Bardia National Park is naturally famous for being the easiest place in the world to see tigers in the wild. But since visiting this jewel in the plains of western Nepal five times in the last 40 years, what attracts me most about Bardia besides its charismatic mammals is its fabulous birdlife. The park has recorded over 525 bird species and 61 mammals, and is recognised as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area and so of global importance for birds and other wildlife. By area, Bardia is Nepal’s largest national park in the Tarai, and much of it consists of the alluvial plain of the Karnali River in the west as it bursts out of the mountains, and the pristine Babai River valley to the northeast.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240601010640_5ae001599fa5f7df2f3a461106cc765aad061744bc8bd4b4fa4735869ef7c77b.png" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20240601010640_5ae001599fa5f7df2f3a461106cc765aad061744bc8bd4b4fa4735869ef7c77b" data-rendition-name="original" width="1704" height="1158" loading="lazy" alt="birds of Nepal"> </figure>  To the north, the Chure Range rises to 1,440m which means the park has diverse vegetation types ranging from extensive grasslands to climax forests, and over 70% of the reserve is covered by sal forests.&nbsp; Then there are riverine forests of acacia and sissoo in the lowlands and deciduous and chir pine forests higher up. The park is dotted with pools, many of them manmade, to provide water for wildlife. But what makes Bardia special are its birds. Just woodpeckers, there are 16 species, including the globally Vulnerable Great Slaty Woodpecker (Mulleripicus pulverulentus): a gangling and prehistoric-looking bird that is one of the largest woodpeckers in the world.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240601010636_3576e07e2731932dfdb0c7b59863aada319535dc6769eff675924defb22541bf.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20240601010636_3576e07e2731932dfdb0c7b59863aada319535dc6769eff675924defb22541bf" data-rendition-name="original" width="3580" height="2518" loading="lazy" alt="Great Slaty Woodpecker"> <figcaption>Great Slaty Woodpecker, easily located by its distinctive whinnying cackle and often in small groups.</figcaption> </figure>  Then there is the scarce White-naped Woodpecker (Chrysocolaptes festivus) which is endemic to the Subcontinent.&nbsp; Great Hornbills (Buceros bicornis) are frequently seen, but the loss of large fruiting trees as nest sites and food source, as well as hunting for food and medicinal purposes have put the hornbill in the globally vulnerable category.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240601010640_b4e9687e4634bba32b76bc89a1a5d275a30d39e4eb3b15294da5169248da0a44.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20240601010640_b4e9687e4634bba32b76bc89a1a5d275a30d39e4eb3b15294da5169248da0a44" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1252" loading="lazy" alt="The Great Hornbill"> <figcaption>The Great Hornbill in flight when it makes a sound like a steam engine starting up.</figcaption> </figure>  Bardia is rich in raptors, and among them is the Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis), a winter visitor. Rapid recent declines have led to it being listed as globally Endangered. The rare local Grey-headed Fish-Eagle (Icthyophaga ichthyaetus) can be seen on pools and streams.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240601010640_efaef889e4fa44a70263e3d6dbc60998bee21832f520e44e9d3df0e1ced7824c.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20240601010640_efaef889e4fa44a70263e3d6dbc60998bee21832f520e44e9d3df0e1ced7824c" data-rendition-name="original" width="1985" height="1811" loading="lazy" alt="Grey-headed Fish-Eagle"> <figcaption>Grey-headed Fish-Eagle feeds almost entirely on fish, sometimes supplemented by birds and mammals.</figcaption> </figure>  The Rufous-bellied Eagle (Lophotriorchis kienerii) is another uncommon resident in the park and listed as Near-threatened globally because of widespread deforestation. An aerial hunter, it often captures prey on or near the ground or treetops after spectacular dives. Bardia has an impressive list of 14 resident owl species. The magnificent Mottled Wood Owl (Strix ocellata) was only discovered for the first time in Nepal in 2015 when a pair was photographed in Khata Corridor in the Buffer Zone and has been frequently recorded since. India is the only other country where Mottled Wood Owl is regularly seen.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240601010640_ce746028c7025ab5a2235a1fff8a5bce77cea32dfa938ef41f87274db8ced956.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20240601010640_ce746028c7025ab5a2235a1fff8a5bce77cea32dfa938ef41f87274db8ced956" data-rendition-name="original" width="4080" height="3803" loading="lazy" alt="The Mottled Wood Owl NT"> <figcaption>The Mottled Wood Owl is nocturnal, if lucky can be spotted before dusk falls.</figcaption> </figure>  The Dusky Eagle-owl (Bubo coromandus) often breeds in a deserted stick raptor nest in the top of tall mature trees, at the forest edge or in grassland. Brown Fish-owl (Ketupa zeylonensis) is a commonly seen resident, usually roosting in the daytime camouflaged in thick foliage of large trees in a secluded site near water in forest. Bardia supports a host of smaller bird species like the Blue-bearded (Nyctyornis athertoni) and Asian Green (Merops orientalis) Bee-eaters are fairly common residents, while Chestnut-headed (M. leschenaulti) and Blue-tailed (M. philippinus) Bee-eaters are common in summer.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240601010644_b6ed309138a64ed6a1ad7b06bb057c45ddbbe47805b1fd98b2d04a4119a97bf9.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20240601010644_b6ed309138a64ed6a1ad7b06bb057c45ddbbe47805b1fd98b2d04a4119a97bf9" data-rendition-name="original" width="4080" height="2720" loading="lazy" alt="Spot Bellied Eagle Owl."> </figure>  Other colourful and fairly common summer visitors are Indian (Pitta brachyura) and Western Hooded (P. sordida) Pitta. In March the gorgeous scarlet flowers of the silk cotton tree attract an array of nectar feeders: Hair-crested Drongo (Dicrurus hottentottus), Black-hooded Oriole (Oriolus xanthornus), Scarlet Minivet (Pericrocotus flammeus), and Spot-winged Starling (Saroglossa spiloptera), to name a few. Grassland specialities include Golden-headed Cisticola (Cisticola exilis), Yellow-bellied Prinia, (Prinia flaviventris), White-tailed Bushchat (Saxicola leucurus), Indian Grass-babbler (Graminicola bengalensis), and Chestnut-capped (Timalia pileata), Striated (Argya earlei) and Yellow-eyed (Chrysomma sinense) Babblers.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240601010644_abad29cdacd2091c633fe234fb070b6c92b617849e7ca3c1ba60db43edad2187.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20240601010644_abad29cdacd2091c633fe234fb070b6c92b617849e7ca3c1ba60db43edad2187" data-rendition-name="original" width="4080" height="2722" loading="lazy" alt="Orange-breasted Green Pigeon."> <figcaption>Orange-breasted Green Pigeon.</figcaption> </figure>  The striking Siberian (Calliope calliope) and Himalayan Rubythroat (C. pectoralis) are winter visitors to scrub and grassland as well as several wintering bush-warblers: Aberrant, Grey-sided, Pale-footed and West Himalayan Bush-warbler. The rivers and streams support a rich diversity of birdlife: Greater Painted-snipe (Rostratula benghalensis), River Lapwing (Vanellus duvaucelii), Stork-billed (Pelargopsis capensis), Pied Kingfishers (Ceryle rudis) and Black-backed Forktail (Enicurus immaculatus) which are all resident. While in winter there is Blue Rock-thrush (Monticola solitarius), Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria), Citrine Wagtail (Motacilla citreola) and many wader species.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240601010644_c5c95f38b86a5047bb0073d9fdd11aef7fef9980772f2b4746978cd1bb95e290.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20240601010644_c5c95f38b86a5047bb0073d9fdd11aef7fef9980772f2b4746978cd1bb95e290" data-rendition-name="original" width="2708" height="1805" loading="lazy" alt="Stork-billed Kingfisher"> <figcaption>Stork-billed Kingfisher is impressive, with a massive red bill.</figcaption> </figure>  While crossing the Babai Bridge on the East-West Highway, there are stunning views of the unspoilt Babai River valley with its forested hills and wild river. The Critically Endangered Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) and Vulnerable Mugger (Crocodylus palustris) can be easily seen in the cold season, basking on sandbanks. The Gharial is exclusively a fish-eater, and it hunts underwater with sharp interlocking teeth and long narrow snout.&nbsp; The Mugger preys on fish, snakes, birds, and mammals and is also a scavenger. The Himalayan or Golden Mahseer (Tor putitora) is an Endangered fish which can reach up to 2.75m and turtles such as the Endangered Indian Softshell Turtle (Nilssonia gangetica) can often be seen on the Babai. Nepal tripled its tiger population to 360 in the past 14 years, and nearly 160 of them are estimated to be in Bardia and its buffer zone.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240601010648_8f657bceea305b157de52e46be4ecc95712994c17d3e6eeacd40ccd240dab9e1.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20240601010648_8f657bceea305b157de52e46be4ecc95712994c17d3e6eeacd40ccd240dab9e1" data-rendition-name="original" width="4000" height="3000" loading="lazy" alt="Bardia"> <figcaption>Bardia National Park is in the alluvial plains of the Karnali River, and is dotted with pools. Photo: CAROL INSKIPP</figcaption> </figure>  The park is one of the best places to see Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) in the wild. Other mammals are: Leopard (Panthera pardus), several deer species including Spotted (Axis axis) and Swamp Deers (Rucervus duvaucelii), Nilgai (Bosephalus tragocamelus), as well as Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) which has been successfully re-introduced from Chitwan National Park. If you are lucky, you can spot the Endangered Gangetic River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica) on the Karnali River.&nbsp; Bardia is relatively isolated, and this has helped to protect its wide range of wildlife and habitat, and is much quieter than Chitwan. It is well worth the effort to get there.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240603040632_1beaf48c370de444726e1be6330f5d9c26b61b658624633ebe97efa5ce6c093c.jpg" data-media-id="editor_9" data-image-id="20240603040632_1beaf48c370de444726e1be6330f5d9c26b61b658624633ebe97efa5ce6c093c" data-rendition-name="original" width="900" height="331" loading="lazy" alt="Bardia birds books"> </figure>  Getting to and Staying in Bardia  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240601010648_0255590ce98955aa543f3661cd1ba2f5b317dc67c7aa1a31a450b5d441398005.jpg" data-media-id="editor_10" data-image-id="20240601010648_0255590ce98955aa543f3661cd1ba2f5b317dc67c7aa1a31a450b5d441398005" data-rendition-name="original" width="4000" height="3000" loading="lazy" alt="Babai River Bardia"> <figcaption>The pristine Babai River valley is situated at the northeastern part of the Bardia National Park. Photo: CAROL INSKIPP</figcaption> </figure>  Fly to Nepalganj from Kathmandu, and take the two-hour jeep ride through the park to the Park Headquarters at Thakurdwara. There is a range of accommodation in the Buffer Zone from luxury resorts to tented camps and homestays. Some suggestions: Royal Tiger Cottage, Burhan Wilderness Camp, Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge. Experienced and very knowledgeable local guides are available for safari and jungle walks. Allow at least three days for your visit. &nbsp;

