Khangchendzonga National Park
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ASIA / PACIFIC KHANGCHENDZONGA NATIONAL PARK INDIA Sacred site in the Khangchendzonga National Park - © IUCN Tilman Jaeger India - Khangchendzonga National Park WORLD HERITAGE NOMINATION – IUCN TECHNICAL EVALUATION KHANGCHENDZONGA NATIONAL PARK (INDIA) – ID 1513 IUCN RECOMMENDATION TO WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE: To inscribe the property under natural criteria. Key paragraphs of Operational Guidelines: Paragraph 77: Nominated property meets World Heritage criteria. Paragraph 78: Nominated property meets integrity and protection and management requirements. 1. DOCUMENTATION Kangchenjunga Transboundary Conservation and Development Initiative in the Hindu Kush Himalayas. a) Date nomination received by IUCN: 16 March Prepared for TBPA. Krishna AP, Chhetri S, Singh KK 2015 (2002) Human Dimensions of Conservation in the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve: The Need for b) Additional information officially requested from Conflict Prevention. Mountain Research and and provided by the State Party: Khangchendzonga Development 22(4):328-331. Lachungpa U (2009) National Park is nominated as a mixed site. ICOMOS Indigenous Lifstyles and Biodiversity Conservation wrote to the State Party in September, 2015 Issues in North Sikkim. Indian Journal of Traditional requesting supplementary information on a range of Knowledge 8(1): 51-55. Oli KP, Chaudhary S, Sharma issues related to the evaluation of cultural values. A UR (2013) Are Governance and Management Effective joint IUCN / ICOMOS progress report was then sent on within Protected Areas of the Kanchenjunga 17 December 2015 following the respective ICOMOS Landscape (Bhutan, India And Nepal)? PARKS 19(1): and IUCN Panel meetings. Requests were made of the 25-36. Sathyakumar S, Bashir T, Bhattacharya T, State Party to update the biodiversity inventory for Poudyal K (2011b) Mammals of the Khangchendzonga species within the property; consider changes to the Biosphere Reserve, Sikkim, India. Wildlife Institute of configuration of the buffer zone; advise on strategies to India. Sathyakumar S, Bashir T, Bhattacharya T, engage local communities; clarify how the Poudyal K (2011) Mammals of the Khangchendzonga management of cultural and natural values will be Biosphere Reserve, Sikkim, India. 327-350 In: better integrated; elaborate on how traditional Arrawatia ML, Tambe S (eds) (2011) Biodiversity of management systems will be incorporated; and finally Sikkim – Exploring and Conserving a Global Hotspot. advise on the objectives and protective measures Information and Public Relations Department. proposed to safeguard the property’s spiritual values. (http://sikkimforest.gov.in/Biodiversity-of-Sikkim.htm). The information in response was received from the Tambe S, Rawat GS (2010) The Alpine Vegetation of State Party on 30 January 2016. the Khangchendzonga Landscape, Sikkim Himalaya. Mountain Research and Development, 30(3): 266-274. c) Additional literature consulted: Various sources WWF (2015) Hidden Himalayas: Asia’s Wonderland including: Arrawaita, M.L. and Tambe, S. 2011. New Species discoveries in the Eastern Himalayas, Biodiversity of Sikkim Exploring and Conserving a Volume II, 2009-2014. Global Hotspot. Department of Information and Public www.worldwildlife.org/publications/hidden-himalayas- Relations Government of Sikkim, Gangtok. Chettri, N., asia-s-wonderland Chettri, S. K. Singh, K. K. and Shakya, B. and Sharma, E. 2008. Biodiversity Krishna, A. P. 2006. Anthropogenic pressures on the Conservation in the Kangchenjunga Landscape. natural resources in fringe areas of the Bernbaum E (1998) Sacred Mountains of the World. Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve. International The Mountain Institute. Introduction from the Mountain Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences. 32 Forum Online Library. Bhardway AK, Srivastav A, (3): 229-240. Rai, S.C. and Sundriyal, R. C. 1997. Sathyyakumar S, Ansari NA, Mathur VN (2015) Tourism and biodiversity conservation: The Sikkim Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of Himalaya. Ambio Vol.26(4): 235-242. Khangchendzonga National Park, Sikkim. Process and Outcomes. Department of Forests, Environment and d) Consultations: 10 desk reviews received. The Wildlife Management, Government of Sikkim and mission also met with a wide range of representatives Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, Uttarakhand. from national, state, district and village level Chhettri SK, Singh KK, Krishna AP (2013) Resource government, site management staff, NGOs and Use Impacts within the Forest Land Cover of communities including representatives of the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve, Sikkim indigenous Dokpa people. The mission consulted with Himalaya along Different Disturbance Levels and the