The Machiara National Park (MNP) lies at 34o-31’ N latitude and 73o-37’ E longitude, located on the right bank of the River Neelum at about 35 km from uzaffarabad. Machiara National Park (MNP) covering 13,532 ha (33,437 acres) was given status of a National Park in 1982. It is situated in the Himalayan Highlands of AJK in the Muzaffarabad District. MNP is divided into three union councils i.e., B
harie, Machiara and Sarlisacha. Wildlife and Fisheries Department of AJK manages its field staff and different census data recording on the basis of UC’s. WWF has ranked the terrestrial Global 200 ecoregions by their conservation
status. Machiara National Park is a part of Western Himalayan Broadleaf forest
region. The Western Himalayan Ecoregion is one of the Global 200 Ecoregion. Two distinct forest types can be recognized in this ecoregion: evergreen broadleaved forests and deciduous broad-leaved forest, are present in this part of the ecoregion. MNP falls in the moist temperate zone with cold winters and deep snow. High peaks remain covered with snow till June or even longer, giving a splendid
background to the lush green forest vegetation. The mean annual rainfall is 1526.7 mm, with 84.5 rainy days per year. The rainiest month is July with a mean rainfall of 327.6 mm, while the driest month is November receiving a mean rainfall of only 35.4 mm. It houses a broad range of ecological function from permanent snow fields and alpine pastures to variety of Himalayan forest types.