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Bardia’s birds

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230112100128/63bfd2f89c7e80680e0d3041jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="720"/><figcaption>Kazi Sharan Nepali holding a bar-headed geese fitted with satellite radio telemetry in 2005.</figcaption></figure>H<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=5755#.Y44pjS9w2Lc">ari Sharan Nepali</a>'s friends affectionately called him Kazi because of his smart attire and genteel manners. And ‘Kazi Dai’ was how birders from Nepal and around the world knew the country’s most famous ornithologist.Knowing Kazi was more than a coincidence for me: he was a friend of my father, Parasar Narayan Suwal. One was a PhD and other a school dropout, but the two bonded because of their shared love of the wilderness, often exploring the jungles of the Tarai together.In 1972, I joined my father and his students of Ananda Kuti Science College on a weeklong camping trip to Pokhara. Kazi Dai was invited as visiting faculty to share his knowledge on the bird ecology, field identification, and bird taxidermy techniques.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230112100128/63bfd2fb9c7e80680e0d3042jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1812" height="1200"><figcaption>Kazi dai in Sikles.</figcaption></figure>The Prithvi Highway was under construction then, so the team camped by the banks of the Trisuli river in Galchi. It was here that Kazi Dai introduced us to the flashy White-throated Kingfisher.In Pokhara, we trekked from Bagar near Prithvi Narayan Campus to Hyangja, where we were pummelled by a heavy hailstorm. Next day when we reached Suinkhet, the river was filled with debris and boulders from overnight landslides and flood. There, Kazi Dai identified the Lesser Racquet-tailed Drongo, a Green Magpie and an Egyptian Vulture.On our return journey to Kathmandu Kazi Dai helped pointed out a showy Wall Creeper on a freshly dug mountain slope as it fluttered wings with maroon patches. His mentoring during this trip was a turning point for me to become a birder myself.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230112100128/63bfd3009c7e80680e0d3043jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="4032" height="3024"><figcaption>Archival image of Kazi dai who is in the middle with binoculars and a cap. Karna Sakya is to his right. Two of them are the founders of the Bird Conservation Nepal aka Nepal Bird Watching Club.</figcaption></figure>In the late 1970s, I eagerly took part in bird identification field trips with Kazi Dai and Karna Sakya, who was then with the IUCN Commission on Education. Together they founded the Nepal Bird Watching Club, which was later named Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN).Today, BCN is a well-established professional organisation nurturing a passion for bird documentation, photography, research and conservation on hundreds of Nepali youth every year. Ornithological science has now gone on from just identifying and preserving birds to <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/birds-of-passage-Nepal,2921">satellite tracking of their migration</a>, and digital recording of the more than 880 species of birds found in Nepal<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230112100128/63bfd3069c7e80680e0d3044jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="668" height="997"><figcaption>Kazi dai in Naudanda, Kaski in 1972. Photo taken by Late Prof Parasar Narayan Suwal.</figcaption></figure>Kazi Dai was very accommodating and always ready to share his wealth of knowledge, and mentor budding bird watchers and naturalists.In 1985, when I was stationed as a naturalist at Gaida Wildlife Camp, he visited Chitwan for a birding trip. Along a moist Chure river bed, we observed the flashy Sultan Tit, Black-crested Baza, Rufous Piculet, Red-headed Trogon. In Chitwan National Park, after observing a rare Bengal Florican in the grassland of Dumaria Phanta, a majestic Bengal Tiger appeared from the golden grass.One of the noteworthy professional work we did together was documenting his ornithological knowledge during the Biodiversity Profiles Project, under the Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation in 1995. Both of us also served as members of Environment Protection Council, chaired by the Prime Minister.We were also in a team studying the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/the-great-trans-himalayan-bird-migration/">trans-Himalayan migration</a> routes of <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=4568#.Y44rtS9w2Lc">Bar-headed Geese</a> along the Narayani River, the first ever telemetry study of birds in Nepal.We successfully <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=18157#.Y44rlC9w2Lc">tagged two birds </a>both of which travelled across the Himalaya to a lake 500km north of Mt Everest in spring for breeding. The return journey was not what we expected, the pair named Hillary and Tenzing did not stop over in Chitwan, but flew on for another 500km south to winter in India. The study was documented in the 2006 documentary <a href="https://docuwiki.net/index.php?title=Incredible_Animal_Journeys#Wild_Goose_Chase">Wild Goose Chase</a> narrated by Steve Leonard.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230112100128/63bfd3099c7e80680e0d3045jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1446" height="1088"><figcaption>Hari Sharan Nepali 'Kazi' Trail dedicated by Lumbini Development Trust in Lumbini Crane Sanctuary. The birth date on the board is, however, incorrect. Kazi dai was actually born in 1927.</figcaption></figure>Birding with <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/birding-with-jimmy-carter-in-nepal/">President Jimmy Carter</a> was perhaps another highlight of my birding experiences with Kazi Dai. We also established the Lumbini Crane Sanctuary, and the enhanced wetland in Lumbini is now a preferred home for the nesting Sarus cranes. It is supported by WWF Nepal, in partnership with International Crane Foundation and Lumbini Development Trust.On World Wetland Day in 2021 the Trust dedicated a wetland in the sanctuary as Hari Sharan Nepali Trail as a tribute to Kazi Dai.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230112100128/63bfd30e9c7e80680e0d3046jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1095" height="759"><figcaption>Suwal with Kazi dai. Photo: Bikas Rauniyar</figcaption></figure>Kazi Dai also personally spearheaded the Ornithological Survey of Nepal to study Nepal’s vast diversity of bird species. The Natural History Museum established by Tribhuvan University is an outcome of his passion. Kazi Dai identified 13 new bird species in addition to the bird species described by Robert Fleming Sr, Robert Fkeming Jr and Lain Singh Bangdel in 1976.Kazi Dai left us on 19 May 2021, but his passion for the study and preservation of Nepal’s birdlife lives on in the many young naturalists he mentored.Rajendra N Suwal is the Head of Partnerships Development at WWF Nepal.Read more: <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=5755#.Y5GC0exBzDJ">Hari Sharan nipalensis</a>

