Krishnasaar (Blackbuck) Conservation Area
Nepal's smallest protected area — a patch of western Terai grassland set aside to save the country's only population of the blackbuck antelope.
- Altitude
- 150 m
- Coordinates
- 28.420°, 81.350°
Current Weather
The Krishnasaar Conservation Area, also known as the Blackbuck Conservation Area, is the smallest protected area in Nepal, covering just under 17 square kilometres of grassland and farmland at Khairapur in Bardia district. It was established in 2009 for a single, focused purpose: to protect the last surviving population of the blackbuck antelope (krishnasaar) in Nepal.
The blackbuck, once widespread across the Terai, had been reduced to a tiny relict herd here. Within the conservation area the population is carefully monitored and managed, and numbers have slowly recovered. The flat open grassland that the antelope depends on also supports nilgai, spotted deer, jackal and a rich grassland birdlife including the Bengal florican.
Unlike Nepal's mountain conservation areas, this is a small, accessible reserve embedded in a farming landscape, and conservation here depends heavily on cooperation with surrounding communities. A short visit — typically a half-day — is enough to see the herd.
The area lies near Gulariya in Bardia district, off the East–West Highway, and is easily combined with a visit to nearby Bardia National Park. The cooler, drier months from October to March are the most comfortable time to visit.
Location
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