Banke National Park Explained
Banke National Park is located in the Lumbini Province and was established in 2010 as Nepal’s tenth national park after its recognition as a "Gift to the Earth".[1] The protected area covers an area of with most parts falling in the Sivalik Hills. The park is surrounded by a buffer zone of in the districts of Banke, Salyan and Dang Deukhuri Districts.[2]
Together with the neighboring Bardia National Park, the coherent protected area of represents the Tiger Conservation Unit (TCU) Bardia-Banke.[3]
Vegetation
The vegetation in Banke National Park is composed of at least 113 tree species, 107 herbal species and 85 shrub and climber species. Common species include sal, axlewood, Semecarpus anacardium, khair, andTerminalia alata.[4]
Fauna
The protected area holds tiger and four-horned antelope.[5] In 2014, a ruddy mongoose was recorded for the first time in the protected area.[6]
Notes and References
- DNPWC (2010). Banke National Park Government of Nepal, Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, Department of National Parks and Soil Conservation
- Bhushal, R.P. (2010). Nod to Banke National Park. The Himalayan Times, 13 May 2010
- Wikramanayake, E.D., Dinerstein, E., Robinson, J.G., Karanth, K.U., Rabinowitz, A., Olson, D., Mathew, T., Hedao, P., Connor, M., Hemley, G., Bolze, D. (1999). Where can tigers live in the future? A framework for identifying high-priority areas for the conservation of tigers in the wild. Pages 255–272 in: Seidensticker, J., Christie, S., Jackson, P. (eds.) Riding the Tiger. Tiger conservation in human-dominated landscapes. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. hardback, paperback .
- Napit, R. (2016). Species Diversity, Forest Community Structure and Regeneration in Banke National Park. Nepal Journal of Science and Technology 16(1): 17–30.
- Dhakal, M., Karki (Thapa), M., Jnawali, S. R., Subedi, N., Pradhan, N. M. B., Malla, S., Lamichhane, B. R., Pokheral, C. P., Thapa, G. J., Oglethorpe, J., Subba, S. A., Bajracharya, P. R. & Yadav, H. 2014. Status of Tigers and prey in Nepal. Department of National Parks.
- Subba, S.A., Malla, S., Dhakal, M., Thapa, B.B., Bahadur, L., Bhandari, K.O. and Bajracharya, P. (2014). Ruddy Mongoose Herpestes smithii: a new species for Nepal. Small Carnivore Conservation 51: 88–89.
