People, tigers, trees and rivers

Tigers roam Nepal's dense Tarai forests through which mighty rivers carve floodplains through the landscape, sustaining both wildlife and human communities.

This intricate relationship between people, tigers, trees, and rivers forms the backbone of Nepal’s natural heritage. However, this delicate balance faces increasing pressures from human activities and climate change. Understanding and preserving these connections are essential for the survival of wildlife and the well-being of human communities.

The Bengal tiger, a symbol of strength and beauty, is a keystone species in Nepal’s ecosystems. The big cats play a critical role in maintaining the health of forests by regulating prey populations, which in turn influences vegetation dynamics and biodiversity. Their presence is an indicator of a healthy, functioning ecosystem.

Nepal's tiger population nearly tripled over the past decade to about 355 tigers, a testament to effective policies, law enforcement, habitat expansion, and most importantly community involvement in partnership with frontline staff. However, this success brings new challenges, including the need for well managed habitats, and more innovative and robust measures to mitigate human-tiger conflict.

Forests are the lifeblood of Nepal’s landscapes, providing essential ecosystem services such as storing carbon, making the soil moist productive, and regulating both quantity and the flow of water. They are also the primary habitat for tigers, offering shelter and much needed wild species of deer and other animals as food sources. The dense forests of the Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) are critical refuges for these big cats embedded in the human-dominated landscape of low land Nepal.

Deforestation, agricultural expansion, encroachment, illegal logging, and unplanned linear infrastructure development, pose a  threat to these habitats. Forest degradation not only reduces the available territory for tigers but also disrupts the complex web of life that depends on these ecosystems.

Read also: To save the Tarai, save the Siwalik, Kamal Manden

The loss of trees exacerbates soil erosion, increases the risk of landslides, and diminishes the forest's capacity to store carbon, contributing to the climate crisis. Nepal's rivers, originating from the glaciers of the Himalaya, are also critical for both wildlife and human populations providing water for drinking, irrigation, and clean energy, supporting agriculture and livelihoods.

For wildlife, rivers and their riparian zones are crucial habitats, offering water, food, and migration corridors. Perennial rivers like the Narayani, Rapti, and Karnali flow through key tiger habitats, linking forested areas and providing essential resources. The health and status of these rivers will determine the agricultural productivity in the regions where they flow. The health of these rivers also directly impacts the plants and animals that depend on them for habitat and food.

Pollution from industrial and agricultural runoff, along with unsustainable water and sand-gravel extraction, threatens these waterways, reducing their ability to support diverse ecosystems. For instance, healthy rivers will not only serve as water source for the terrestrial animals like tigers, rhinos, and elephants, but it will also serve as a quality habitat for aquatic species like gharials and otters. Thus, if rivers lose their ecological function it will hamper ecological, social, and economic process and most importantly the tourism sector.  

The relationships between tigers, trees, and rivers are deeply intertwined. Tigers rely on forests for habitat and prey, while healthy forests depend on the presence of top predators like tigers to maintain ecological balance. Rivers, in turn, sustain both forests and wildlife by providing necessary water resources. Disruption in any one of these elements can have cascading effects on the entire system. For instance, deforestation can lead to decreased water quality and increased sedimentation in rivers, affecting aquatic life and reducing water availability for both humans and wildlife. Similarly, the decline in tiger populations can lead to overpopulation of herbivores, resulting in overgrazing and forest degradation.

Additionally, human-tiger conflict is an important challenge and is connected to water scarcity. As water becomes increasingly scarce due to climate change, over-extraction, and pollution, wild ungulates that tigers rely on as prey are forced to compete for water with humans and livestock. This competition can potentially lead to conflicts, as tigers prey species may venture closer to human settlements in search of water, and as tigers are distributed where their prey species are found, then fatal encounters with humans are highly likely to occur.

Read also: Tigers move up the Himalaya

The destruction and fragmentation of habitats to access water resources further exacerbate the situation, intensifying the struggle for survival for many species and creating a cycle of conflict that affects biodiversity, human livelihoods, and the sustainability of natural resources.

Nepal now needs to reconcile our success in tiger conservation with human safety and economic gains while maintaining a healthy ecosystem. By recognizing the interconnectedness of nature and adopting integrated conservation strategies, Nepal can continue to safeguard its natural heritage for future generations.

The ongoing sixteenth 5-year periodic plan should make bold efforts to safeguard biodiversity and meet development goals. Policy instruments to ensure sustainable financing for conservation of charismatic species like tigers should also be built into the national plan. The success of these efforts will not only benefit wildlife but also enhance the well-being and resilience of human communities, demonstrating that the fates of nature and humanity are inextricably linked.

 Shashank Poudel is a wildlife Biologist at WWF Nepal.