Makalu National Park

Posted in Asia | January 3, 2012 | Comment Now

The Makalu Barun national park is a beautiful region of verdant expanse found in the country of Nepal, located amidst the background of the Himalayan ranges. Found in the year 1992, this is a great extension of the Sagarmatha national Park on the eastern side. Spanning over an area of around 1500 square kilometers, this lies in the Solukhumbu and the Sankhuwasaba districts of Nepal region.

The Makalu National park has the dubious distinction of being the only protected zone in the entire world which has an elevation of more than 8000 m. there is a tropical forest that enclosed it and the snow capped peaks only add to the beauty of the entire area.

The national park lies at a close proximity of the international border with Tibet. So the northern part of the park lies close to the Tibetan border. The Makalu Barun Conservation Area lies in the southeastern and southern border. The peaks of Makalu are anywhere between 8,463 m and 6654 m. The Mount Chamalang, the fifth highest mountain in the world lies here. Then you have Baruntse, Mera which are also high rising peaks here.

Makalu National park is a biodiversity of flora and fauna. The idea to create such a place rooted in the year 1980. Then the park got accomplished in 1990 and in the year 1991, the park was gazetted. The buffer zone was declared in the year 1999, and an inhabited conservation area became a part of this park. More than 35,000 people live here in around 12 kinds of development committees. These include the Chhetri, the Brahmin, and the magar, the Tamang, the Gurung, Rais and the Sherpas.

The Department of national parks and Wildlife Conservation takes care of the wildlife here. There are two valleys here one belonging to the Barun River and the other to its tributary the Saldima. Here is where you would find some of the best forest and alpine regions of this place. These are today under the protection of the Strict Nature Reserve which is the first of its kind in Nepal. This area strives to protect the natural eco system and the other related process, and helps in maintaining this place as an undisturbed study for all those who are interested.

Typically characteristic of this park, the vegetation here varies from the dipeterocarp monsoon forests to the subalpine conifer which is at a height of around 4000m in height. The forests here are predominantly tropical, sub tropical, the lower and upper temperate zones and the subalpine meadows.

The tropical region has sal trees, the subtropical zone has broad-leaf forests, the lower and upper temperate has evergreen vegetation and the subalpine region has the conifer forests. Besides, the rhododendron, the orchids, the primroses, the oaks, bamboos, and other fodder trees are found here in plenty.

The fauna here includes the red panda, around 315 species of butterflies, 16 varieties of amphibians, and more than 43 kinds of reptiles. Notwithstanding the 78 fish species and the 440 varieties of birds that are found here. So you can find the blue napped pitta, the Blyth’s kingfisher, rose ringed parakeet, the pale blue flycatcher, the silver eared mesia, the Sultan tit, the white napped yuhina to name a few. The park also has the snow leopard, the jungle cat, the clouded leopard, the Himalayan tahr, the jackal, the Himalayan wolf, the marmot, the otters, the spotted linsang, flying squirrels, the weasel, the Himalayan serow, the muntjak, the Himalayan goral and the Assam macaque.