Nepal consists of one third (800 km) of the entire length of the Himalaya (2,500 km), a thin slice of Indo-gangetic plain on the southern foothills and some portion of the Tibetan plateau the north of the main Himalayan crest. Since it is located on the central sector of the Himalaya; it is a "bio-geographical crossroad" where the palearctic and the Indo-Malayan merge and the four major floristic provinces of Asia (the Sino-Japanese, Indian, western and central Asiatic, South-east Asiatic and African Indian desert) overlap to create an area of unique terrestrial biodiversity.

Geopolitically and culturally, Nepal is similar to countries with the highest population figures - China and India for example. Nestled between these two countries, Nepal is a small country covering an area of 147,181 square kilometers. It has most of the highest mountains of the world including the tallest one, Mt Everest measuring 8848 meters. The altitudinal gradient of Nepal’s topography allows for the occurrence of 7 or 8 bioclimatic zones from tropical to nival within a horizontal span of less than 50 km in a north south direction.

The altitudinal variation has also resulted in the occurrence of all major climatic zones of the world. This has made Nepal a treasure house of a rich biological and genetic diversity. Various studies have indicated that there are more than 100 species of mammals, 800 species of birds, 600 species of butterflies, numerous invertebrates, and a wealth of over 5,000 species of flowering plants and about 200 ferns in Nepal. There are over 35 vegetation types in Nepal which range from tropical hardwood forest to sub-alpine birch forests and alpine grasslands.

Nepal has set aside 17% of it’s total land area as protected areas. At present there are seven national parks, four wildlife reserves, one hunting reserves and two conservation areas. Sagarmatha National Park and Royal Chitwan National Park are listed as World Heritage Sites. Makalu-Barun National Park and Conservation Area is a biological hot spot managed by the local communities.