<figure><img width="1282" height="692" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230228150232/63fe10e99c7e80680e0da4b7jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Photo: Hemanta Dhakal</figcaption></figure>A day after the inauguration of Pokhara International Airport, writer Ganesh Poudel remarked on Facebook that the vultures displaced by the new airport had relocated to his farm house.“Possibly they are making a night stop after being displaced," he wrote. “Like us, they too will also be evicted from this valley.” Poudel’s family had lived for generations in the area where the new airport was built. Many farms and homes were taken over by the government 40 years ago when the idea of the new airport was first mooted.“Thousands of people were forced to move out, destroying our social and cultural relations. Now, the airport has even disrupted the lives of the many birds and the entire ecosystems,” he added. “They have turned birds and humans into refugees."While people whose land was occupied for the construction of the airport have received compensation and relocated, many birds including the raptors that used to inhabit the area have been driven out because of the danger they cause to planes flying in and out. The approach flight path to the overflies the habitat of vultures and eagles, which like Pokhara Valley's topographic extremes that allow the buildup of thermals. Even before the completion of the airport, conservationists had raised concerns about the safety of endangered birds and the risk of potential bird strikes at the new airport. Vultures and eagles also congregated at the landfill site near the airport's eastern edge, and the local government that was tasked with relocating the landfill site  failed to do so.Every winter flocks of birds migrate to Pokhara, travelling thousands of kilometres from the Tibetan Plateau and even as far away as Mongolia, for its warmer climate, lakes, wetlands, overall greenery and open spaces.Indigenous birds also like Pokhara's habitat because of its many lakes and wetlands.  Even when the noise from the more than 100 flights a day to Pokhara's two airports has not deterred them.“Many birds, including vultures, have spent their entire life-cycles here,” says Manshant Ghimire of Pokhara Bird Society. “Just as it is difficult for a person to leave the place where they were born and raised, and grew old, it is the same for the birds.”Prior to building the airport, the area was a large pasture for cattle. In addition, the nearby landfill site was perfect for vultures to fly, forage and flourish.According to journalist Krishna Mani Baral, when horses, donkey and other animals that grazed in the fields of Pokhara died, the vultures would scavenge on their carcass. For years, many birds, including the Himalayan Griffon vulture, Egyptian vultures and small gray vultures, have made the landfill site their home due to the abundance of food there. <figure><img width="1125" height="549" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230228150232/63fe10ec9c7e80680e0da4b8jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>For the past five years, bird conservationists have routinely asked the authorities to move the landfill site before the inauguration of the international airport to conserve the endangered species before it is too late, as well as for aviation safety.  Pokhara Municipality has not yet found a proper alternative for the landfill site. In fact, a few days after the airport opened, a steppe eagle struck a landing aircraft. the plane landed safely, but the eagle did not survive. “To ensure the safety of planes, these birds must be properly relocated from the area to prevent potential bird strikes,” says ornithologist Hem Sagar Baral. Pokhara is home to nine different endangered species of vultures which have undergone considerable decline in recent years. The White-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis), Slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostis), Red-headed vulture (Sarcogyps calvus) and Indian vulture (Gyps indicus) are on the IUCN critically endangered list. Conservationist Hemant Dhakal believes that the city should coordinate with scientists and ornithologists to safely relocate the vultures. “Flights could also be reduced between 10am to 2pm when vultures are most active,” he says.  The airport is using firecrackers and sirens to drive off vultures from the runway, but they are still soaring along the approach path.  “It is an inhumane way and can send a bad message internationally,” according to Dhakal, who has been monitoring vultures for 10 years and is part of the IUCN Vulture Conservation Group. “Such insensitivity can also lead to more accidents  and give Pokhara a bad name.” Vultures, like most birds, breed only once a year. At this time of the year, young hatchlings are just growing in their nests, and adult vultures have no choice but to return to the vicinity of the airport. Baral adds, “Constructing such a big project and failing to find an alternative habitat for birds has gravely affected for avian life.” Vultures, despite their bad reputation, are integral to the ecosystem. In their absence there will be no scavengers to dispose of carrion, leading to disease outbreaks among humans and cattle. Nepal has established itself as a pioneer in vulture conservation over the years, and just when the birds are showing signs of coming back, lack of management and attention can reverse past gains. Bird Conservation Nepal opened a ‘Vulture Restaurant’ near Pokhara 12 years ago that provided uncontaminated food for birds.  Operated and managed locally, the centre provided birds meat that did not have the steroid dicoflenac that was poisonous for vultures and was contained in livestock that had been treated with the medicine. The presence of vultures was not contained in the environment impact assessment (EIA) of Pokhara's new airport, although it was later covered in a supplementary environmental assessment. Experts say the real problem will be in four to five months when the hatchlings will grow, and the mother birds have to forage to feed the young in their nests.  Translated from the Himal Khabar <a href="https://www.himalkhabar.com/news/134174">original </a>by Aria Parasai.

