recorded include Leopard Panthera pardus. Nilgai Boselaphus tragocamelus, Sambar Deer Rusa unicolor, Chital Axis axis, Northern Red Muntjac Muntiacus vaginalis, and Jungle Cat Felis chaus are also found in the reserve (DNPWC 2015, Kathmandu Forestry College 2013). The reserve is famous for its variety of snakes including the globally threatened King Cobra Ophiophagus hannah and Burmese Python Python bivittatus (DNPWC 2015). Indian Rhinoceros is now regularly mud wallowing in Halkhoriya Daha and a Tiger has been seen here.</p></div>
Manageability of the site: Site identified based on BirdLife International's Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, under which manageability is strongly recommended but not explicitly documented
Delineation rationale: Protected IBAs extended to include designated Buffer Zones
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: The forests mainly comprise tropical and subtropical species. Sal Shorea robusta forests compose about 90 percent of the reserve’s vegetation. Along the banks of the rivers, riverine forests are found containing species like Khair Acacia catechu and Silk cotton tree Bombax ceiba. In the northeastern part of the reserve, at higher altitudes, Sal and Chir Pine Pinus roxburghii forests occur. On the southern slope of the Siwalik hills, the forests are dominated by Chir Pine. Sabai Grass Eulaliopsis binata is a commercially important species which grows well on the southern face of the Churia hills (DNPWC 2015).
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Parsa National Park forests are naturally very dry which has been a limiting factor in supporting wildlife. Disturbance and small scale hunting are threats to the birds of PNP. The northern BZ which lies in the hills is not as heavily guarded as other reserve areas and suffers the most from disturbance and poaching. A large human population lives south of PNP and here small-scale hunting and trapping of birds have been reported. The East-West Highway is a threat to birds due to collision with moving vehicles. Grazing by domestic cattle is also a problem in certain sections of PNP.<div>In the area designated in 2015 the forests have been highly exploited for collection of firewood, timber, fodder, etc in the past. Further, in Pasaha khola as many as 300 tractors were seen in a stretch of 5 km loading sand for construction. During winter months, the whole of Halkhoriya daha was filled with fish-farmers. Although direct evidence of hunting was not reported, there must have been some hunting in the forests as populations of ungulates and game birds (e.g. Red Jungle Fowl Gallus gallus and Indian Blue Peafowl Pavo cristatus) populations have been low. </div>
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases | Unspecified species | Ongoing |
| Natural system modifications | Fire & fire suppression | Increase in fire frequency/intensity | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Gathering terrestrial plants | Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target) | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (2015). Protected area information. Parsa Wildlife Reserve. http://www.dnpwc.gov.np/index.php/page/35 Downloaded 27 April 2015.<div>Giri, T. and Inskipp, C. (2023). Birds recorded in Parsa National Park in March 2023. Unpublished.</div><div>Kathmandu Forestry College (2013) Chitwan-Annapurna landscape. Biodiversity important areas and linkages. Kathmandu: Hariyo Ban Program, WWF Nepal program. http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/pa00k358.pdf</div><div>National Trust for Nature Conservation (2017). Birds of Parsa National Park. National Trust for Nature Conservation, Kathmandu.</div><div><br></div>
Contributors: Site identified based on Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas by the BirdLife International Partnership