My Science School

Set up in 1976 as one of the earliest protected areas in Nepal, the Sagarmatha National Park (also known as Mount Everest National Park) is spread across an area of more than 1,100 sq km. Marked by majestic mountains, dramatic peaks, deep valleys, and pristine glaciers, the park is noted for its stunning natural beauty. And, one of those majestic mountains is Mount Everest, itself a major attraction of the park. The region is equally popular for its wide variety of flora and fauna. While birch, juniper, pine, fir, bamboo, and rhododendron are the flora predominantly covering the region, rare animal species such as snow leopards have made this place their home. The park was declared a UNESCO Heritage World Site in 1979 for its "Outstanding Universal Value". The sherpas-ethnic people native to the mountains of the region - have a vital role to play in the conservation of the area, by restricting hunting, etc. Equally helpful are indigenous natural resource management practices that are in place. However, degradation of the ecosystem due to firewood extraction, tourism, and development projects are causes of concern.

Wildlife

The national park is a suitable habitat for rare species such as snow leopards, red pandas, Himalayan tahrs, and musk deer in addition to black bears, monkeys, hares, foxes, and martens. Over 100 species of birds are said to be found in the region, and they include the Himalayan monal, blood pheasant, laughing thrush, sunbirds, and redstarts. Apart from these, the park is said to nurture several species of butterflies and other insects too.

Threats

According to the International Union for Conservation of Natures latest assessment cycle (2020), the conservation outlook for Sagarmatha is significant concern". It says the property is suffering from a suite of long-standing and growing threats related to tourism impact (uncontrolled development, pollution, waste management, energy demand, introduction of donkeys for transport and intrusive aircrafts) deforestation, unsustainable resource extraction, poaching and disruption to Sherpa social structures. Climate change has had its impact too, for instance, glacier melting. In addition, it is likely that rivers and other water sources in the region could be contaminated by effluent discharge, human waste, and garbage dumping Further, aspects such as quarrying and forest fire risks put pressure on an already fragile ecosystem.

Two results from the pandemic...

According to a paper published in June 2021, the lockdown in Nepal between March and July 2020 due to the corona virus pandemic had both positive and negative results. In many of the country's national parks, including Sagarmatha, it meant more freedom of movement for wildlife. But that came with a price - since lockdown also meant reduced patrolling, illegal injuring or killing of wildlife due to poaching spiked. The study also discovered "incidents of hunting, trespassing, unauthorized collection of non-timber forest products (NTFP), fishing, and collection of fuelwood “inside the protected areas spiked. The study also discovered "incidents of hunting, trespassing, unauthorized collection of non-timber forest products (NTFP), fishing, and collection of fuelwood” inside the protected areas.

Picture Credit : Google

Creating a transnational conservation area, the Royal Manas National Park in southwestern Bhutan abuts the Manas National Park of the neighbouring Indian State of Assam. It was accorded wildlife sanctuary status way back in 1966, making it the oldest protected area in the country. As many as 27 years later, it was declared a National Park. Covering an area of more than 1,000 sq.km., the Park had been out of bounds to public for a long while. The region is fed by the Manas river, and is indicative of Bhutan's tropical and subtropical ecosystems. The Park hosts a stunning variety of plant and animal species, and this includes several that are threatened or endangered. In addition to a few hundred bird species, it is said to support more than 900 types of plants, including many with medicinal value.

Wildlife

The animals that one can spot in the region include Royal Bengal tiger. Asian elephant, greater one-horned rhinoceros, clouded leopard, Himalayan black bear, Gangetic dolphin, pangolin, and the endangered and rare golden langur. Among the birds that roam the area are ducks, geese, shelducks, pochards, teals, partridges, tragopans, pheasants, quails, grebes, pigeons, cranes, bitterns, doves, nighjars, swifts, doves, eagles, hornbills, babblers, thrushes, cuckoos, herons, egret cormorants, thickknees, stilts, plovers, lapwings, sandpipers, gulls, terns, vultures, owls, woodpeckers, beeeaters, kingfishers, parakeets, orioles, drongos, shrikes, flowerpeckers, weavers, munias, sparrows, finches, tits, buntings, prinias, warblers, bulbuls, flycatchers, and robins.

Threats

In 2017, Bhutan became the first (and the only) carbon-negative country in the world. The carbon dioxide produced by the country is less than what the tree / forest cover there can absorb. The country has been determined to ensure that the forest cover does not drop below 60 % at any given time. While this is great news for the wildlife in the region, the country and the park in are not without concerns. For instance, human activity such as selective logging, deforestation, hunting, and tourism have been increasing challenges for the place. Being a small country, it has managed to keep several threats at bay so far. However, as a country develops, human activity could only increase, leading to alteration of places that wildlife call home. There are also concerns that species such as the threatened clouded leopard could be affected in the long run due to such activity.

Good news

News reports published in 2018 said that the number of tigers at the Park grew from just 10 in 2010 to more than double- an impressive 22-within a decade. This is attributed to the conscious effort not just at Royal Manas but also at Manas National Park in neighbouring India. In fact, both the Parks registered increase in tiger numbers, and this is attributed to transboundary conservation.

While the tiger usually gets all the attention for being a top predator, it is also important to record other species in a region. Less than a decade ago, efforts were taken up to record the different types of cats present in Royal Manas National Park. The study "recorded six species of wild felids of which five are listed on the IUCN Red List". They are tiger, golden cat, marbled cat, leopard cat, clouded leopard, and common leopard. It was conducted over an area of 74 sq.km., and the sightings of felid species confirmed the region "as a biodiversity hot spot for this group".

Picture Credit : Google