Rampur valley (18503)
Nepal, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1c, D1a
Year of last assessment: 2005
National site name: Rampur valley
Central coordinates: Latitude: 27.8500, Longitude: 83.9000
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 400 00
Area of KBA (km2): 27.7609
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Rampur Valley (=Rampurphant) lies in Palpa district of west-central Nepal. The Kali Gandaki River borders Rampur valley on the northern side. Agricultural land covers about 41.85% of Palpa district area while forest land covers 39.6%. The district is thinly populated. Most of the communities consist of farmers who practice terraced agriculture on the lower slopes; the higher slopes remain vegetated in some form. The IBA has been identified because of its important White-rumped Vulture nesting colony. Vulture nests are spread along the Kali Gandaki River in a 15 km stretch in patches of riverine forests. The most important of the nesting sites is located at Khaireni forest where over 30 nests have been located. The riverine forests growing along the Kali Gandaki River have Silk-Cotton Tree Bombax ceiba, Trewia nudiflora, Acacia catechu and various other tree species. The Silk-Cotton is the main nesting tree in the area.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs.
Additional biodiversity: In 2003 the post-breeding population was 123 birds; a total of 70 active nests was found. These included 31 nests at Khaireni forest in an area of 0.25 km²; this is the highest concentration of White-rumped Vulture nests in the country. Half of the nests in Rampur valley were successful in 2003, a better breeding success than elsewhere in Nepal (Gautam et al. 2003a, b, Baral and Pain 2003, Gautam and Baral 2004). In 2004 the number of active nests had fallen a little to 64, although the observer did not consider that the vulture population had declined (Ramji Gautam in litt. May 2004). Non-bird biodiversity: Golden Jackal Canis aureus, Bengal Fox Vulpes bengalensis, Indian Hare Lepus nigricollis, Bengal Fox Vulpes bengalensis have been seen here.
Habitats
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 50 | |
| Forest | 50 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Work & other activities | Ongoing | |
| Natural system modifications | Other ecosystem modifications | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Baral and Gautam (2002), Gautam et al. (2003a, b), Baral and Pain (2003), Gautam and Baral (2004), Baral et al. in prep.