Royal Chitwan National Park (‘Chitwan’ means "in the heart of the jungle’) covers 932 sq. km. in the flat lowland (Terai) region of southern Nepal. It is one of the most important sub-tropical parks on the Indian subcontinent with populations of the endangered Royal Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), Greater One-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), Gangetic dolphin (Platanista gangetica), Wild Asian elephant (Elaphas maximus), Gaur (wild ox - Bos gaurus), Golden Monitor lizard, Gharial crocodile (Gavialis gangeticus), and many more. The Chitwan region has had a long history of conservation. For many years it was the Royal hunting grounds for the Kings and dignitaries of Nepal and therefore was not hunted by the general public. It did however become a favorite spot for big game safari hunters in the late nineteenth and early to mid-twentieth centuries. This was coupled with a surge in local human populations following the development of anti-malaria medicines in the mid-twentieth century. The long-term effect was a drastic decrease in jungle habitat and animal populations in the Chitwan valley as jungles were converted to farmland and big game were hunted and poached to dangerously low numbers. The falling rhino (less than 200) and tiger (less than 30) populations in the present park region, focused attention on the Chitwan region and in 1963 the southern two-thirds of the park were declared rhino sanctuary. With sanctuary status came the relocation of 22,000 people from the Chitwan valley and a moratorium on hunting. Since 1963 wildlife populations and ecosystems have been rebounding. In 1973 Chitwan became Nepal’s first National Park. The relatively pristine state of the modern park and its unique ecosystems prompted UNESCO to declare the park a World Heritage site in 1984.

Royal Chitwan National Park (RCNP) is situated in Chitwan Dun (‘dun’ means ‘a valley in the lowlands) on the boundary between the Siwalik Hills and the flat Terai regions of southern Nepal. The climate is subtropical monsoon, characterized by intense rains and extremely hot temperatures in the summer (from mid-June to late September) followed by dry cool fall, winter, and spring.

Chitwan includes many habitat zones ranging from jungle forests to grasslands. The four major vegetation types are Sal forest, riverine forest, khair-sissoo forest and tall grassland:

"Sal forest, dominated by sal (Shorea robusta), grows on the slopes of Churia hill (in the south of the park) and nearby foothills."

"Riverine forests extend along watercourses with species like Trewia nudiflora, Bombax cieba Lisea monopatela, Dalbergia sissoo, Acacia catechu and Bahunia spp. Forming the canopy layer."

"Khair-sissoo forest is more common in relatively old islands of (the) Narayani river system with Dalbergia sissoo and Acacia catechu as dominant tree species."

"Tall grasslands are stretched along (the) Rapti, Reu and Narayani river systems. Saccharum spontaneum, S. bengalensis, Narenga porphyrocoma, Phragmites karka and Themeda arundinacia are common graminoides (grasses) found in the tall grasslands." Jnawali (1999).

In additional to the above 4 vegetative types, 3 different forest and 5 different minor grassland types have been recognized. Within the park, 3 gymnosperms, 13 pteridophytes, 424 dicotyledons, 137 monocots, and have been recognized.

In addition to the great diversity in plant species, RCNP has a profound number of birds (526 species), mammals (over 50 species), reptiles (over 50 species of reptiles and amphibians) and fish (over 120 species), including:

Endangered mammals

Royal Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris),

greater one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis),

wild Asian elephant (Elaphas maximus),

gaur (wild Bison - Bos gaurus),

sloth bear (Melurus ursinus),

striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena),

wild dog (Cuon alpinus),

Gangetic dolphin (Platanista gangetica),

four-horned antelope, and more…

Endangered birds

Sarus crane (Grus antigone),

Black stork (Ciconia nigra),

White stork (Ciconia episcopus), and more…

Endangered reptiles

Golden Monitor lizard,

Gharial crocodile (Gavialis gangeticus),

Mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris ) and more…

Endangered plants

Chitwan has been one of the most important research and ecosystem "proving grounds" in Asia. While it shows significant gains in big game populations (rhinos have risen to nearly 500 – one quarter of the World’s population and tigers number over 100 individuals), Chitwan is under continual attack from Nepal’s growing population and industry. It is bounded on the north by the Rapti River, on the south by the Reu River and on the west by the Narayani River, all of which show signs of increasing pollution. The result of degraded water quality has been a total extinction of the spectacular Gangetic dolphin in the Narayani River and decreased populations elsewhere. The Gharial Crocodile are hanging on by a thread, with populations massively supplemented by farm raised crocodiles. The ever-growing human populations in the Chitwan valley are threatening the sanctity of the Park as well as leading to increased and usually deleterious interactions between far ranging animals, such as wild elephants, outside the Park.