Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary

Coordinates: 30°36′00″N 79°12′00″E / 30.60000°N 79.20000°E / 30.60000; 79.20000
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary
केदारनाथ वन्य जीव अभ्यारण
Precipitation
3,093 mm (121.8 in)
Avg. summer temperature25 °C (77 °F)
Avg. winter temperature−10 °C (14 °F)

Kedarnath Wild Life Sanctuary, also called the Kedarnath Musk Deer Sanctuary, is a wildlife sanctuary declared under

Himalayan musk deer.[1] Consisting of an area of 975 km2 (376 sq mi), it is the largest protected area in the western Himalayas.It is famous for alpine musk deer, Himalayan Thar, Himalayan Griffon, Himalayan Black bear, Snow Leopard and other flora park and fauna. It is internationally important for the diversity of its flora and fauna (particularly of ungulate species).[2][3]

Located in the Himalayan Highlands with an elevation ranging from 1,160 metres (3,810 ft) (near Phata) to the

IUCN.[1][2]

The sanctuary straddles a geographically diverse landscape and transitional environment.[4][5] IUCN has reported that "From 44.4% to 48.8% of the sanctuary is forested, 7.7% comprises alpine meadows and scrub, 42.1% is rocky or under permanent snow and 1.5% represents formerly forested areas that have been degraded."[2]

The sanctuary takes its name from the famous

Gaurikund
to Kedarnath temple (3,584 m or 11,759 ft) passes through the sanctuary in uttrakhand

Geography

The sanctuary is geographically situated in the

Triyuginarayan and Kalpeshwar
all are located within or on the periphery of the sanctuary.

Religious and social aspect

Kedarnath temple
gives its name to the sanctuary as it is located amidst the temple precincts

The sanctuary has a large number of

Bhotiyas (may be with some Tibetan link) who have pastoral work culture and are an integral part of the valleys.[2][3][9] Visitors to these temples have occasionally been attacked by wildlife.[2]

Climate

A typical

snowfall in December, the sanctuary is snow-covered.[2][7]

Flora

The sanctuary is reputed to be one of the world's richest bio-reserves.

C. munda, have been reported which had previously only been reported in the far west region of Nepal.[2][7] The sanctuary is reputed to have many high value medicinal and aromatic plant species, of which 22 species are rare and endangered. Aconitum balfourii, Angelica glauca, Arnebia benthamii, Artemisia maritima, Bergenia stracheyi, and Dactylorhiza hatagirea are among the threatened medicinal plant species of the sanctuary.[11]

Fauna

The sanctuary is rich in faunal, avifaunal and aquafaunal species (some are pictured in the gallery).[1][2][8][9][12]

Mammals

Birds

Important bird species reported are

Snow Partridge (Lerwa lerwa), kalij pheasant (lophura leucomelanos hamiltonii), koklass pheasant (Pucrasia macrolopha), West Himalayan bush warbler (Locustella kashmirensis), little pied flycatcher (Ficedula westermanni), grey-cheeked warbler (Seicercus poliogenys) and Rusty-flanked treecreeper
(Certhia nipalensis).

Reptiles

Recorded reptile species are

Hebius parallelum
).

Fish

In the

Balitora brucei.[2]

Conservation

Further information: White-bellied musk deer

Among the more notable of the animals in the region is the animal for which it is alternatively named; the musk deer. Declining population (over 40% in 21 years) of this species and large scale poaching for profit, dictated the decision to declare it as an endangered animal (EN) in 1973 (Halloway, 1973) and the species was listed vulnerable in the red data book of IUCN in 1974. It is found, not only in Uttarakhand in the Himalayan belt up to lowest elevation of 2,500 m (8,200 ft) (within a restricted zone), but also in some parts of the Himalayan belt starting from

Xizang) with small numbers reported in China.[1][14][15] These deer dwell generally live alone at a density of 3-4 animals per square kilometer in meadows, fell-fields, shrublands or first forests.[14]

