Sagarmatha National Park
Template:Short description Template:Infobox protected area Sagarmāthā National Park is a national park in the Himalayas of eastern Nepal that was established in 1976 and encompasses an area of Template:Cvt in the Solukhumbu District. It ranges in elevation from Template:Cvt and includes Mount Everest. In the north, it shares the international border with Qomolangma National Nature Preserve in Tibet Autonomous Region. In the east, it is adjacent to Makalu Barun National Park, and in the south it extends to Dudh Kosi river.<ref name=nbrb2007>Template:Cite book</ref> It is part of the Sacred Himalayan Landscape.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
History
Sagarmatha National Park is a National Park northeastern of Nepal, and was established on July 19, 1976.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1979, it became the country's first national park that was inscribed as a Natural World Heritage Site. In January 2002, a Buffer Zone comprising Template:Cvt was added.<ref name=nbrb2007/> Conservation of forests, wildlife, and cultural resources received top priority under the Buffer Zone Management Guidelines, followed by conservation of other natural resources and development of alternative energy.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Tourism in the area began in the early 1960s. In 2003, about 19,000 tourists arrived. As of 2005, about 3,500 Sherpa people lived in villages and seasonal settlements situated along the main tourist trails.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Landscape
Sagarmatha National Park contains the upper catchment areas of the Dudh Kosi and Bhotekoshi rivers and the Gokyo Lakes. It ranges in elevation from Template:Cvt at Monjo to the top of Mount Everest at Template:Cvt. Other peaks above Template:Cvt are Lhotse, Cho Oyu, Thamserku, Nuptse, Amadablam and Pumori. Barren land above Template:Cvt comprises 69% of the park while 28% is grazing land and the remaining 3% is forested. Climatic zones span from temperate and subalpine above Template:Cvt to alpine above Template:Cvt, which is the upper limit of vegetation growth. The nival zone begins at Template:Cvt.<ref name=nbrb2007/>
Wildlife
Flora
The forests in the subalpine belt consist of fir, Himalayan birch and rhododendron. Juniper and rhododendron prevail at elevations of Template:Cvt. Mosses and lichens grow above Template:Cvt.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> More than 1,000 floral species were recorded in the national park.<ref name=nbrb2007/>
Fauna
Sagarmatha National Park hosts 208 bird species including Impeyan pheasant, bearded vulture, snowcock and alpine chough.<ref name=nbrb2007/> It has been designated as an Important Bird Area.<ref name=bli>Template:Cite web</ref> Ungulates include Himalayan tahr, Himalayan serow and musk deer. The snow leopard inhabits elevations above Template:Cvt, and the Indian leopard roams forests in lower elevations.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
References
External links
Template:Protected Areas of Nepal Template:World Heritage Sites in Nepal Template:Koshi Province topics