Chitwan National Park in Nepal is recognised as a World Heritage site for its rich fauna and flora. It is home to one of the last populations of greater one-horned rhinoceros.

Inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1984, Chitwan National Park consists of a mozaic of open grasslands and dense forests, plains and hills.

IUCN, the advisory body on natural World Heritage, carried out a monitoring mission in March 2016 to assess the state of conservation of the park, particularly in relation to potential impacts from road development.

A network of patrol roads and guard posts enable the Chitwan National Park Office and the Nepal Army to successfully curb poaching.

Clearings such as this one provide important access to water to a wide range of species, such as the wild boar (Sus scrofa) seen here.

Chitwan National Park is home to a large population of blue peafowl (Pavo cristatus).

A breeding centre is established within the national park to support the conservation of gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) and other reptiles.

Chitwan National Park is also home to several species of monkey, inlcuding the Terai gray langur (Semnopithecus hector).

Encroachment of important wildlife habitat in the buffer zone of Chitwan National Park is resulting in increasing occurrences of human-wildlife conflict. 

Human-wildlife conflict is an increasing problem in the buffer zone of Chitwan National Park. ‘Man-eating’ tigers such as the one pictured are captured, but are not released back into the wild.

The Rapti River forms the northern boundary of Chitwan National Park, and is an important source of fish for the local Tharu communities.

The Chitwan area also includes a number of important religious sites, such as Gajendra Dham, where Lord Vishnu saved an elephant from a crocodile