Sagarmatha National Park



Sagarmāthā National Park is a national park in the Himalayas of eastern Nepal that is dominated by Mount Everest. It encompasses an area of 1148 km2 in the Solukhumbu District and ranges in elevation from 2845 to 8848 m at the summit of Mount Everest. In the north, it shares the international border with the Qomolangma National Nature Preserve of Tibet. In the east it is adjacent to Makalu Barun National Park, and in the south it extends to Dudh Kosi river. It is part of the Sacred Himalayan Landscape.

Sagarmāthā is a Nepali word derived from सगर् sagar meaning "sky" and माथा māthā meaning "head".

The protected area has been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.

History
Sagarmatha National Park was established in 1976. 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 275 km2 was added. Under the Buffer Zone Management Guidelines the conservation of forests, wildlife and cultural resources received top priority, followed by conservation of other natural resources and development of alternative energy.

Tourism to 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.

The park's visitor centre is located at the top of a hill in Namche Bazaar, where a company of the Nepali Army is stationed for protection of the park. The park's southern entrance is a few hundred metres north of Monzo at 2835 m, a one-day trek from Lukla.

Landscape
The park contains the upper catchment areas of the Dudh Kosi river, Bhotekoshi river basin and the Gokyo Lakes. It is largely composed of rugged terrain and gorges of the high Himalayas, ranging from 2845 m at Monjo to the top of the world's highest peak Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) at 8848 m above sea level. Other peaks above 6000 m are Lhotse, Cho Oyu, Thamserku, Nuptse, Amadablam and Pumori. Barren land above 5000 m comprises 69% of the park while 28% is grazing land and the remaining 3% is forested. Climatic zones include a forested temperate zone, a subalpine zone above 3000 m, and an alpine zone above 4000 m that constitutes the upper limit of vegetation growth. The nival zone starts at 5000 m.

Vegetation
In the lower forested zone, birch, juniper, blue pines, firs, bamboo and rhododendron grow. Above this zone the vegetation is dwarf-sized or comprises shrubs. As the altitude increases, plant life is restricted to lichens and mosses. Plants cease to grow at about 5750 m, because this is the permanent snow line in the Himalayas.

Forests of pine and hemlock cover the lower elevations of the national park. At elevations of around 3500 m and above, forests of silver fir, birch, rhododendron and juniper trees are found.

Fauna
The forests provide habitat to at least 118 species of birds, including Himalayan monal, blood pheasant, red-billed chough, and yellow-billed chough. Sagarmāthā National Park is also home to a number of rare mammal species, including musk deer, snow leopard, Himalayan black bear and red panda. Himalayan thars, langur monkeys, martens and Himalayan wolves are also found in the park.

The temperature and available oxygen decrease with altitude. Therefore, the species living at high altitudes are adapted to living on less oxygen and cold temperatures. They have thick coats to retain body heat. Some of them have shortened limbs to prevent loss of body heat. Himalayan black bears go into hibernation in caves during the winter when there is no food available.