Valley of Flowers National Park, Chamoli – The National Park

Valley of Flowers National Park, Chamoli – The National Park

The Valley of Flowers is nestled in the Pushpawati river valley which is in the upper expanses of Bhyundar Ganga River near Joshimath in Garhwal region. The lower reaches of Bhyundar Ganga near Gobind Ghat are known as Bhyundar Valley. The Valley of Flowers is situated to the northwest of Nanda Devi National Park across the wide valley of the Bhyundar Ganga. It is one of two hanging valleys lying at the head of the Bhyundar valley, the other being the shorter Hemkund valley which runs parallel to Valley of Flowers some 10 kms south. The Valley of Flowers runs east-west approximately 15 km in length with average width of 6 km.

The park stretches over an expanse of 87.50 km2 and is situated at altitude of 3352 to 3658 meters above sea level. The area lies on the Zanskar range of the Himalayas with the highest point in the national park being Gauri Parbat at 6,719 m above sea level. A small tributary of Pushpawati river originates from Tipra glacier from Gauri Parbat in the east and flows through the Valley of Flowers. The Valley of Flowers National Park along with the Nanda Devi National Park encompass a unique transition zone between the mountain ranges of the Zanskar and Great Himalaya. The park lies completely in the temperate alpine zone.

Both parks are encompassed in the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (223,674 ha) which is further surrounded by a buffer zone (5,148.57 km2). Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve is in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves. The park is administered by the Uttarakhand State Forestry Department, the national Ministry of Environment and Forests, India. There is no settlement in the national park and grazing in the area has been banned since 1983. The park is open only during summer from June to October and it is covered by heavy snow for the rest of the year.

Flora & Fauna:

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2023/04/valley-of-flowers-national-park-chamoli-flora-and-fauna.html

Research Nursery & Seed Bank:

A research nursery and seed/rhizome/tuber bank for propagating rare plants and valuable medicinal herbs has been created at Musadhar near the entrance of the site. Rare and valuable medicinal plants are the subject of special programs. These include Aconitum heterophyllum, A. falconeri, Arnebia benthamii, Dactylorhiza hatagirea, Gymnadenia orchides, Megacarpaea polyandra, Picrorhiza kurrooa, Podophyllum hexandrum and Taxus wallichiana. Research plots have been set up to determine the best way to control the spread of the tall Himalayan knotweed Polygonum polystachium without damaging other plants or the surface of the soil. A first annual survey was conducted in 2004 and will be repeated annually.