Murlen National Park is a
national park located in the
Champhai
Champhai (Pron:/tʃamˈpʰaɪ/) is a border town in Mizoram state, in far eastern India. It is the headquarters of Champhai district, one of the eleven districts in the state. It is located on the Indo- Myanmar border and is situated in a str ...
district
Mizoram
Mizoram () is a state in Northeast India, with Aizawl as its seat of government and capital city. The name of the state is derived from "Mizo", the self-described name of the native inhabitants, and "Ram", which in the Mizo language means "lan ...
in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. The size of the park area is . The park is situated about 245 km east of
Aizawl
Aizawl (; Mizo: ) is the capital of the state of Mizoram in India. Aizawl was officially established on 25 February 1890. With a population of 293,416, it is the largest city in the state. It is also the centre of administration containing all ...
, and is close to the
Chin Hills
The Chin Hills are a range of mountains in Chin State, northwestern Burma (Myanmar), that extends northward into India's Manipur state.
Geography
The highest peak in the Chin Hills is Khonu Msung, or Mount Victoria, in southern Chin State, whic ...
. It lies north of
Lengteng Wildlife Sanctuary in the same district. It covers an area of approximately 100 km
2. The tropical, semi-evergreen and sub montane Forests of Murlen are home to a rich variety of flora and fauna. About 15 species of mammals, 150 species of birds, 35 species of Medicinal plants, 2 species of bamboos, and 4 species of orchids so far have been recorded in this Park. In 2012, 36 people were involved in conservation work of Murlen National Park.
History
Murlen National Park is at
Murlen Village, which is the Village of Saithuama Sailo, Chief of
Hnahlan
Hnahlan is a border town in the Champhai Rural Development Block of Champhai district of Mizoram state in India.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census of India, Hnahlan has 569 households. The effective literacy rate (i.e. the literacy ...
. It is a part of Hnahlan Village. Murlen National Park was declared in 1991.
Flora
Only about 1% of the sun's rays can penetrate the forest on a sunny day. So the thickness of the forest in the park is generally compared to the forest found in the Amazon region in South America. Some of the trees found in the park are as old as 350 years. There is an area in the park where not even a single sun's ray can penetrate. And for this reason the area has been known as ‘losing area of seven fellow-men’ or land of no return. The vegetation is admixture of ''
Quercus
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ...
'', ''
Schima wallichii
''Schima wallichii'' is an evergreen tree belonging to the tea family Theaceae
Theaceae (), the tea family, is a family of flowering plants comprising shrubs and trees, including the economically important tea plant, and the ornamental camel ...
'', ''
Betula
A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 30 t ...
'', ''
Michelia champaca
''Magnolia champaca'', known in English as champak (), is a large evergreen tree in the family Magnoliaceae. '', ''
Pinus kesiya
''Pinus kesiya'' (Khasi pine, Benguet pine or three-needled pine) is one of the most widely distributed pines in Asia. Its range extends south and east from the Khasi Hills in the northeast Indian state of Meghalaya, to northern Thailand, Philipp ...
'', ''
Prunus
''Prunus'' is a genus of trees and shrubs, which includes (among many others) the fruits plums, Cherry, cherries, peaches, Peach#Nectarine, nectarines, apricots, and almonds.
Native to the North American temperate regions, the neotropics of Sou ...
'', ''
Myrica
''Myrica'' is a genus of about 35–50 species of small trees and shrubs in the family Myricaceae, order Fagales. The genus has a wide distribution, including Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America, and missing only from Austra ...
'', ''
Rhododendron'', ''
Chimonobambusa callosa
''Chimonobambusa'' is a genus of East Asian bamboo in the grass family. They are native to China, Japan, Vietnam, Myanmar, and the Himalayas.
;Species
;formerly included
see '' Ampelocalamus Bambusa Chimonocalamus Drepanostachyum Himalayaca ...
'',
cane
Cane or caning may refer to:
*Walking stick or walking cane, a device used primarily to aid walking
* Assistive cane, a walking stick used as a mobility aid for better balance
*White cane, a mobility or safety device used by many people who are ...
s and a variety of
orchid
Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant.
Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowerin ...
s and
lichens
A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.[Ceropegia
''Ceropegia'' is a genus of plants within the family Apocynaceae, native to Africa, southern Asia, and Australia. It was named by Carl Linnaeus, who first described this genus in his ''Genera plantarum'', which appeared in 1737. Linnaeus referre ...]
belonging to the
Asclepiadaceae plant family have been discovered in Murlen National Park, These two species of plants have been named as Ceropegia mizoramensis and Ceropegia murlensis which are derived from the state and the locality of Park.
Fauna
Fauna found here include the
tiger
The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on ...
,
leopard,
sambar,
barking deer
Barking may refer to:
Places
* Barking, London, a town in East London, England
** London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, a local government district covering the town of Barking
** Municipal Borough of Barking, a historical local government dist ...
,
Malayan giant squirrel
The black giant squirrel or Malayan giant squirrel (''Ratufa bicolor'') is a large tree squirrel in the genus '' Ratufa'' native to the Indomalayan zootope. It is found in forests from northern Bangladesh, northeast India, eastern Nepal, Bhutan, ...
,
Himalayan black bear
The Himalayan black bear (''Ursus thibetanus laniger'') is a subspecies of the Asian black bear found in the Himalayas of India, Bhutan, Nepal, China, and Pakistan.
Description
It is distinguished from '' U. t. thibetanus'' by its longer, thicke ...
,
serow
The serows ( or ) are four species of medium-sized goat-like or antelope-like mammals of the genus ''Capricornis''. All four species of serow were until recently also classified under ''Naemorhedus'', which now only contains the gorals.
Extant ...
,
hoolock gibbon
The hoolock gibbons are three primate species of genus ''Hoolock'' in the gibbon family, Hylobatidae, native to eastern Bangladesh, Northeast India, Myanmar, and Southwest China.
Description
Hoolocks are the second-largest of the gibbons, after ...
,
rhesus macaque
The rhesus macaque (''Macaca mulatta''), colloquially rhesus monkey, is a species of Old World monkey. There are between six and nine recognised subspecies that are split between two groups, the Chinese-derived and the Indian-derived. Generally ...
,
Hume's pheasant,
kalij pheasant
The kalij pheasant (''Lophura leucomelanos'') is a pheasant found in forests and thickets, especially in the Himalayan foothills, from Pakistan to western Thailand. Males are rather variable depending on the subspecies involved, but all have at ...
,
grey partridge
The grey partridge (''Perdix perdix''), also known as the gray-legged partridge, English partridge, Hungarian partridge, or hun, is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. The scientific name ...
,
hill myna, and
dark-rumped swift. Cases of Hunting and poaching have been reported in Murlen National Park. Many efforts have been taken up by the state government to prevent it.
References
{{National Parks of India
National parks in Mizoram
Protected areas of Mizoram
Champhai
1991 establishments in Mizoram
Protected areas established in 1991