List of protected areas of Nepal

{{Short description|Protected areas in Nepal}}

The protected areas of Nepal cover mainly forested land and are located at various altitudes in the Terai, in the foothills of the Himalayas and in the mountains, thus encompassing a multitude of landscapes and preserving a vast biodiversity in the Palearctic and Indomalayan realms.

Nepal covers {{cvt|147181|km2}} in the central part of the Himalayas. Altitudes range from {{cvt|67|m}} in the south-eastern Terai to {{cvt|8848|m}} at Mount Everest within a short horizontal span. This extreme altitudinal gradient has resulted in 11 bio-climatic zones ranging from lower tropical below {{cvt|500|m}} to nival above {{cvt|5000|m}} in the High Himalayas, encompassing nine terrestrial ecoregions with 36 vegetation types.{{cite book |author1=Bhuju, U. R. |author2=Shakya, P. R. |author3=Basnet, T. B. |author4=Shrestha, S. |year=2007 |title=Nepal Biodiversity Resource Book. Protected Areas, Ramsar Sites, and World Heritage Sites |publisher=International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, in cooperation with United Nations Environment Programme, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific |place=Kathmandu |isbn=978-92-9115-033-5 |url=http://books.icimod.org/demo/uploads/ftp/Nepal%20Biodiversity%20Resource%20Book.pdf |access-date=2024-05-02 |archive-date=2011-07-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726170342/http://books.icimod.org/demo/uploads/ftp/Nepal%20Biodiversity%20Resource%20Book.pdf |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |author=Bhushal, R. P. |year=2010 |title=Nod to Banke National Park |newspaper=The Himalayan Times |place=Kathmandu |url=http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/rssReference.php?headline=Nod+to+Banke+National+Park&NewsID=244047 |access-date=2024-05-02 |archive-date=2014-12-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218003640/http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/rssReference.php?headline=Nod+to+Banke+National+Park&NewsID=244047 |url-status=live }}{{cite report |title=Bird Survey of Api Nampa Conservation Area in Nepal, 2016: Report to the Api Nampa Conservation Area Office, Khalanga, Darchula, Nepal |year=2016 |publisher=Nepalese Ornithological Union and Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation |author1=Chaudhary, H. |author2=Poudyal, L.P. |location=Kathmandu, Nepal |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322166271_Bird_Survey_of_Api_Nampa_Conservation_Area_in_Nepal_2016 |access-date=2024-05-02 |archive-date=2018-10-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181008095933/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322166271_Bird_Survey_of_Api_Nampa_Conservation_Area_in_Nepal_2016 |url-status=live }}{{cite report |author=NTNC |year=2010 |url=http://ntnc.org.np/project/gaurishankar-conservation-area-project |title=Gaurishankar Conservation Area Project |publisher=National Trust for Nature Conservation |place=Kathmandu, Nepal |access-date=2024-05-02 |archive-date=2018-12-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181204213115/http://www.ntnc.org.np/project/gaurishankar-conservation-area-project |url-status=live }}{{cite report |author=DNPWC |year=2014 |title=Blackbuck Conservation Area |publisher=Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation |place=Kathmandu |url=http://www.dnpwc.gov.np/index.php/page/40 |access-date=2024-05-02 |archive-date=2015-01-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128132953/http://www.dnpwc.gov.np/index.php/page/40 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |last=Prasad |first=Madhav |date=2016-04-08 |title=Top Must See Places in Bhutan |url=https://mosaicadventure.com/top-must-see-places-bhutan/ |access-date=2023-06-27 |website=Mosaic Adventure |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-06-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230625072155/https://mosaicadventure.com/top-must-see-places-bhutan/ |url-status=live }}

Additionally, nine Ramsar sites were declared between 1988 and 2008.{{cite journal |author=Bhandari, B. B. |year=2009 |title=Wise use of Wetlands in Nepal |journal=Banko Janakari |volume=19 |issue=3 |pages=10–17}} Two wildlife reserves were declared as national parks in 2017.{{Cite web |title=DNPWC |url=http://dnpwc.gov.np/ |access-date=2024-01-04 |website=Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation |archive-date=2020-02-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218180540/http://dnpwc.gov.np/ |url-status=live }}