This watershed area is a true
representation of the Middle hills in the protected
area system. It also provides over 40% of the
drinking water to the Kathmandu Valley. It has
high diversity of forest types (sal, subtropical
hardwood, lower slopes mixed hardwood, chir
pine, oak and upper slope mixed hardwood) which
occupy 39% of the land where 16 endemic plants
occur.
A total of 129 species of mushroom,
150 species of butterflies with many endemic
and rare 9 species of birds which are considered
endangered or vulnerable, and 19 species of
mammals occur. This area is increasingly used
for recreation, hiking and trekking as some
1,500 Kathmandu residents and some 3,000 non-residents
visit every year. Large mammals incur substantial
losses to settlements living in the buffer zone.
As of now, depletion of vegetation through fuelwood,
fodder and livestock grazing is considered a
major threat as some 4,246 households use forest
products.
Water Resources
Shivapuri is one of the main sources of drinking
water for Kathmandu Valley. Everyday about 30
million liters of water is tapped from rivers
such as the Bagmati and the Bishnumati as well
as from several other smaller streams.
Flora and Fauna
Shivapuri lies in a transition zone between
subtropical and temperate zone. The vegetation
consists of a variety of natural forest types
including pine, oak, rhododendron etc, depending
on altitude and aspect. Recorded wildlife in
the park includes mammalian species such as
Himalayan Black bear, leopard, jungle cat, and
rhesus monkey. The Park is also home to 177
species of birds, including 9 threatened species,
102 species of butterflies with a number of
rare and endangered species, and 129 species
of mushroom.
Places of Interest
The Park is easily accessible from Kathmandu.
Visitors are attracted to the Park for trekking.
Trekking routes to Nagarkot, Gosaikunda, Helambu
and Langtang National Park also pass through
this area. Several religious sites for the Hindus
and the Buddhists lie inside the Park.
On Nepalese new year's day, which falls in mid-April,
pilgrims from Kathmandu valley and neighboring
areas flock to Baghdwar and Bishnudwar from
where the sacred rivers Bagmati and Bishnumati
originate.
Visitors can have breathtaking
views of the high Himalayas from the northern
aspects of the Park. Likewise, the panoramic
views of Kathmandu valley could be seen from
the southern slopes of the Park,
Popular Trekking Destinations
within the Park
