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Site description (2004 baseline):

Singhalila National Park (SNP), situated at the northwestern border of Darjeeling district qualifies as an IBA because it harbours many endemic and threatened bird species. Climatically, this IBA is moist temperate, and parts of it lie within temperate to alpine zones. On the northern side, the Park is contiguous with the forests of Sikkim, while to the south, there are reserve forest corridors. If these are restored, the IBA would be connected to Senchal Wildlife Sanctuary near Darjeeling town. On the western side, there is contiguity with the forests in Nepal, though the areas are very small. Forest types include Wet Temperate Forests at altitudes 2,500-2,800 m which are dominated by Quercus sp. Moist Temperate Forests in the 2,850- 3,600 m range which include species such as Quercus pachyphylla, Betula utilis, Castanopsis tribuloides, Tsuga brunniona, Rhododendron sp. and an understorey of ringal bamboo; Subalpine Forests in the 3,000-3,650 m range include species like Abies densa, Betula utilis and Rhododendron sp. (S. Khaling, in litt. 2003). The forests of Singhalila are reported to be floristically very rich. Rhododendron (13 species), Magnolia, orchids, medicinal plants like Aconitum sp., Swertia chirata, Rheum sp., and Taxus baccata, are some of the important plant species found in the Park. Besides, the forests have a variety of mosses, lichens, mushrooms, tree ferns, climbers and other epiphytic plants (S. Khaling, in litt. 2003).

AVIFAUNA: This IBA is widely known for its bird diversity. Sarla Khaling claims to record 500 bird species from an area which is just over 100 sq. km, but list is not available. These include the Satyr Tragopan Tragopan satyra, Blackbacked Kaleej Pheasant Lophura leucomelanos, Blood Pheasant Ithaginis cruentus, Hill Partridge Arborophila torqueola, Redbreasted Hill Partridge A. mandelli.

OTHER KEY FAUNA: Some important mammals of SNP are Leopard Panthera pardus, Clouded Leopard Neofelis nebulosa, Asiatic Black Bear Ursus thibetanus, Chinese Pangolin Manis pentadactyla, Himalayan Mouse-Hare Ochotona roylei, rodents, bats. The rare Red Panda Ailurus fulgens is an important species of the National Park.

MAIN THREATS: Disturbance to birds; Grazing and collection of firewood; Tourism and recreation.

There are 8 villages around the core area of the SNP, while 6 large villages are located in the buffer zone. As in most forested areas, human settlements in the vicinity of Singhalila are completely dependent on forest resources for sustenance and livelihood. The human communities mainly consist of two ethnic groups, the Nepalese and the Sherpas. They are dependent on the Park for firewood, fodder and to some extent for timber, which they use for construction. Edible plants like mushroom, bamboo shoots, various herbs and other medicinal plants are also seasonally harvested by the communities for subsistence. Most families in SNP are subsistence farmers mainly growing maize, potatoes, peas and other vegetables. Only a few of them are government employees. Other economic activities include wage labour, and tourism related activities. Most of the villages are remote, without basic amenities like motorable roads, electricity, filtered drinking water facilities, health centres, or education facilities. Communities around Singhalila are already motivated for participatory conservation. The Singhalila Environment Protection Committee comprising of community members of Nepal and India are working actively to reduce the threats of unsustainable harvesting of forest resources.

Key contributor: Sarala Khaling.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Singhalila National Park (India). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/singhalila-national-park-iba-india on 25/11/2024.