Bardia National Park and Buffer Zone (14324)
Nepal, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2025
National site name: Bardia National Park and Buffer Zone
Central coordinates: Latitude: 28.4667, Longitude: 81.4667
System: terrestrial, freshwater
Elevation (m): 152 to 1441
Area of KBA (km2): 896.25363
Protected area coverage (%): 98.74
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Bardia National Park and buffer zone is situated in southwest Nepal, 396 km west of Kathmandu in the Bardia District of Lumbini Province and part of Surkhet District of Karnali Province. Much of the park is in the bhabar zone and consists of a broad alluvial plain that slopes gently away from the foothills of the Himalayan Churia Range in the northeast to India in the southwest. The Babai and Geruwa are two large rivers that flow into the park, the latter being a branch of the Karnali River. About 70% of the park is covered by sal Shorea robusta forest; there are also riverine forests of Khair Acacia catechu and Sissoo Dalbergia sissoo in the lowlands and Terminalia-Anogeissus deciduous forest and Chir Pine Pinus roxburghii forest in the hills. The other main habitats of the park are grassland and savannah (DNPWC 2015).</span></div>
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">A total of 523 species of birds have been recorded in Baridya National Park and Buffer Zone. 513 bird species were listed in Bardiya </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">National Park and Buffer Zone IBA (BNPBZ) by BCN </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">and DNPWC (2019). In 2022, the survey undertaken </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">by Ram Shahi and team added ten more species making </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">the total 523.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">BNPBZ supports significant populations of eleven globally threatened species: Great Slaty Woodpecker, Egyptian Vulture, White-rumped Vulture, Slender-billed Vulture, Red-headed Vulture, Indian Spotted Eagle, Steppe Eagle, Lesser Adjutant, Great Hornbill, Bristled Grassbird and Yellow-breasted Bunting so fulfilling the globally threatened criterion for an IBA. <span style="font-size: 10pt;">Other globally threatened species recorded in </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">BNPBZ are Sarus Crane Grus antigone (rare resident); </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis (very rare, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">possibly resident); Lesser Florican Sypheotides indica </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">(extremely rare, no recent records); Wood Snipe </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Gallinago nemoricola (very rare winter visitor); Blackbellied </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Tern Sterna acuticauda (very rare visitor); River </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Tern Sterna aurantia (rare visitor); Indian Skimmer </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Rynchops albicollis (very rare visitor); Pallas’s Fish </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Eagle Haliaeetus leucoryphus (rare winter visitor and </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">passage migrant); Greater Spotted Eagle Clanga </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">clanga (rare winter visitor and passage migrant), </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">and Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax (very rare visitor). </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Eastern Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca, Saker Falcon </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Falco cherrug, and White-throated Bushchat Saxicola </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">insignis are vagrants, and Grey-crowned Prinia Prinia </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">cinereocapilla is a rare resident or visitor. Further </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">fieldwork may show these species have significant </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">populations in BNPBZ. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">More than 61 mammal species 52 herpetofauna species, and 121 fish species (BNP 2022) have been recorded in the national park. Globally threatened species of wildlife include the Ganges River Dolphin Platanista gangetica, Asiatic Wild Dog Cuon alpinus, Tiger Panthera tigris, Asian Elephant Elephas maximus, Smooth-coated Otter Lutrogale perspicillata, Barasingha Rucervus duvaucelii, Gharial Gavialis gangeticus and Mugger Crocodile Crocodylus palustris. Indian Rhinoceros Rhinoceros unicornis were translocated from Chitwan National Park to Bardiya National Park from 1986-2002 (DNPWC 2015) and most recently in 2016. </div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br></span></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
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The East-West highway, the main link road across Nepal’s terai runs through the park. Despite any benefits this routing of the East-West highway has brought, the major road must surely threaten the integrity of the park.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The proposed Bheri river diversion to the Babai river will very likely have some ecological as well as social impact.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Disturbance on grassland (phantas) resulting from tourism has posed serious threats to the globally threatened Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis (Rai 1996) which has declined significantly in the park since 1982 and is now very rare (Inskipp and Inskipp 1983, Poudyal et al. 2008a,b).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bardiya has problems of co-existence with local communities, which are similar to those in other lowland protected areas in Nepal. There are widespread and frequent illegal incursions in search of fodder, fuelwood and other natural products such as plants used for food or medicinal purposes.</div>
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Small-holder farming | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming | Ongoing |
| Natural system modifications | Dams & water management/use | Abstraction of surface water (agricultural use) | Only in the future |
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (2015) Protected area information Bardiya National Park. http://www.dnpwc.gov.np/index.php/page/15 Downloaded 3 April 2015.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Inskipp, C and Inskipp, TP (1983) Results of a preliminary survey of Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis in Nepal and India, 1982. ICBP Study Report No. 2. International Council for Bird Preservation, Cambridge, UK. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">National Trust for Nature Conservation 2015. Bardia Conservation Program http://ntnc.org.np/project/bardia-conservation-program Downloaded 5 April 2015</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Poudyal, LP, Singh, PB and Maharajan, S (2008a) Status and distribution of Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis in Nepal. Final report to Oriental Bird Club and The Club 300 Foundation for Bird Protection Sweden. Unpublished.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Poudyal, LP, Singh, PB and Maharajan, S (2008b) The decline of Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis in Nepal. Danphe 17(1): 4-6. http://www.birdlifenepal.org/publication.php <br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rai, H (1996) A serious threat to Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis in Bardia. Bird Conservation Nepal Newsletter 5(3): 1.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">UNDP (2012) Western Terai Landscape Complex Project. www.np.undp.org/content/nepal/ Downloaded 28 April 2015.</div>
Contributors: Site identified based on Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas by the BirdLife International Partnership