Remembering Nepal’s Bird Man, Kazi Dai

<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111413114/63722f599c7e80680e0c250fjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1001"/>Tucked away in northern Chitwan between the Prithvi and Mahendra Highways is a land that has been bypassed by time. And this has helped protect the unique <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/model-for-post-covid-ecotourism/">landscape and biodiversity of Gadi-Siraichuli</a>.The mountain forest here is one of a network of sites in the world designated as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area by BirdLife International. It is the habitat of the Spiny Babbler (Turdoides nipalensis), the rare and shy bird that is found only in Nepal.Ironically it is state neglect of the past decades that has protected the unique ecosystem of Gadi-Siraichuli. The mountains also have historical significance for the 18th century fort that dates back to the Anglo-Nepal wars of the early 19th century.A five- day trekking itinerary takes visitors through remote villages and wilderness areas so untouched that it is hard to believe Gadi-Siraichuli is that close to the national highways.The <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Chepang-living-edge,3136">nomadic Chepang people</a> still practice Shamanism, and it is the only health care for villagers before they can reach hospitals in Bharatpur. Children along the trail have to travel two hours each way to reach the three government schools in the area.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111413114/63722f5c9c7e80680e0c2510jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1125">Thanks to the <a href="https://besnepal.org/">Bird Education Society</a>, the trail from Kot to Upardang Gadi via Kaaule has become a popular hike for birders from Nepal and around the world.The trail begins in the village of Hugdi along the Kathmandu-Pokhara highway, from where it is an uphill to Kot Pass that leads to the fort. When the clouds part, there is a panoramic view of Himalchuli and Annapurnas, with Himalayan vultures wheeling overhead.The walk then follows the Rigdi Khola to the nightstop at Lower Kaaule village. Lush sub-tropical broad-leaf forests cover the valley sides. Black and Bonelli’s Eagles appear over the skyline.Lower Kaaule is a Magar and Chhetri settlement with 25 houses situated by the river amidst terraced fields. There are homestays here where the owners are used to trekkers passing through. Villagers practice agroforestry, bee-keeping and organic farming, and there are orange, peach and pear trees along the paths. Recently, tea gardens and black cardamom plantations have sprung up.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111413114/63722f5f9c7e80680e0c2511jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1125">The autumn nights are clear and starlit, with the Milky Way, shooting stars and satellites crossing the sky. Visitors fall asleep listening to the calls of Collared Owlets and Mountain Scops Owls nearby.The next morning it is a climb up a steep forested slope alive with flycatchers, warblers and babblers on the trail to Kotari, and onward to Upper Kaaule where there is also a homestay.This is where the Spiny Babbler was sighted in 2020, marking a new locality for this bird. The next morning the trail climbs through the dense rhododendron forest of Gadi-Siraichuli to Upardang Gadi village via Chisapanitar. There are plenty of homestays, and the area is a haven for birders. There are stunning mountain views, especially before sunrise.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/spiny-babbler-tourism/">Spiny babbler tourism</a>, Kamal MadenThe fort at Upardang Gadi is situated at 1,275m with unsurpassed views of Chitwan Valley to the south and the mountains to the north. Birds of prey soar over the fort, with sightings of the Greater Spotted, Steppe Eagles and Pied Harriers. At dusk Lesser Kestrels hawk acrobatically for termites.The next day it is downhill to Shaktikhor in Chitwan, where a forest was cleared for a UN-supervised camp for the demobilisation of the Maoists after the conflict ended in 2006, and then on to the highway.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111413114/63722f639c7e80680e0c2512jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1125">Gadi-Siraichuli forest has been designated one of Nepal’s 37 Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, which are of global importance for birds and other wildlife. It includes the largest extent and the highest quality of subtropical mixed broadleaved forest remaining Nepal that supports significant populations of bird species as well as four globally threatened and 20 nationally threatened species.The Chepang people followed a nomadic lifestyle until recently, and various factors including influx of settlers forced them to take up a more sedentary subsistence  agriculture. But Chepang families still harvest wild food from the forest which serves as the watershed providing drinking water for seven villages in Chitwan, but it is still outside Nepal’s protected area system.Designating the area as a Watershed and Bird Sanctuary would be invaluable in protecting the forest for wildlife and as a resource for local communities, including their precious water sources. Promoting eco-tourism would also raise incomes and help in conservation of this precious habitat.Carol Inskipp is a UK conservationist and author of books on Nepal birds and their conservation, who has been coming to Nepal since 1977.Prem Thapa is an avid birder,  trekker, and life member of Bird Education Society, and works at Samsara Trekking &amp; Safari in Kathmandu.Read more: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/protecting-the-last-home-of-the-spiny-babbler/">Protecting the last home of the Spiny Babbler</a>, Carol Inskipp and Rupendra Karmacharya

Eco-tourism in Gadi-Siraichuli

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111144/636b84809c7e80680e06779ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1100" height="694"/><figcaption>69 vultures were found dead in Nawalparasi last month.</figcaption></figure>On the grounds of a college campus in Nawalparasi, the great brown birds lay as if they were taking part in some ritual. The vultures were all lying in almost concentric circles around an animal carcass.The 69 vultures were all dead: 35 White-rumped Vultures, 31 Himalayan Griffons, two Cinereous and one Slender-billed Vulture. Of the four species, two were on the IUCN list of critically endangered birds.The death of the vultures in Nawalparasi on 20 April is a huge setback to Nepal’s successful effort to protect the birds from extinction after they started dying mysteriously in the 1990s.Nepal is <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nepal-is-a-model-for-vulture-conservation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a role model for vulture conservation</a> internationally with local communities and nature groups here saving the birds from near extinction.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111144/636b84839c7e80680e06779bjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="490"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111144/636b84859c7e80680e06779cjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="573"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>The White-rumped, Long-billed and Slender-billed Vultures declined by more than 99% in India and Pakistan.In Nepal, there was a 96% decline in the Slender-billed Vulture population between 1995 and 2001, and the number of White-rumped Vultures had gone down by 91%.Of the nine species of vultures found in Nepal, four are critically endangered (the Long-billed, White-rumped, Slender-billed and Golden Vultures) according to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). The Himalayan Griffon, Hadfor and Cinereous Vultures are also on the near-endangered status.In 2003, scientists discovered that <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=4156#.X1NJ_y0w0Wo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">an analgesic called Diclofenac</a> used to treat sick livestock was causing the decline. The residue of the steroid in the carcasses of livestock caused kidney failure in vultures, but not other scavengers. Studies have shown that just 30ml of Diclofenac can kill as many as 800 vultures.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111144/636b84879c7e80680e06779djpeg.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="541"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>The total number of vultures across Nepal declined from 1.6 million in the 1980s to less than 20,000 today. Moreover, only 50-75 Slender-billed Vultures are remaining in Nepal, and half the remaining 2,000 White-rumped Vultures are expected to disappear in the next ten years.In 2006, South Asian countries including Nepal <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=10759#.YJooci2B0b1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">banned Diclofenac</a>, and Nawalparasi district saw the opening of several ‘vulture restaurants’ that serve safe meat for vultures to feed on. Since then, Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN) has set up seven more such feeding centres in Rupandehi, Dang, Kailali, Kaski and Sunsari districts across the Tarai and foothills.The <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=16689#.YJooay2B0b1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘raptor restaurants’ are managed locally</a>, aging livestock are reared and upon their natural death the uncontaminated meat is fed to the birds. The effort saw a significant revival of the vulture population in Nepal.Investigations are continuing into the deaths of the 69 vultures last month at Palhi Multiple Campus in Ramgram Municipality of West Nawalparasi. The National Forensic Science Laboratory in Kathmandu is still trying to determine the type of poison used to kill the street dogs on which the vultures fed."Once we get the test results back from the laboratory, we will know which pesticide was used to kill the dogs and how strong it was,” says Shankar Prasad Gupta, Division Forest Officer of West Nawalparasi. “We will then proceed to stop such use in future.”<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111144/636b848a9c7e80680e06779ejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1024"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Nepal’s ornithologists and bird conservationists, who had worked so hard to save vultures are still in a state of shock.“It is a tremendous loss for so many of the endangered vultures to be killed in one place at one time,” says Ankit Bilas Joshi of the National Bird Conservation Association. He says that despite the Diclofenac ban, other non-steroidal drugs toxic to vultures and eagles are still being used to treat livestock.<a style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=17462#.YJoofS2B0b2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Vultures</a> get a bad rap, and are culturally considered repulsive for feeding on carcasses, which has added to the challenge in their conservation. But this negative perception does a disservice to their contribution to scavenging, in balancing the ecosystem and the food chain.By consuming carrion, raptors reduce the spread of disease among humans and cattle alike. When vultures nearly became extinct in the Subcontinent animal carcasses lay rotting in the fields and jungles, spreading pathogens.But the work must go on, and Nepal is developing the world’s first vulture sanctuary, stretching over 30,000sq km. Unlike other protected areas, it will not have a defined perimeter, but it will be free of Diclofenac and other chemicals.In 2008, the Nepal government also set up a vulture conservation and breeding centre in Kasara in the Chitwan National Park. A ‘Vulture Conservation Action Plan 2009-2013’ has been approved and implemented followed by a second action plan 2015-2019. Under the campaign, 74 districts (except Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur) have been declared Diclofenac free.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111144/636b848d9c7e80680e06779fjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1100" height="737"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Collectively, these strong local and national conservation efforts had helped to improve food availability and habitat improvement leading to the vulture population either stabilising or rising in numbers. But experts say Nepal alone cannot rescue the birds from extinction.“Vultures fly long distances and because of their migratory nature, we need coordinated international conservation effort to protect these endangered species from perishing,” says ornithologist Krishna Bhusal, citing the example of a vulture with a geo-locator which last year flew from Nepal across north India to Kashmir.In the past four years, at least 31 vultures tagged with satellite tracking devices have been released to study their movements. An additional 30 wild vultures fitted with satellite trackers have been found to roam an area of 25,000 sq km in the Tarai and the foothills of the Himalaya.Vultures mate for life, they nest and rear their chicks together. However, of the nine species found in Nepal, only six build nests on trees, while the Himalayan Griffon, Hadfor and Egyptian Vultures build theirs on cliffs.

