Khangchendzonga National Park in Sikkim has strengthened its reputation as one of Asia’s most resilient mountain ecosystems, receiving a “Good” rating from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) at a time when most natural heritage sites across the world face mounting environmental threats.
The latest World Heritage Outlook has placed the Sikkim park at the top of India’s list of natural heritage sites, with the Western Ghats and the Sundarbans falling behind due to serious conservation concerns. The IUCN assessment describes the park’s condition as “Good,” making it the only site in the country to secure this grade.
The recognition underscores the park’s exceptional ecological and cultural landscape. Spread across 1,784 sq km and recognised by UNESCO in 2016 as India’s first “mixed” World Heritage Site, the park ranges from subtropical forests to the glaciated slopes of Mount Khangchendzonga, the world’s third-highest peak at 8,586 metres. Its glacier system, featuring 280 glaciers and over 70 glacial lakes, feeds a unique ecosystem that shelters snow leopards, red pandas, Himalayan tahrs and more than 550 species of birds.
For centuries, the area has held deep cultural meaning for the Lepcha community, who know it as Mayel Lyang, and for Tibetan Buddhists who believe it to be a beyul, a sacred refuge. Monasteries such as Tholung continue to anchor spiritual traditions that exist alongside modern conservation work.
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Officials and conservationists attribute the park’s success to community-led stewardship, strict access controls and a naturally remote terrain that limits human pressure. The park’s expanded biosphere reserve model, adopted in 2018, links its protected core to buffer zones where local residents practise sustainable livelihoods. Collaboration between forest rangers and village communities has played a vital role in balancing conservation with local needs.
Cross-border coordination with Nepal’s Kanchenjunga Conservation Area has strengthened surveillance and anti-poaching mechanisms, while scientific interventions have helped the state respond swiftly to climate-induced threats. Hazard mapping and early warning systems, for instance, proved crucial during last year’s glacial lake outburst flood.
The broader Asian picture, however, remains challenging. According to the World Heritage Outlook 4, Asia hosts 63 natural and mixed heritage sites across 19 countries, covering more than 27 million hectares. Only 17 per cent of these have been rated “Good,” with climate change identified as the greatest threat, followed by tourism pressure, invasive species and habitat loss.
Against this backdrop, Khangchendzonga National Park stands as a rare example of a high-altitude landscape where scientific management, traditional reverence and community participation continue to reinforce one another. Conservationists say the park demonstrates that long-term ecological protection is possible when local communities remain central to decision-making.
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