Flying northeast into Kathmandu from the direction of New Delhi, just as the aircraft begins its descent adjacent to the Nepali tarai, a wide stretch of jungle suddenly appears beneath. This is an unexpected swath of green, given that whole stretches of the tarai region have been deforested over the past half-century by logging and human encroachment. This expanse of low, wooded valleys and riverine jungle is unique as the finest stretch of wild lands west of Assam – also a vibrant reminder of the great jungles of the Ganga plains that disappeared long ago. Today, this expanse is habitat to several Southasian 'climax species', most importantly, the one-horned rhinoceros, the tiger, and the gharial and marsh mugger crocodiles.
Perhaps just as distinctive is that this area of jungle falls under three wildlife units in two different countries. The Royal Chitwan National Park and the Parsa Wildlife Reserve are protected areas within Nepal; the Valmiki Tiger Reserve is part of Bihar State in India. This crossborder region thus offers unique possibilities for cooperative protection of one of the few unique, surviving natural habitats in the region. Unfortunately, due to recent political confusion in Nepal and a general lack of interest all around, the possibilities for cooperation are, for the moment, in abeyance.
The Valmiki Reserve is named after the sage Valmiki, who is said to have written his epic Ramayan in a retreat located in these rolling hills. Located in West Champaran District, the reserve extends westward from the town of Valmikinagar, by the Gandak River, to Bhiknathori, a railhead settlement in the ancient trade route from the plains to Nepal's central hills. In the middle is the Someswar range, part of which is known as the Shiwalik range in India and the Churia in Nepal. On both sides of the Someswar undulation, in Chitwan District of Nepal and West Champaran of India, are found the indigenous forest-dwelling Tharu people.
What is today the Royal Chitwan National Park was once part of a much wider area populated only by the Tharu in pockets, extending all the way across this 'doon' valley of Chitwan to the Himalayan foothills. After most of the valley was cleared through lumber extraction and settled by hill folk starting in the early 1960s, it was decided to convert the southernmost region, as yet uncleared, into first a protected area and later a national park. The Parsa Wildlife Reserve extends eastward from the national park and is part of Parsa District, otherwise highly populated by the Bhojpuri-speaking Madhesi community and containing the entrepot town of Birgunj.