Nepal’s vultures: Between existence and extinction

<figure><img width="2316" height="1470" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181124/636be2ca9c7e80680e083ecbjpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>A Green Imperial Pigeon spotted for the first in Nepal by wildlife photographer Devendra Kharel in Jhapa last week. Photos: DEVENDRA KHAREL</figcaption></figure>On 24 November, wildlife photographer Devendra Kharel was near Nepal’s lowest point in Jhapa district when a bird perched on a nearby tree caught his eye.He instinctively peered through his camera’s tele lens and he could not believe what he saw. Could it be the Green Imperial Pigeon that he had only seen in bird books? The bird had never been sighted in Nepal before, so to make sure Kharel emailed some of the photographs he took to Nepal’s most prominent ornithologist Hem Sagar Baral at Bird Conservation Nepal.Baral confirmed that it was indeed a Green Imperial Pigeon and its sighting at only 70m above sea level on Nepal’s south-eastern tip near the Indian border. The reason Devendra Kharel’s sighting on 24 November is important is because it added the Green Imperial-Pigeon to Nepal’s bird list. <figure><img width="800" height="996" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181124/636be2cd9c7e80680e083eccjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>With more and more dedicated wildlife photographers like Kharel, the number of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/the-great-trans-himalayan-bird-migration/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/the-great-trans-himalayan-bird-migration/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1606576658276000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFnw9bzUlpvkMb6sAr3hxkacwRSpQ">new bird species in Nepal</a> could increase further and encourage further growth of Nepal as a destination for bird tourism. For example, birders in Bhaktapur recently spotted <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/eurasian-curlew-visits-kathmandu-after-50-years/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/eurasian-curlew-visits-kathmandu-after-50-years/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1606576658276000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEFjFN71X1XpLKuOr5ZAhaROFNypw">Eurasian Curlew</a> for the first time in 50 years in Kathmandu.Nepal has nearly 10% of all bird species found worldwide, and among them 77, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/saving-nepals-flyway-for-migrating-cranes/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/saving-nepals-flyway-for-migrating-cranes/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1606576658276000&amp;usg=AFQjCNH7KyKSFiA8786y9E_mJ83F9-ZN3w">mostly migratory birds</a>, are seriously threatened. A further, 167 species are nationally threatened.The Green Imperial Pigeon is known by its scientific name Ducula aenea, and has green-tinted feathers on its back, tail and wings, a pearl grey neck, chest, and abdomen. The nape of its neck and its legs are reddish, while its beak is bluish in colour. The pigeon's back has a rainbow hue, and it can even change its colour with the weather.  The bird survives on leaves, wild fruit, and flowers and has a lifespan of 6-7 years, the Green Imperial Pigeon inhabits forested areas up to 1,000 m above the sea level in the subcontinent and has been spotted in southeast Asia as well.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_C4DRu29zA&amp;feature=emb_logoNepal is home to a variety of wild and domestic pigeons, most of which might look the same to the unaccustomed eye. Indeed, one can find wild pigeons by the hundreds on the cliffs of Chobhar in the Kathmandu Valley and in other parts of the country.The chapter 'Variation under domestication' in Charles Darwin's 1859 book On the Origin of Species discusses the origins and diversity of breeds of pigeons. Darwin postulated that all domesticated pigeons originated from the wild pigeon species Columba livia, the common pigeon. He said there were many subspecies of domestic pigeons native to different geographical families that might differ only in small details from one another. In Nepal, the common pigeon Columba livia is also called malewa. Domesticated some 10,000 years ago, a subspecies was christened Columba livia domestica. Pigeons in Nepal are differentiated, and can be identified, by the altitudes at which they live. There are lekaali malewa, or hill pigeons (Columba rupestris) that live on crevices on cliffs, and himali malewa, or snow pigeons (Columba leuconota) which inhabit the high Himalaya.  <figure><img width="1100" height="733" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181124/636be2cf9c7e80680e083ecdjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Green Imperial Pigeon spotted in Sri Lanka. Photo: ERIC TAAN</figcaption></figure>Three other subspecies of wild pigeons are also found in Nepal -- the common wood pigeon (Columba palumbus), the speckled pigeon (Columba guinea) and the ashy wood pigeon (Columba pulchricollis). Carol Inskipp et al wrote in their 2016 book The Status of Nepal's Birds: The National Red List Series (Volume 2) that only one subspecies of the Ducula pigeon -- the mountain imperial pigeon (Ducula badia) has been found in Nepal. Inskipp’s book will now have to be amended. Kamal Maden is a botanist.

