Parsa Wildlife Reserve (14339)
Nepal, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2005
National site name: Parsa Wildlife Reserve
Central coordinates: Latitude: 27.4667, Longitude: 84.3333
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 200 to 950
Area of KBA (km2): 855.375939
Protected area coverage (%): 96.87
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD’
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Parsa was set up in 1984 on the eastern side of Royal Chitwan National Park. The reserve encompasses part of the Churia hills and bhabar land. It has a subtropical monsoon climate but, due to the gravel and conglomerate soil composition, the ground is very porous and, as a result, there are many dry streams, ravines, and gullies. The reserve is dominated by Sal Shorea robusta forests throughout. Chir Pine Pinus roxburghii grows on the hills, and Sissoo Dalbergia sissoo and Khair Acacia catechu trees grow sparsely on the floodplains (Todd 2001).
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas) KBA identified in the CEPF Ecosystem Profile of the Eastern Himalayas Hotspot (2005). Taxonomy, nomenclature and threat category follow the 2002 IUCN Red List.
Additional biodiversity: Over 250 species have been reported from Parsa Wildlife Reserve (Todd 2001, Baral and Pradhan 1992). However, the reserve is very under-recorded and many more species are likely to be found. Four globally threatened and one near-threatened bird species occur , but like many other species in the reserve, their status is unknown. There are large areas of dry tropical forest that are likely to support significant populations of characteristic species of the Indo-Malayan Tropical Dry Zone biome. Non-bird biodiversity: The reserve provides excellent habitat for other wildlife. Globally threatened species include Tiger Panthera tigris, Asian Elephant Elephas maximus, Gaur Bos frontalis, Asian Wild Dog Cuon alpinus and Nilgai Boselaphus tragocamelus.
Habitats
IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
---|---|---|
Grassland | 50 | |
Forest | 50 |
Threats
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: Inskipp (1989a), Baral and Pradhan (1992), Green (1993), Todd (2001).