The male species of the endangered musk deer in the Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary carries the much valued pods

pharmaceutical properties also. Its meat is also consumed as a delicacy.[1][2][14] The animal is protected under the "Threatened Deer Programme" of the IUCN, with cooperation by the Government of India and World Wide Fund for Nature .[15] The sanctuary includes a breeding center at Kharchula Kharak, both to help advance understanding of the animal's conservation requirements and to breed it in captivity for reintroduction to the wild. Through 1987, it had successfully reared nine deer.[1][2][3][15][16]

Other scientific activities centered around the sanctuary have been: the high-altitude botanical field station established at Tungnath (3,500 m or 11,500 ft) by the Garhwal University; further ecological studies of the ungulates; WWF on ecology of the Himalayan musk deer and other ungulates near Tungnath, together with surveys of the mammalian fauna and avifauna; and fish fauna studies in the Mandakini River.[2]

Management of sanctuary

The management of the wildlife sanctuary is done by the Uttarakhand Forest department. The Divisional Forest Officer(DFO) Kedarnath Wildlife Division is responsible for scientific management of the wildlife sanctuary as per the approved management plan. The headquarter of Kedarnath Wildlife Division is located at Gopeshwar, District Chamoli. The permission of trekking, camping or conducting scientific study inside the sanctuary is provided by DFO Kedarnath. Wildlife Division. The management of the wildlife sanctuary focuses mainly on wildlife habitat improvement, grazing regulation, forest protection and conservation.

Visitor information

Visitors are mostly Indian nationals on pilgrimage to various temples, though a few international tourists also visit the area. The approach to Kedarnath Temple is only through the sanctuary. Visiting season is from April to June and again from September to November. The number of visitors to the Kedarnath shrine, who passed through the sanctuary, was 5,57,923 in 2007 as against 87,629 in 1987, a quantum jump in 20 years.[2][17]

The nearest airport is at

Chamoli via Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Roorkee, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Devprayag, Srinagar, Rudraprayag, Okhimath; and by state highway to Chopta.[10]

The sanctuary and surroundings offer some housing for visitors, including the forest hut at Madhyamaheshwar for which prior reservation needs to be done through the DFO, Kedarnath Wildlife Division,

Gaurikund and Kedarnath. There is also a guest house at Sonprayag.[2][18][19]

Sanctuary landscape

  • Chaukhamba peak, northern boundary of sanctuary
    Chaukhamba peak, northern boundary of sanctuary
  • Nanda Devi in reserve forests precincts
    Nanda Devi in reserve forests precincts
  • Sanctuary entry from Chopta
    Sanctuary entry from Chopta

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-1-904777-00-7. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help
    )
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Kedarnath Sanctuary". UNEP & WCMC. Archived from the original on 18 May 2009. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
  3. ^ a b c d "Uttarakhand (Uttaranchal)" (PDF). Kedarnath Temple trek. pp. 27 of 43.
  4. ^ "Uttaranchal SoE November 2004" (PDF). state of the environment. Uttranchal Environment and Pollution Control Board. pp. 15–16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2009.
  5. ^ "Rudraprayag". Retrieved 18 July 2009.
  6. ^ a b "Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 18 July 2009.
  7. ^
    ISBN 978-81-8518-268-1. Retrieved 18 July 2009. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help
    )
  8. ^ a b "Kedartnath Sanctuary". Retrieved 18 July 2009.
  9. ^
    ISBN 978-81-261-2398-8. Retrieved 18 July 2009. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help
    )
  10. ^ a b "Kedarnath Musk Deer Sanctuary - Wild Beauty". Retrieved 18 July 2009.
  11. ^ Kala, C.P. Conservation Biology, 2005, 19: 368-378http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2005.00602.x/abstract
  12. ISBN 978-81-7387-128-3. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help
    )
  13. ^ Times, Hindustan. "Tiger spotted in Kedarnath at 3,400m altitude".
  14. ^ a b c "Moschus leucogaster". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2009.1. Retrieved 18 July 2009.
  15. ^
    ISBN 978-81-7387-066-8
    . Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  16. ^ "Uttaranchal 09". Scribd. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  17. ^ "Number Of Pilgrims". Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  18. ^ "Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary". Archived from the original on 27 August 2008. Retrieved 18 July 2009.
  19. ^ "Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary". Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2009.
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