SHEY-PHOKSUNDO NATIONAL PARK

NEWS: Six Indian tourists stranded by heavy snowfall near Phoksundo Lake in Nepal were rescued by helicopter.

ABOUT THE PARK

  • Location: Dolpa and Mugu districts, Karnali Province, northwestern Nepal.
  • Status: Nepal’s largest national park and its only protected area in the trans-Himalayan ecological zone.
  • Administration: Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Nepal.
  • Headquarters: Palam, Dolpa.
  • Buffer zone: 216 sq km, declared in 2006.

GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES

  • Altitude: 2,130 m to 6,883 m (Kanjiroba Himal).
  • Phoksundo Lake: Located at 3,612 m; a Ramsar Site since September 2007.
  • Rivers: Langu, Suligad and Jugdual.
  • Numla and Wagla are high-altitude mountain passes.

BIODIVERSITY

  • Important habitat of the snow leopard (Panthera uncia).
  • Prey species: Blue sheep, Himalayan musk deer and argali.
  • Vegetation: Juniper, arid shrubs, birch and silver fir forests.
  • Lies in the trans-Himalayan rain-shadow region.
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