Rare wild pigeon sighted in Nepal

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171148/636bda349c7e80680e080257jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2300" height="1506"/><figcaption>Demoiselle Cranes flying south in autumn along the Kali Gandaki at Kagbeni with Mt Dhaulagiri looming in the background. Photos: RAJENDRA SUWAL</figcaption></figure>It was in Kagbeni in 1980. High above in the deep blue Himalayan sky was a flock of graceful Demoiselle Cranes, flying north riding up-valley winds on their <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/birds-of-passage-Nepal,2921" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/birds-of-passage-Nepal,2921&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602376683686000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFWYVE7LOY1bjdTHz0_Zi04BIgMPA">annual migration</a> across the Himalaya. It was my lucky day.The Kali Gandaki at this point is the deepest gorge in the world, located between two eight thousander peaks, Dhaulagiri and Annapurna I. It provides a passage for migratory birds from the Tibetan Plateau and Siberia to the Subcontinent and back.Kagbeni is a vantage point to spot migratory birds, and I had visited it multiple times to provide expertise for filming by NHK and BBC. Till then, I had never seen the cranes, only watched them on Planet Earth Mountains on Discovery Channel.Demoiselle Cranes are the third most common crane species after the Sandhill Crane in North America and Eurasian Crane in Europe and Asia. They number over 200,000, and demonstrate spectacular migratory flights.They breed in the vast expanses of the steppe grasslands of Mongolia and Russia, and fly south across the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalaya to winter in western India.Unlike other cranes that dwell on wetlands, these cranes prefer relatively dry habitats for survival. Their nests can be found on dry ground around 500m apart from each other.Prior to migration, the birds flock with their fledglings. Birds from Mongolia and Russia overflying Nepal and Pakistan covering nearly 3,000km one way, and finally converge in western India, where they live in large flocks in their wintering grounds.They can fly over extreme habitats of the world including the scorching Gobi Desert, the high and dry Tibetan Plateau, the Himalaya with its jet stream, the lush Gangetic Plains and the farms of Western India.Satellite telemetry studies have recorded a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/the-great-trans-himalayan-bird-migration/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/the-great-trans-himalayan-bird-migration/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602376683686000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEVeULiv_aGZnCsiDtV0Vo6KU3L0Q">cyclic migration pattern</a> of Demoiselle Cranes, flying over Nepal during autumn and returning via Mongolia in spring. During their autumn migration, birders can see magnificent flocks of Demoiselle over Nepal’s high mountain passes, gorges and along the Tarai. Farmers in Nepal often witness flocks flying in V formation like a swaying garland pattern in the sky, and call it ‘karyang kurung’ for the sound the make.In 1972, a flock of Demoiselle even alighted on Tundikhel at the centre of Kathmandu. More recently, I have observed them flying over my office in Baluwatar in 2015, and from my house in Chetrapati in 2016.But for these migrating cranes, Kagbeni remains the flight path of choice since the Kali Gandaki serves as a funnel that cuts through the Himalaya. My highest count of the Demoiselle has ranged from 50,000 in 2004 to only 5,000 in 2009.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171148/636bda389c7e80680e080258jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1510" height="1000"><figcaption>Another flock of Demoiselle Cranes flying north in spring, riding the up-valley thermals of the Kali Gandaki to lift them over the mountains to the Tibetan Plateau.</figcaption></figure>Variance in counting can be tied to weather, wind and visibility. When the wind in the Himalaya picks up, the flocks descend to lower altitudes. When they have the jet stream on their tails, they ride it over the mountains.For these expert fliers, the flight path is determined by head or tail winds, thermals, katabatic winds, and other weather phenomena. Thermals in the wind shadow of the mountains helps them gain altitude.In Nepal, the southerly daily thermals of the Kali Gandaki valley helps the birds soar up and over the mountains, whereas, riverbanks, wetlands and farms along the flight path are convenient night stops.These wetlands connect the dots along the birds’ migration routes, and Nepal lies in the <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/page/decline-in-birds-of-migration-nepal" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://archive.nepalitimes.com/page/decline-in-birds-of-migration-nepal&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602376683686000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEMCt4MH3fr9o9Mfzu3EpqT-WJdNw">Central Asian Flyway</a>. During bad weather events, the birds use the windswept flood plains of the Kali Gandaki river in Kagbeni and Larjung of Annapurna Conservation Area as a safe stopover, while the buckwheat terraces provide food for their long journeys.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171148/636bda3c9c7e80680e080259jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="774"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>While large in number, these birds still need protection from threats along their migratory routes and stopovers. These include poisoning from pesticide laden seeds, and from epidemics of water borne or airborne diseases.In <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/thebrief/2018/02/16/mongolian-raptor-in-nepal/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/thebrief/2018/02/16/mongolian-raptor-in-nepal/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602376683686000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGTIQbTCpl1pNTbc7ArUuZ-RCPdvw">Mongolia</a>, the application of the rodenticide Bromadiolone is known to have killed hundreds of Demoiselle Cranes, Steppe Eagles, Saker Falcons and other species. In November last year, 37 Demoiselle were found dead in Jodhpur in India, probably after eating poisoned seeds.In North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan, crane hunters are the biggest threat during migration. Metal weights tied to strings are hurled to lasso the cranes as they fly low to clear mountain passes. Traditional hunters in Pakistan often use live cranes as decoys to attract other birds, and keep them as pets.Ensuring safe and protected wetlands and farms along their migratory routes from Russia, Mongolia, China, Tibet, Pakistan, Nepal to India along the Central Asian Flyway is crucial to ensure the long term survival of these birds.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/himalayan-ecosystem-is-important-for-sarus/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/himalayan-ecosystem-is-important-for-sarus/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602376683686000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFyWKHCBDGHmYeapMRHQOiOThrblw">Legend has it</a> that Lord Buddha’s cousin killed a crane, and he was very moved when its mate mourned its death. The scene changed his life by inspiring him to seek a path of non-violence and compassion.One of the approaches undertaken by WWF, known as the <a href="https://wwf.panda.org/our_work/our_focus/freshwater_practice/freshwater_inititiaves/asian_flyways_initiative/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://wwf.panda.org/our_work/our_focus/freshwater_practice/freshwater_inititiaves/asian_flyways_initiative/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602376683686000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGmKkjAdwHAjLK7clvuQxaYvOGEcA">Asian Flyway Initiative</a>, aims to provide safe passage between the breeding and wintering sites of cranes. Similarly, creating awareness about safe farming practices and promoting bird watching tourism are some of the viable options to help protect Demoiselle Cranes.The designation of 10 Ramsar Sites, identification of wetlands of international importance for biodiversity in Nepal provides <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/birds-of-passage-Nepal,2921" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/birds-of-passage-Nepal,2921&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602376683686000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFWYVE7LOY1bjdTHz0_Zi04BIgMPA">stopover sites</a> for many ducks geese and waders during migration.Demoiselle Cranes, however, require wide riverbeds and farmlands as stopover sites and wintering habitats. World Migratory Bird Day on 10 October aims to generate awareness and seek support for the conservation of these legendary migratory species so that they survive into the future.Rajendra N. Suwal is the Head of Partnerships Development at WWF Nepal.

Saving Nepal’s flyway for migrating cranes

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915110/636bb3419c7e80680e07bb2djpeg.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="541"/><figcaption>White-rumped vulture. photo: ANKIT BISHAL JOSHI</figcaption></figure>Vultures get a lot of bad press.Unlike other birds which are praised for their melodious song or bright plumage, vultures have been traditionally reviled for feeding greedily on carcasses, and what many see is as a repulsive look. In many cultures, they are considered an ill omen and the Nepali language has many derogatory phrases like गिद्धे दृष्टि.A famous dialogue in the critically acclaimed and commercially successful recent Nepali movie Loot proclaims Kathmandu as a ‘the city of vultures’. What an insult to vultures.This negative perception of vultures does not take into account the enormous ecosystem services provided by the raptors in consuming carrion, and reducing the spread of disease.In fact, when vultures nearly became extinct in the Subcontinent in the past two decades because of the use of the veterinary <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=4156#.X1NJ_y0w0Wo" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D4156%23.X1NJ_y0w0Wo&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599381664331000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHxxa57JlGitZOkej0lUcJbTDX2pA">anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac</a>, animal carcasses lay rotting in the fields and jungles becoming hotbeds for pathogens.South Asia first started seeing a massive decline in its vulture population starting the 1990s, and no one quite knew why. The White-rumped, Long-billed and Slender-billed vultures declined by more than 99% in India and Pakistan.In the Nepal, between 1995 and 2001, there was a 96% decline in the Slender-billed vulture population, and the numbers of White-rumped vultures had gone down by 91% until 2011.Researchers then zeroed in on the cause: the use of the analgesic diclofenac to treat sick livestock. Residue of the drug in the carcasses of those animals when consumed by vultures caused their kidneys to fail. Studies have shown that just 30ml of diclofenac can kill as many as 800 vultures.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915110/636bb3449c7e80680e07bb2ejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1024"><figcaption>White-rumped vultures. Photo: NATIONAL TRUST FOR NATURE CONSERVATION/SAGAR GIRI</figcaption></figure>The good news is that Nepal has established itself as a <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=17462#.X1NJ9y0w0Wo" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D17462%23.X1NJ9y0w0Wo&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599381664331000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHY1OVua4wGzUSfFspuMVNWDrGmZA">pioneer in vulture conservation</a> over the years, and the birds are now showing signs of coming back.Nepal is home to nine species of vultures of which seven have undergone considerable decline in recent years. The White-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis), Slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostis), <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/discovery-of-new-breed-of-vultures-in-Nepal,961" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/discovery-of-new-breed-of-vultures-in-Nepal,961&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599381664331000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGUbaD3na07UIbR1HCzYaYm6YnLCw">Red-headed vulture</a> (Sarcogyps calvus) and Indian vulture (Gyps indicus) are in the IUCN critically endangered list.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915110/636bb3479c7e80680e07bb2fjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="524" height="1018">The Egyptian vulture (Nephron percnopterus) is listed as endangered, and three species – Bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus), Cinerous vulture (Aegypius monachus) and Himalayan Griffon (Gyps himalayensis) -- are near threatened.The first Vulture Conservation Summit in Kathmandu in 2004 took three key decisions: <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=10759#.X1NK4i0w0Wo" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D10759%23.X1NK4i0w0Wo&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599381664332000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHnLixxdYVVdQue3SYrUgdAKQOkgg">ban the use of diclofenac</a>, establish breeding centres for endangered vultures, and rehabilitate them in the wild.In 2006, diclofenac was banned by the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=19320#.X1NKDy0w0Wo" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D19320%23.X1NKDy0w0Wo&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599381664332000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFNG54dhT2eUMhXS592_RyN4U8Fcg">governments of South Asia</a>. The same year, Nepal opened world’s first food centre for the birds called the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/vulture-restaurant,1163" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/vulture-restaurant,1163&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599381664332000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHl7sdPj-Lo_b4tYb0jYVnRh-WenA">‘Vulture Restaurant’</a> locally known as ‘Jatayu Restaurant’ in Nawalparasi district.<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=16689#.X1NLDS0w0Wo" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D16689%23.X1NLDS0w0Wo&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599381664332000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFFvIyNtL2LWYW6GHCThGjyXA0U_Q">Operated and managed locally</a> in an effort to provide the birds of prey with uncontaminated meat, it saw a significant revival of vulture populations in the area. Seven more ‘vulture restaurants’ have been set up across the Tarai and mid-hill districts: Rupandehi, Dang, Kailali, Kaski and Sunsari.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9twp67MdPs&amp;feature=emb_logoSimilarly, a vulture conservation and breeding centre was set up in Kasara in the Chitwan National Park in 2008. The same year a 'Vulture Conservation Action Plan 2009-2013' was approved and implemented followed by a second action plan 2015-2019. The campaign has seen 74 districts (except Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur) declared diclofenac free.At present, Nepal is on the verge of establishing the world's first vulture sanctuary – which will not have a defined perimeter like other protected areas, but will stretch over 30,000sq km divided into inner core area and a buffer zone. The amount of diclofenac in the core area should be zero and less than 1% in the buffer region.In order to increase the population of vultures in these protected areas, 31 vultures tagged with satellite devices have been released into the natural habitat in the last three years. Additional monitoring of 30 wild vultures fitted with satellite equipment is being carried out.Despite these achievements, vulture conservation is not without challenges. Most conservation programs are limited to the Tarai and hence should be expanded to the mid-hills and the mountains.Apart from diclofenac, other chemicals such as nimuslide, aceclofenac, and ketoprofen also appear to be harmful to vultures and regular monitoring to prevent excessive use of these drugs is recommended. Additional risks also come from declining natural habitat, food shortage and transmission lines.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915110/636bb3499c7e80680e07bb30jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1100" height="737"><figcaption>Indian and Slender-billed vultures. Photo: ANKIT BISHAL JOSHI</figcaption></figure>Vultures mate for life, they stay together from nesting to hatching to rearing their young ones. They are found primarily in the Tarai and mid-hill forests of western Nepal and generally prefer to nest in enormous simal trees.Despite the negative perception of vultures in culture and folklore, the birds have religious, cultural and environmental significance. Hindus worship it as the vehicle of Saturn. In the Ramayana, the vulture Jatayu fought till his last breath when Ravana abducted Sita. The practice of feeding the deceased to vultures is still prevalent in Himalayan communities that worship the scavenger as carriers of human souls to heaven.More importantly, in the absence of vultures there will be no scavengers to dispose of carrion, leading to disease outbreaks among humans and cattle.In monetary terms, one vulture in its lifetime saves about $11,000 for its role in carcass management.It is in our interest to invest in vulture conservation. The first Saturday of September every year is marked as the International Vulture Awareness Day and it is in its 12th edition this year, Nepal should commit to work together with the communities, governments, environmentalists and conservation groups, because by protecting vultures we preserve biodiversity, and ultimately the safety and health of human beings.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915110/636bb34c9c7e80680e07bb31jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="88" height="103">Karun Dewan is with the World Wildlife Fund, Nepal.