national level Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Altitudinal Zones. Applied Ecology And Environmental Human Resource Development (Education) and the Research 11(2): 273-291. Chettri N, Shakya B, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. Sharma E (2008) Biodiversity Conservation in the In addition meetings were held with officials from the Kangchenjunga Landscape. International Centre for Indian Forest Service; Khangchendzonga National Integrated Mountain Development ICIMOD. Park management staff; Director and staff of the Kathmandu, Nepal. Kandel P, Chettri N (n.d.) Wildlife Institute of India; Sikkim Department of IUCN Evaluation Report – May 2016 123 India - Khangchendzonga National Park Ecclesiastical Affairs; Namgyal Institute of Tibetology; broadened the range of ecosystems covered and local representatives of Eco-Development increased the impressive altitudinal gradient. Committees, a Women’s Association and volunteer rangers. In addition, regional WCPA members, the KNP shares approximately 45 kms of international TILCEPA Specialist Group on Sacred Sites, border with Nepal to the west where it is contiguous International Centre for Integrated Mountain with the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area (KCA). KCA Development (ICIMOD) and its supporting GIZ comprises some 200,000 ha of comparable programme were consulted prior to and after the ecosystems along the same vertical gradient, including mission. the shared peak of the Khangchendzonga / Kanchenjunga Massif itself (Kanchenjunga being the e) Field Visit: Tilman Jaeger (IUCN) and Kai Weise Nepali spelling). KNP shares a shorter border with (ICOMOS), 28 September - 09 October, 2015 China’s Autonomous Region of Tibet. f) Date of IUCN approval of this report: April 2016 India’s highest peak, Khangchendzonga, at 8,586m asl, literally stands out even within a mountain protected area boasting 20 peaks above 6,000m. The 2. SUMMARY OF NATURAL VALUES visually prominent Khangchendzonga Massif is actually comprised of five major peaks, which culturally Khangchendzonga National Park (KNP) has been stand for the five treasures salt, gold, turquoise, arms nominated as a mixed site under cultural criterion (iii) and (combined) medicine and seeds. The massif, and natural criteria (vii) and (x). The focus of IUCN’s literally named the “Abode of the Gods”, has evaluation is on KNP’s natural values whilst ICOMOS exceptional symbolical, cultural, religious and spiritual will evaluate the cultural aspects of the nominated significance for many ethnic peoples and religious property. beliefs across and beyond the Himalayas. KNP is situated in the Himalayan range in northern Numerous lakes and glaciers, including the 26 km long India and includes the world’s third highest peak, Mt. Zemu Glacier, dot the barren high altitudes. The Khangchendzonga. KNP has an extremely impressive glaciers feed important rivers, creeks and wetlands altitudinal range: a vertical sweep of 7,366 meters (m) within the seven major watersheds of KNP. While most across an elevational range of 1,220m to 8,586m of KNP is located within the Greater Himalayas, the above sea level (asl) within a relatively small area. The nominated area transitions into the distinct cold Himalayas are narrowest here resulting in extremely deserts of the Trans-Himalaya towards the north. steep terrain which magnifies the distinction between Towards the east and south, the mountain landscape the various eco-zones which characterise the abruptly descends in the form of large and nominated area. As a consequence, KNP contains a exceptionally steep valleys. Along the altitudinal remarkable range of eastern Himalaya landscapes and gradient, a pronounced zonation is visible within the wildlife from sub-tropical to alpine to Trans-Himalayan vegetation. Peri-glacial and sub-nival vegetation can (Cold Desert) within a small geographical area. reach up to 5,500m, replaced by various types of alpine meadows below. The treeline can climb well The area nominated for inscription coincides with the above 4,000m in the extensive Rhododendron scrubs boundaries of KNP and totals 178,400 hectare (ha). (krummholz). Depending on slope and the exposure Established in 2000, the nationally designated levels, closed conifer forests extend up to around Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve (KBR) includes 4,000m. Further down, the forests transition into mixed the KNP as its core zone with buffer and transition temperate and eventually deciduous temperate forest. zones following the usual configuration for biosphere In the lowest elevations of KNP, there are small reserves. The nominated area is also part of the much pockets of lush sub-tropical broadleaf forest, larger transnational Kangchenjunga Landscape representative of Sikkim’s much larger sub-tropical defined by ICIMOD and spanning areas within Nepal, forests, some of which