KATHMANDU: The Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA) has recorded 18 wildlife species for the first time, underscoring the region’s rich but still-unfolding biodiversity, according to information released by the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) ACAP, Unit Conservation Office, Bhujung, Lamjung.

The newly documented species include seven mammals, seven birds, and four species of herpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians), highlighting the ecological significance of Nepal’s largest protected area and the importance of continued scientific exploration and conservation.

Newly recorded mammals

The mammal species recorded for the first time in the ACA include Kiang (Equus kiang), Pallas’s cat (Otocolobus manul), Steppe polecat (Mustela eversmanii), Tibetan gazelle (Procapra picticaudata), Argali or Tibetan wild sheep (Ovis ammon hodgsoni), Himalayan wolf (Canis lupus chanco), and Kashmir musk deer (Moschus cupreus).

New bird records

Among birds, the new records comprise the West Himalayan bush warbler, Eurasian eagle owl, Tibetan sandgrouse, European roller, Naumann’s thrush, white-cheeked starling, and spotted flycatcher.

Reptiles and amphibians

The herpetofauna newly recorded in the ACA include Boulenger’s high-altitude toad (Scutiger boulengeri), Mustang frog or Rostand’s paa frog (Nanorana rostandi), ACAP bent-toed gecko (Cyrtodactylus annapurnaensis), and the Himalayan habu pit viper (Protobothrops himalayanus).

Conservationists say the findings reaffirm the global ecological value of the Annapurna Conservation Area, which spans diverse climatic zones from subtropical forests to high alpine and trans-Himalayan landscapes.