Parsa National Park
| Parsa National Park | |
|---|---|
Indian pitta at Parsa National Park | |
| Location | Nepal |
| Nearest city | Birgunj |
| Coordinates | 27°28′N 84°20′E / 27.467°N 84.333°E |
| Area | 627.39 km2 (242.24 sq mi) |
| Established | 1984 as Wildlife Reserve, 2017 as National Park |
| Governing body | Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation |
Parsa National Park is a national park in the Terai of south-central Nepal covering an area of 627.39 km2 (242.24 sq mi) in the Parsa, Makwanpur and Bara Districts and ranging in elevation from 435 to 950 m (1,427 to 3,117 ft) in the Sivalik Hills. It was established as a wildlife reserve in 1984 and received national park status in 2017. It is surrounded by a buffer zone since 2005 with an area of 285.3 km2 (110.2 sq mi). In 2015, the protected area was further extended by 49 sq mi (128 km2).
To the north of Parsa National Park, the East Rapti River and Sivalik Hills form a natural boundary to human settlements. To the east, the boundary extends up to the Hetauda–Birgunj highway; to the south, a forest road demarcates the park's boundary. To the west is Chitwan National Park, which is situated just north of Valmiki National Park, a tiger reserve in India. Thus, this transnational protected area of 2,075 km2 (801 sq mi) represents the Tiger Conservation Unit (TCU) Chitwan–Parsa–Valmiki, which covers a total of 3,549 km2 (1,370 sq mi) in the Terai–Duar savanna and grasslands.
Before being converted to a protected area, the region was a private game reserve and hunting park for both the British and Nepalese elite.