Nepal is a model for vulture conservation

Nepal’s only international aviation gateway, at Kathmandu airport, will cut night-time operation hours to allow construction of taxiways, and airlines have been told to curtail flights. This is expected to lead to more than normal chaos during the height of peak autumn and spring tourist seasons at an airport that is congested even at the best of times. The airport will close from 10PM to 8AM from 8 November-31 March 2025. The taxiways will now connect to the thresholds at both ends of the runway, making the airport more efficient in handling higher frequencies of landings and takeoffs. The parallel taxiway extension will allow international flights to land every 4 minutes instead of the current every 7 minutes. At present planes have to wait to land until a plane taking off backtracks along the runway.&nbsp; Kathmandu is Nepal’s only airport with international operations, and it has only one runway that is only one way in from the south over the mountains. With the taxiway improvement, the airport will be able to handle 42 aircraft landings and takeoffs per hour — double the current capacity.&nbsp; The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has been trying to entice international airlines to also start flying to and from the other two international airports at Pokhara and Bhairawa (Lumbini) by slashing landing and handling charges. But so far only Nepal Airlines operates a weekly flight to Bhairawa from Kuala Lumpur.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241018161016_046569e53d1d66cd445cc66c697c0ef724810aec9f54bdf827481e3cd6b80c32.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20241018161016_046569e53d1d66cd445cc66c697c0ef724810aec9f54bdf827481e3cd6b80c32" data-rendition-name="original" width="2356" height="1134" loading="lazy" alt="Kathmandu airport expansion"> <figcaption>Kathmandu Airport Expansion plan with extension of taxiways to the thresholds of runways 02 and 20 that will limit airport operations from 8 November 2024 - 31 March 2025. Areas in blue are existing structures, including the international terminal which in future will be the domestic airport, and the new international terminal near the north end of the runway,</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241018121028_6e17cc2ee87c1b02d78cb54905825b7aa15299b7a00f5eddb01a59579ab85c1a.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20241018121028_6e17cc2ee87c1b02d78cb54905825b7aa15299b7a00f5eddb01a59579ab85c1a" data-rendition-name="original" width="1353" height="1328" loading="lazy" alt="Kathmandu airport NT"> </figure>  CAAN has reportedly told international airlines to cut their flight frequency to Kathmandu citing the shorter operation hours and has told budget airlines to shift some of their flights to Pokhara or Bhairawa, or face cuts. Many airlines currently operate regular flights to and from Kathmandu between 10PM and 8AM: Air Arabia to Sharjah, Fly Dubai to Dubai, Jazeera Airways to Kuwait, Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong, Singapore Airlines, several Nepal Airlines flights, and one of four daily flights by Qatar Airways to Doha. Jazeera Airways, FlyDubai, and Thai AirAsia have applied and got permission from CAAN to begin regular flights to Bhairawa’s Gautam Buddha International Airport. Starting 9 November, FlyDubai will start making a stopover in Bhairawa before flying on to Kathmandu. Immigration, customs and security are all fully functional in Bhairawa. In Kathmandu, the next phase of the airport upgrade includes converting the current international terminal for domestic operations, the construction of a new international terminal where the domestic departure area is now, as well as moving the hangars and the Nepal Army Air Wing to the eastern side of the runway. The apron area will also double its parking space for widebody jets. This is part of a Airport Capacity Enhancement Project that was initially funded through a $80 million loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the entire masterplan is expected to cost $800 million. This project is the latest upgrade to Nepal’s only international airport since it saw its first flight in 1949. The current international and domestic terminals are too small to handle the current annual traffic volume of 8.5 million passengers a year that is growing at 20% a year.

Kathmandu airport to cut flight hours

As Kathmandu becomes more congested and polluted, and with remote online work becoming the norm, many professional Nepalis are planning to retire in Pokhara, or move there.&nbsp; With its stunning mountain panorama, balmy winters and proximity to a profusion of wilderness areas, builders are responding to this demand with new townhouses, housing development and apartments. One such block of flats is the 10-storey <a href="https://sungavaapartment.com/">Sungava Apartment</a> located at Phulbari above the Seti River, near the point where it flows into and under Pokhara. The imposing structure near Manipal Hospital is almost complete, and on a recent visit the site was strewn with huge boulders unearthed while digging the foundation.&nbsp; The Seti brought down these boulders during a gigantic flood that geologists estimate happened 800 years ago when a chunk of Annapurna IV broke off and ploughed into the glacier below. Today, Sungava (means ‘orchid’) sits safely on a high terrace, 100m above the blue-green Seti and commands a view of Dhaulagiri, Annapurna South, Machapuchre, Annapurna III and IV.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024102411104_5f8fc736c86ea3c08d7bef43bb727081d3cc1a2caa55ae2b441717e6044de7e9.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="2024102411104_5f8fc736c86ea3c08d7bef43bb727081d3cc1a2caa55ae2b441717e6044de7e9" data-rendition-name="original" width="2016" height="1512" loading="lazy" alt="High living below the Himalaya NT"> </figure>  The soil here is conglomerate that has solidified like concrete, and the boulders were extracted by heavy earthmovers. It is intriguing to think that these metamorphic rocks as big as cars, rounded by glacial grinding, were once a part of a much higher Annapurna IV. Even for those with little interest in geology, Sungava is an ideal place to contemplate the tectonic forces that pushed these peaks into the sky to be sculpted into delicate shapes by wind, snow, earthquake and avalanche over millions of years. The view of the Himalayan panorama from Sungava’s many balconies are breathtaking when not obscured by clouds, or the haze that drifts in from across the southern border. On most days, just watching the towering pyramid of Machapuchre (Tamu name: कतासुँ क्लिको) play hide and seek with the clouds is mesmerising. There are rocks aplenty at Phulbari, and it is probably the flowers that grew along the flat terraces e that gave the place its flowery name. The boulders will hopefully be turned into a rock garden while landscaping. An nearby restaurant complex is making the best use of the stones in its design, using flat rocks as outdoor benches and tables. Sungava was designed by the husband-wife architect team of Deepak Sherchan and Jyoti Joshi of <a href="https://thedarkmermaidamarbshrestha.blogspot.com/2013/12/creative-builders-collaborative-cbc.html">Creative Builders Collaborative (CBC)</a>, which also built Heritage Plaza, Indreni Apartment and numerous other projects in Nepal. Sadbhavana retains CBC’s trademark Newari-style masonry and here it borrows from the orange brickwork of the old town of Pokhara, integrating it with modern design elements. A few of those heritage houses are still standing in Ganesh Tole and Ram Krishna Tole in Pokhara’s old quarter.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024102411108_5eb64a4885961b6d30781cefeb1e8a313da313ac5227c7a66b60f0c7d48d6fab.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="2024102411108_5eb64a4885961b6d30781cefeb1e8a313da313ac5227c7a66b60f0c7d48d6fab" data-rendition-name="original" width="1362" height="595" loading="lazy" alt="High living below the Himalaya NT"> </figure>  About 400m from the apartment past a bend on the river, and down below three tiers of terraces in the canyon is a suspension bridge. Below it, the Seti is still swollen with post-monsoon flow as it tumbles away in a hurry to head down south.&nbsp; Back at the apartment, it is quiet, far away from the hubbub of Lakeside a 15 minute drive away, and in the lap of greenery. There are 52 units at Sungava and it already has a close-knit prospective community of professionals, including doctors, publishers, engineers, and businesspeople from the renewable energy and IT sectors.&nbsp; Some residents say they opted for a second home in Pokhara to make it a ‘base camp’ to explore the Annapurnas with its many hiking trails made newly accessible with new roads. With the NRN citizenship law, overseas Nepalis can now also buy the flats. &nbsp; The floor plans include options for north and south-facing 3-bedroom apartments with verandas, and the facility has underground parking has EV charging, heated pool, sauna and gym. There are still some unsold apartments with panoramic views of the mountains and one can imagine oneself at the kitchen with its huge window, humming a ditty while preparing breakfast: “खाना पकाउँ हिमाल हेरेर...”

High living below the Himalaya

When the United Nations held its Summit of the Future at its headquarters in New York in September, many world leaders, including Nepal’s Prime Minister K P Oli, highlighted the effect of climate breakdown in increasing the frequency and intensity of natural disasters. What did not get as much attention was the long term impact of the climate crisis on food production. In fact, heat stress, weather extremes and the consequences on rain-fed agriculture is already being felt worldwide, undermining the chances of the <a href="https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/">UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)</a> being met by 2030.&nbsp; The SDG’s 17 targets commit countries like Nepal to reduce poverty and inequality, end malnutrition, protect the natural environment, and ensure that citizens all enjoy health, justice and prosperity without leaving anyone behind.&nbsp; However, besides the impact of climate breakdown on agricultural production, in Nepal the area under cultivation is impacted by urban expansion, falling productivity and the need for expensive inputs like fertiliser and pesticides.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241019041052_626413c5baf4dae407ac9579231b41daeb51510aa636b75aeb7489d94cca6a62.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20241019041052_626413c5baf4dae407ac9579231b41daeb51510aa636b75aeb7489d94cca6a62" data-rendition-name="original" width="999" height="1500" loading="lazy" alt="urban agriculture in Kathmandu"> <figcaption>Kathmandu's urban sprawl is eating into its fertile cultivable lands. Photo: TAYLOR MASON</figcaption> </figure>  Now, a new study led by Nepali researcher Prajal Pradhan at the University of Groningen in The Netherlands looks at how urban agriculture may offer a solution to falling food production and meeting SDG targets. The researchers evaluated 1,450 publications exploring the contributions of urban agriculture with both positive and negative effects, and published their findings in the journal Cells Report Sustainability. Urban agriculture can help achieve 17 SDGs, positively influencing 81 targets. However, it could also undermine 51 goals.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-vanishing-land">The vanishing land</a>, Taylor Mason “Urban agriculture offers immense potential for sustainable development, but realising this potential depends crucially on adopting practices that minimise its adverse effects while maximising its benefits,” Pradhan explains. Urban agriculture can substantially enhance urban food security, provide employment to the urban poor, serve as ground water recharge in built-up areas, and preserve open spaces that can serve as safe havens during disasters like earthquakes. However, it also presents problems like the potential health risks from contamination and the need for expensive inputs. &nbsp; “Urban agriculture plays a definitive role in advancing the SDGs, but achieving this requires tailored, context-specific solutions that address the unique challenges of different regions,” says Yuanchao Hu of Wuhan University in China and who is a researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. “But it needs equitable access and rigorous management of environmental risks.”&nbsp; Rapid urbanisation is eating into Nepal’s most fertile agricultural land, which means farming in remaining open spaces inside cities can be a viable alternative, especially as food prices rise.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241019041052_7b7c9413086226fbdc630d45acf772cfa1ced77a8970b9056ec5ec7e5226fdf8.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20241019041052_7b7c9413086226fbdc630d45acf772cfa1ced77a8970b9056ec5ec7e5226fdf8" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="999" loading="lazy" alt="urban agriculture in Kathmandu"> <figcaption>A vegetable patch in between new houses in Thimi. Photo: TAYLOR MASON</figcaption> </figure>  “The conversion of Nepal’s most fertile land into cities is a severe problem,” Pradhan told Nepali Times. “Crop cultivation, horticulture, agroforestry, beekeeping, livestock rearing, or aquaculture can all be farming activities within and around cities.”&nbsp; The study makes recommendations for sustainable practices that build on the positive aspects of urban agriculture while mitigating the downsides, thereby promoting more resilient cities in future. Research shows that urban agriculture has been helping many countries attain SDG targets by enhancing food security and biodiversity while helping education and preservation of open spaces.&nbsp; Indeed, many farmers from the hinterland who have settled in Kathmandu Valley or other urban areas of the country have been practicing urban agriculture, leasing neighbourhood patches or cultivating roof gardens both out of necessity because of inflation and falling income to grow their own food, and also as a fulfilling hobby. Saurav Dhakal, a sustainability advocate with Story Cycle and now research fellow at the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand, says there are socio-economic and environmental benefits of urban agriculture. “It provides benefits to all urban dwellers, regardless of their income status,” says Dhakal, “families get fresh food, and there are many other benefits like water retention, heat regulation and biodiversity. These are all public goods, so special government incentives may be needed.” It is not unusual to see vegetable patches and even paddy fields within inner city Kathmandu where an older generation of farmers are using available fertile land and <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/rooftop-gardens-kathmandu,1415">roof gardens to produce fresh, nutritious food </a>to reduce their dependence on food items that have to be bought after being trucked in from large distances.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024101905100_1291ce98dbbb8caed8702ac4b1d469b3e13016d7ecaaf3bfd5f91c974d3c0c77.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="2024101905100_1291ce98dbbb8caed8702ac4b1d469b3e13016d7ecaaf3bfd5f91c974d3c0c77" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="999" loading="lazy" alt="urban agriculture in Kathmandu"> <figcaption>An older generation of farmers are using any available fertile land to continue farming but it is getting more and more difficult. Photo: TAYLOR MASON </figcaption> </figure>  Nepal’s urban population grew rapidly from only 3.6% in 1991 to 25% today. There is large outmigration from the mountains to peri-urban areas of the Tarai, to Kathmandu Valley and Pokhara, with many young men then moving abroad for work. Kathmandu Valley’s population has swelled to nearly 3 million, and is growing at 6.5% a year. Dilip Shrestha, 71, used to work for Nepal Food Corporation, so he knew firsthand about inflation, shortages and vegetables with pesticide residue. So, when he designed his new house in Kathmandu, he built a spacious roof where he grows cucumber, ginger, garlic, coriander, onions, tomatoes, chili, beans, okra, pumpkin and lettuce. His family eats healthier, and he has reduced dependence on the market.&nbsp; The co-author of the Cell Reports Sustainability journal article, Daya Raj Subedi who is a PhD candidate at Beijing Forestry University, says urban agriculture also promotes inclusion and psycho-social wellbeing.&nbsp; He says, “A crucial finding of the study is the identification of opportunities and challenges associated with urban agriculture, it can promote sustainable transformation of society.” In Banepa, 55-year-old Bijaya Manandhar in her lifetime has watched the fertile farms of her neighbourhood that used to supply vegetables to Kathmandu, now completely built up with no open space left. The pandemic lockdown prompted her to turn to the family’s <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/rooftop-agriculture-on-the-roof-of-the-world">ancestral livelihood by growing food</a> not on terrace farms, but on the roof terrace. Manandhar is now a part of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/rooftop-agriculture-on-the-roof-of-the-world%5C%5C">कौसी खेती र करेसाबारी क्रान्ती</a> (Rooftop Farming and Garden Revolution) which has an online membership of 52,000, and awards annual prizes to women who excel in urban agriculture.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241019041052_7257f5def8f823f35a799fa6f6825e153f2ffa406ac11325d4fe74049b79e96d.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20241019041052_7257f5def8f823f35a799fa6f6825e153f2ffa406ac11325d4fe74049b79e96d" data-rendition-name="original" width="1600" height="736" loading="lazy" alt="urban agriculture in Kathmandu"> <figcaption>Rooftop farming is gaining popularity as a form of urban agriculture. </figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241019041052_beff1a4494ce896dd8fd383ee1f518e5448bcf7ea8bb138255391c7bcb9769ed.jpg" data-media-id="editor_9" data-image-id="20241019041052_beff1a4494ce896dd8fd383ee1f518e5448bcf7ea8bb138255391c7bcb9769ed" data-rendition-name="original" width="4000" height="3000" loading="lazy" alt="urban agriculture in Kathmandu"> </figure>  Pradhan says the challenge now is to upscale such examples of successful urban agricultural practices so they support Neal’s efforts to meet SDG targets. He adds, “Crop cultivation around cities can be protected by land use plans and regulations. Promoting community-based agriculture, including rooftop gardens, requires community engagement and public-private partnerships across the food value chain.”&nbsp; Such support would accelerate the popularity of existing rooftop farming and community gardens in Kathmandu Valley, or kitchen garden initiatives in Pokhara, and building on traditional farming practices that are preserved and integrated into urban settings like in Bhaktapur and Banepa. In Lalitpur, the Women Entrepreneurship Facilitation Center promotes urban farming enhancing both sustainability and empowerment.&nbsp; Another co-author of the report, Yuanchao Hu from China says followup research of the team will aim to identify good practices in local urban agriculture practices. He adds, “There are examples of urban agriculture that optimise sustainability, ensuring that it remains a viable solution for cities globally while countries try to meet SDG targets.” Prajal Pradhan, Daya Raj Subedi, Kshitij Dahal, Yuanchao Hu, Prakriti Gurung, Sijal Pokharel, Sagar Kafle, Biplav Khatri, Sudeeksha Basyal, Monika Gurung, and Aruna Joshi. Urban Agriculture matters for sustainable development. Cell Reports Sustainability, 1:100217, 2024. [DOI: 10.1016/j.crsus.2024.100217] Prajal Pradhan (<a href="mailto:p.pradhan@rug.nl">p.pradhan@rug.nl</a>) This article is brought to you by <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/" target="_blank">Nepali Times</a>, in collaboration with <a href="https://inpsjapan.com/en/" target="_blank">INPS Japan</a> and <a href="https://sgi-peace.org/" target="_blank">Soka Gakkai International</a>, in consultative status with UN ECOSOC.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240630110640_30c3782f9c09219bf1c249b51483a3cfb7a53a06d117d2aebd23ca7080d12758.jpg" data-media-id="editor_14" data-image-id="20240630110640_30c3782f9c09219bf1c249b51483a3cfb7a53a06d117d2aebd23ca7080d12758" data-rendition-name="original" width="680" height="103" loading="lazy" alt="SDG logo"> </figure>

Back to the land in the cities

The 700-year-old Lakshmi Narasingha temple in Bhaktapur houses a rare half-lion and half-human incarnation of Lord Vishnu carrying the Goddess Lakshmi. The temple was destroyed in the 1934 mega earthquake that killed 10,000 people and destroyed many monuments in Kathmandu Valley. It was rebuilt by a German project in the 1980s, but as a single-storey structure instead of its original two-tier pagoda design.&nbsp; With new findings from in-depth research, Bhaktapur municipality began re-restoring the temple in 2021, preserving its original architecture.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241017131016_2fae38cce543ad7b1f6de632feb3e212e08ed1acedd747830e949d7b8e878f18.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20241017131016_2fae38cce543ad7b1f6de632feb3e212e08ed1acedd747830e949d7b8e878f18" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1365" loading="lazy" alt="In with the old in Nepal NT"> </figure>  “Our temples and heritage sites hold deep meaning. It is disheartening to witness how often they lose their original elements, whether by design or accident,” explains Kumar Chawal of the Consumer Committee of Bhaktapur. “There is a need to preserve our architecture and protect its historical value for future generations. Otherwise, we risk losing a vital part of our identity.” The Laksmi Narsingha restoration is similar to the Bhai Dega temple in Patan Darbar Square which also collapsed in 1934, but was rebuilt with a Moghul-style dome by the Rana government at the time. Only two months before the 2015 earthquake, heritage conservationists had started to rebuild Bhai Dega as the original three-tier based on early photographs. But priorities shifted when four other temples in the square were brought down by the 7.8M earthquake on 25 April 2015.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241017131016_697ea707d9ad163be5de5f2efbf5b70d3cab771adcc22f0fae6bf937c6cb0130.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20241017131016_697ea707d9ad163be5de5f2efbf5b70d3cab771adcc22f0fae6bf937c6cb0130" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1365" loading="lazy" alt="In with the old in Nepal NT"> </figure>  This showed how damage to monuments in Kathmandu Valley spanned from one earthquake to the next. Bhai Dega restoration remains half-complete to this day because money for its restoration ran out.&nbsp; Whereas Bhai Dega restoration was done by the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust with grants from western embassies and international foundations, in Bhaktapur it is the municipality itself that allocated the Rs30.7 million needed to restore the Lakshmi Narasingha temple. The expected date of completion is early 2025. The municipality and local communities are focusing on two main aspects: preserving the past and promoting localisation. The restoration team has designed a blueprint for the temple by using historical photographs and insights from older generations.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241017131016_182882fdc393c99e70d1d0490319e415229563666c4934e3a582426ebf00ca30.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20241017131016_182882fdc393c99e70d1d0490319e415229563666c4934e3a582426ebf00ca30" data-rendition-name="original" width="1200" height="560" loading="lazy" alt="In with the old in Nepal NT"> </figure>  “At first, the Lakshmi Narasingha temple had only one entrance, but during the demolition process, we uncovered the foundations of four doors. Now, we are restoring all of them. This is an example of how our ancient structures have changed over time, often without our knowledge,” says Chawal. “Constructing temples is not like building houses. They carry historical and spiritual values, which is why they hold a special place in our hearts,” he adds. By replicating ancient design elements and rebuilding the temple as accurately as possible to its original form, the team has stayed true to Bhaktapur’s soul. But the restoration also revived ancient techniques that were in danger of being forgotten, generating employment for woodcarvers, masons, and contractors. The community of Bhaktapur’s Gahiti neighbourhood near the famous Nyatapola Temple has also set aside specific days for locals to volunteer in the reconstruction work. This has encouraged young people to take pride in ownership of their heritage. Families have also supported the effort by donating funds for bells, the temple pinnacle, and other structural features to the temple.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241017131016_db850ec0c084cdbe54f65bee92dad2ad8122d20fd60ec87ec086fbb9d2f72bd6.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20241017131016_db850ec0c084cdbe54f65bee92dad2ad8122d20fd60ec87ec086fbb9d2f72bd6" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1365" loading="lazy" alt="In with the old in Nepal NT"> </figure>  “I feel at peace knowing I have contributed my sweat to restoring this temple,” said one volunteer. “It is our duty to preserve our temples and heritage. The Nyatapola area will look magical once this temple is completed.” Community mobilisation is a long-standing tradition in Bhaktapur. In the past, locals have actively participated in the restoration of other temples in the city, such as Bhairav and Nyatapola fostering a strong sense of ownership. This collective engagement has not only been crucial in preserving the city's historical monuments but also in strengthening the bond between local communities and their heritage, says officials at the municipality. While securing funding is essential, and the municipality showed it values heritage conservation, the Lakshmi Narasingha restoration is proof that active involvement and sense of responsibility of the local community is as important, if not more. Local involvement also means that the monuments will be cared for into the future, When locals take ownership of these efforts, the restored monuments are not only protected in the present but are also cared for in the future.

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