Kanchenjunga Conservation Area

Kanchenjunga Conservation Area
Nepali: कञ्चनजङ्घा संरक्षण क्षेत्र
IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources)
On route to the Pathibhara Devi Temple
Interactive map of Kanchenjunga Conservation Area
LocationNepal
Coordinates27°42′56″N 87°55′42″E / 27.7155°N 87.9282°E / 27.7155; 87.9282
Area2,035 km2 (786 sq mi)
Established1997
Governing bodyDepartment of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation

Kanchenjunga Conservation Area is a protected area in the Himalayas of eastern Nepal that was established in 1997. It covers 2,035 km2 (786 sq mi) in the Taplejung District and comprises two peaks of Kanchenjunga. In the north it adjoins the Qomolangma National Nature Preserve in Tibet, and in the east the Khangchendzonga National Park in Sikkim.[1] It borders the Sankhuwasabha District and part of the Sacred Himalayan Landscape.[2]

History

The Kanchenjunga Conservation Area was designated during 1997.[2]

Fauna

Some animals living here are the snow leopard and blood pheasant.[1]

In April 2012, a leopard cat was recorded by a camera trap at an elevation of 4,474 m (14,678 ft). This record constitutes the highest known record to date. A melanistic leopard was photographed at an elevation of 4,300 m (14,100 ft) in May 2012.[3] A yellow-throated marten has been recorded up to 4,510 m (14,800 ft) elevation in alpine meadow.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b Bhuju, U. R.; Shakya, P. R.; Basnet, T. B. & Shrestha, S. (2007). Nepal Biodiversity Resource Book. Protected Areas, Ramsar Sites, and World Heritage Sites. Kathmandu: International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, in cooperation with United Nations Environment Programme, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. ISBN 978-92-9115-033-5.
  2. ^ a b Aryal, K. P.; Kerkhoff, E. E.; Maskey, N.; Sherchan, R. (2010). Shifting Cultivation in the Sacred Himalayan Landscape. A Case Study in the Kangchenjunga Conservation Area (PDF). Kathmandu: WWF Nepal.
  3. ^ Thapa, K.; Pradhan, N. M. B.; Berker, J.; Dhakal, M.; Bhandari, A. R.; Gurung, G. S.; Rai, D. P.; Thapa, G. J.; Shrestha, S.; Singh, G. R. (2013). "High elevation record of a leopard cat in the Kangchenjunga Conservation Area, Nepal". Cat News (58): 26–27.
  4. ^ Appel, A.; Khatiwada, A. P. (2014). "Yellow-throated Martens Martes flavigula in the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, Nepal". Small Carnivore Conservation. 50: 14–19.