Khangchendzonga National Park

Khangchendzonga National Park, also Kanchenjunga Biosphere Reserve, is a national park and a biosphere reserve located in Sikkim, India. It was inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in July 2016, becoming the first "Mixed Heritage" site of India.^[1] It was included in the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme. The park is named after the mountain Kangchenjunga, which is the third-highest peak in the world at 8,586 m (28,169 ft) tall. The total area of the park is 849.5 km² (328.0 sq mi).

Khangchendzonga National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Mount Kanchenjunga from Goecha La pass, Khangchendzonga National Park, Sikkim
Kanchenjunga NP Show map of Sikkim Kanchenjunga NP Show map of India
Location	Mangan district and Gyalshing district, Sikkim, India
Nearest town	Chungthang
Coordinates	27°39′22.7″N 88°18′44.3″E
Area	1,784 km2 (689 sq mi)
Established	1977
Governing body	Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Type	Mixed
Criteria	iii, vi, vii, x
Designated	2016 (40th session)
Reference no.	1513

Geography

Map of the Indian protected areas of the Kangchenjunga Biosphere Reserve and National Park

Khangchendzonga National Park covers an area of 849.50 km² (327.99 sq mi) in Mangan district and Gyalshing district at an elevation of 1,829 m (6,001 ft) to over 8,550 m (28,050 ft). It is one of the few high-altitude national parks of India and was designated a mixed-criteria UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2016.^[2]

In the north, it adjoins Qomolangma National Nature Preserve in Tibet, and in the west Kanchenjunga Conservation Area in Nepal.^[3]

Flora

The vegetation of the park include temperate broadleaf and mixed forests consisting of oaks, fir, birch, maple and willow.^[2] Alpine grasses and shrubs occur at higher elevations along with many medicinal plants and herbs.^[4]

Fauna

About 550 species of birds occur in the park including blood pheasant, satyr tragopan, osprey, Himalayan griffon, lammergeier, several species of green pigeon, Tibetan snowcock, snow pigeon, impeyan pheasant, Asian emerald cuckoo, sunbirds and eagles.^[2] The dhole has been recorded by camera traps at elevations of 2,501–4,100 m (8,205–13,451 ft).^[5]