Bhawal National Park ( bn, ভাওয়াল জাতীয় উদ্যান) is a nature reserve and the national park of Bangladesh.
History
Bhawal National Park was established and maintained as a National Park in 1974; it was officially declared in 1982 under the Wildlife Act of 1974. By origin, it was the forest of Madhupur under the rule of
Bhawal Estate
Bhawal Estate was the second largest zamindari in Bengal (in modern-day Bangladesh) until it was abolished according to ''East Bengal State Acquisition and Tenancy Act of 1950''.
History
In the late 17th century, Daulat Ghazi was the zamind ...
. It is located in
Gazipur
Gazipur ( bn, গাজীপুর) is a city in central Bangladesh. It is located in the Gazipur District. It is a major industrial city north of Dhaka. It is a hub for the textile industry in Bangladesh. Its other name is Joydebpur.
Demogra ...
,
Dhaka Division
Dhaka Division ( bn, ঢাকা বিভাগ, ''Ḑhaka Bibhag'') is an administrative division within Bangladesh. Dhaka serves as the capital city of the Dhaka Division, the Dhaka District and Bangladesh. The division remains a populati ...
of
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
, approximately 40 km north of
Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...
city, only 20 km drive from
Gazipur
Gazipur ( bn, গাজীপুর) is a city in central Bangladesh. It is located in the Gazipur District. It is a major industrial city north of Dhaka. It is a hub for the textile industry in Bangladesh. Its other name is Joydebpur.
Demogra ...
and 20 km from
Kapasia
Kapasia ( bn, কাপাসিয়া) is an upazila (sub-district) of Gazipur District in central Bangladesh, part of the Dhaka Division. It is located at , and is best known as the home upazila of Tajuddin Ahmad, the first Prime Minister of B ...
. The core area of the park covers 940 hectares (2,322 acres) but extends to 5,022 ha (12,409 acres) of surrounding forest. Its purpose is to protect important habitats as well as to provide opportunities for recreation. It has been kept under
IUCN Management Category V, as a protected landscape. The most common flora is the unique coppice sal forest. The area was noted for peacocks, tiger, leopard, black panther, elephant, clouded leopard and sambar deer. However much of the wildlife had disappeared and only a few species remain. Also, most of the forest has been denuded and is now occupied by forestry companies or displaced people.
Most of this area was covered by forests fifty years ago and the dominant species was Sal (''
Shorea robusta
''Shorea robusta'', the sal tree, sāla, shala, sakhua, or sarai, is a species of tree in the family Dipterocarpaceae. The tree is native to India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Tibet and across the Himalayan regions .
Evolution
Fossil evidence from lig ...
''). Illegal deforestation has left only 600 km
2 of the forest and new trees and woodlands have been planted.
Ecology
The park has 345 plant species, including 151 different tree species, 53 shrubs, 106 herbs and 34 climber species. The wildlife in the park includes 13 mammals, 9 reptiles, 5 birds and 5 amphibians. In addition the Forest Department has recently introduced peacocks, deer, pythons, and cat fish.
Gallery
File:গুইসাপ.jpg
File:Sal forest at Bhawal National Park.jpg
File:The Cute Monkey.jpg
File:The magnificent beauty of National Park.jpg
File:View of river From valley.jpg
See also
*
Madhupur tract
Madhupur tract is a large upland area of 4,244 km2 in north central part of Bangladesh, stretching from east of Jamalpur in the north, to Fatullah and Narayanganj, in the south. The tract is mostly one large tract, unlike the Barind Tract. ...
*
List of protected areas of Bangladesh
This is a list of protected areas of Bangladesh. Bangladesh is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 163 million people in an area of either or , making it one of the most de ...
References
External links
(PDF) Wildlife Biodiversity in Bhawal National ParkReading tools - Indexing Metadata - Wildlife Biodiversity in Bhawal National ParkNishorgo Biodiversity ProgramProtected Areas in Bangladesh
{{authority control
National parks of Bangladesh
Forests of Bangladesh
Protected areas established in 1974
1974 establishments in Bangladesh
Lower Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests