Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary

27°47′50″N 91°26′16″E / 27.79722°N 91.43778°E / 27.79722; 91.43778

Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary
Map showing the location of Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary
Map showing the location of Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary
LocationLhuntse, Mongar, Trashiyangtse, Bhutan
Area1,520.61 km2 (587.11 sq mi)
Governing bodyDepartment of Forests and Park Services of Bhutan
WebsiteBhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation
Black-necked crane

The Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary (also spelled Bumdelling or Bomdeling), which contains the former Kulong Chu Wildlife Sanctuary, covers 1,520.61 square kilometres (587.11 sq mi) in northeastern Bhutan at elevations between 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) and 6,000 metres (20,000 ft). The sanctuary covers most of Trashiyangtse District, including Bumdeling Gewog. The sanctuary was planned in 1995 and established in 1998. It contains diverse flora, fauna, and scenery including alpine lakes and the Bumdeling Valley. The sanctuary also contains several cultural and religious sites. In the park live 3,000 resident households.[1][2] The sanctuary is located in the basin of one of the largest rivers of Buthan and Kholong Chu, Drangme Chu.[3]

The sanctuary has been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because it supports black-necked cranes (it is one of the country's two wintering sites), wood snipes and grey-crowned prinias.[4] As of 2007, there was a record of the white-tailed eagle, a first for the sanctuary.[5] It is listed in Bhutan's Tentative List for UNESCO inclusion.[citation needed]

Ludlow's Bhutan Swallowtail, the only endemic butterfly in Bhutan and in the world, lives here.[6]

  1. ^ "Parks of Bhutan". Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation online. Bhutan Trust Fund. Archived from the original on 2011-07-02. Retrieved 2011-03-26.
  2. ^ "Bomdeling Wildlife Sanctuary". Himalaya 2000 online. Bhutan Travel Guide. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
  3. ^ "Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
  4. ^ "Bumdelling Wildlife Sanctuary". BirdLife data zone: Important Bird Areas. BirdLife International. 2012. Archived from the original on 2007-07-10. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
  5. ^ Choudhury, A.U. (2007). "First sighting of White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla in Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhutan". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 104 (2): 209–210.
  6. ^ "Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2021-03-15.