Data Zone
Country/territory: Nepal
IBA criteria met: A1, A2, A3 (2005)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 132,500 hectares (1,325.00 km2)
| IBA conservation status | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment (most recent) | State (condition) | Pressure (threat) | Response (action) |
| 2011 | very poor | high | low |
| For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here | |||
Site description (2005 baseline)
Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve lies in the Baglung district of Dhawalagiri Himalayan range. It is the only hunting reserve in Nepal and was primarily established to cater for the needs of sport hunting and for the conservation of representatives of temperate, subalpine and alpine ecosystems of west Nepal. This reserve is characterized by alpine, sub-alpine and temperate vegetation. Oaks Quercus lanata and Q. semecarpifolia form well developed stands at the reserve’s lower elevations in more moist and shaded areas. The other common tree species are fir Abies pindrow, birch Betula utilis, spruce Picea smithiana, juniper Juniperus recurva, pine Pinus wallichiana, hemlock Tsuga dumosa, rhododendron Rhododendron spp. and other alpine shrubs. There are flat meadows above the tree line.
Key biodiversity
A total of 164 species has been recorded, but no systematic survey of the reserve’s avifauna has been undertaken and more species are likely to be found (Inskipp 1989a). The reserve has by far the largest known stronghold of Cheer Pheasant in Nepal. A 2003 survey estimated a population of 127-212 birds (Subedi 2003a,b); there had only been a marginal and statistically insignificant decline in Cheer population since the previous survey 22 years before (Lelliot 1982). There are large areas of temperate forests and alpine vegetation, so the reserve is likely to support significant populations of characteristic species of the Sino-Himalayan Temperate Forest and Eurasian High Montane biomes.
Non-bird biodiversity: A number of globally threatened mammals occur including Red Panda Ailurus fulgens, Asiatic Black Bear Ursus thibetanus, Snow Leopard Uncia uncia, Himalayan Musk Deer Moschus chrysogaster, Himalayan Tahr Hemitragus jemlahicus, Serow Capricornis sumatraensis and Grey Wolf Canis lupus.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve (Nepal). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/dhorpatan-hunting-reserve-iba-nepal on 22/12/2024.