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Only vultures left behind

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111414114/63723d439c7e80680e0c9666jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="796"/><figcaption>Photo: DARE ADVENTURE NEPAL</figcaption></figure>In many cultures, death rituals are often even more significant and elaborate than those performed after birth. The sanctity of burial or cremation is binding for many communities in Nepal as well. So much so that it is quite unusual to donate organs to save lives or for medical research as was in the case of historian Satyamohan Joshi who <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/man-of-the-nepali-renaissance/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">passed away recently at age 103</a>.But communities living in Nepal's Trans-Himalayan region that includes the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place-in-humla/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Humla</a>, Jumla, Dolpa, Mustang and Manang districts still perform 'sky burial' -- an ancient Tibetan funerary tradition in which after death the body is dismembered and set on an elevated location as an offering for sacred vultures.Sky burial is essentially an attempt to follow in the steps of the Buddha who sacrificed his own life to save a starving tigress in one of his many reincarnations before <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/telling-the-story-of-buddhas-lumbini/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Siddhartha Gautam</a> of the Sakyamuni clan.Giving up the human corpse to vultures is regarded as a final act of compassion and kindness. Vultures are said to carry the deceased's soul to heaven after exposing the body to the elements. In addition, it is also thought that after a sky burial, a person will reincarnate again as a human in the next life.Determining the funeral's approach is the first action taken once someone passes away in Nepal's Himalayan rimlands. A high priest typically analyses a person's birth and death dates to determine what one of the five signs, earth, water, air, sky, or fire they belong to. Based on the sign, the person is either burnt, buried, cut and fed to fish, or chopped and fed to vultures.The corpse is then tied up and a lama starts chanting the necessary prayers. Family members join in and offer their condolences to the deceased by offering the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/lets-only-buy-bio-degradable-prayer-flags/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">khada sacred cloth</a>. Next, the priest circumambulates the corpse thrice and the body is then carried to a place specially allocated for the funeral.At the designated location, the body breakers chop the corpse into precise pieces. The nails on the tips of the fingers are burnt because they are thought to be poisonous to vultures. Once the offering is ready, the lama plays damaru drum as an invitation for vultures wheeling overhead.If the vultures do not feed on the corpse, it is thought to be a bad omen, that the person has sinned or that the ceremonies weren't carried out properly.<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342490698_Vultures_and_People_Some_Insights_into_an_Ancient_Relationship_and_Practice_of_Sky_Burial_Persisting_in_Trans-Himalayan_Region_of_Nepal" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342490698_Vultures_and_People_Some_Insights_into_an_Ancient_Relationship_and_Practice_of_Sky_Burial_Persisting_in_Trans-Himalayan_Region_of_Nepal&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1667120163210000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1cQrH43fXEeWJDGiYdM6r7">In an article</a> published by Bird Conservation Nepal in 2020, Thakur Gurung of Chhusang of Mustang district is quoted as saying, 'One of the reasons for sky burials is the absence of timber for cremation and the hand and rocky ground which makes digging a grave quite challenging in the region.'But there has been a gradual decline in the number of vultures participating in a sky burial, says Gyalche Bishokarma from Chhonup whose traditional job is to chop up corpses for the ancient ritual. “Bearded Vulture and Cinereous Vulture rarely make an appearance now. We mostly get Himalayan Griffon these days,” he adds.Back in the 1990s, the vultures were <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-vultures-between-existence-and-extinction/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">nearly extinct</a> with their population in South Asia declining to more than 90% primarily due to their feeding on carcasses contaminated by a veterinary anti-inflammatory drug called Diclofenac.It was only after Nepal and other countries in the region banned the drug in 2006 and various <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nepal-is-a-model-for-vulture-conservation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">conservation strategies</a> including ‘vulture restaurants’ set up to serve safe meat for the birds across Nepal’s Tarai and foothills that the raptors returned. Experts say that sky burial could be another way to bring the vultures back and provide them with safe meat.Except, the ritual will need to be revived. Also attention needs to paid so that the dead person was not sick and being treated with steroids.“It has been around 10 years since any sky burial has been practiced and the villagers have settled for easier burning funerals,” said Chhamba Dukta, a lama who used to perform sky burials in Dolpo and Mustang, <a href="https://kathmandufilms.com/recce-mustang-journey-sky-burial/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://kathmandufilms.com/recce-mustang-journey-sky-burial/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1667120163210000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3emMQ9GjxyjcfqCUAkcvJE">speaking to the blog Kathmandu Films</a>.Reviving sky burials would therefore ensure the survival of both vulture and culture, and serve an educational purpose about the impermanence of life and the interdependence of species, including humans.Says the former Mayor of Lomanthang Subarna Kumar Bista: “If we could revive the culture, tradition and the ritual of such communities in Mustang, it would ensure the continuation of our culture as well as restore the vulture population of the Himalaya."Pooja Lama is pursuing a master’s degree from the Central Department of Zoology at Tribhuvan University.

Reviving Himalayan vulture and culture

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110151112/636d06d69c7e80680e0a5f88jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="3200" height="2133"/><figcaption>All photos: KRISHNA MANI BARAL</figcaption></figure>Monsoon <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/monsoon-submerges-kathmandu-roads/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">floods</a> usually bring death and destruction, but that is not necessarily bad news for the vultures of Pokhara Valley which feed on carrion of dead animals brought down by Himalayan rivers.The vigorous start to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/after-the-deluge-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the monsoon rains</a> has caused floods across central Nepal to overflow, and triggered landslides that have blocked highways. While this has brought misery to humans, the raptors are on a feeding frenzy.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110151112/636d06d99c7e80680e0a5f89jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="3200" height="1546"><figcaption>A dog chases away a flock of Himalayan griffon and White-rumped vultures on the bank of Pokhara’s Fhusre River.</figcaption></figure>Because of its low elevation and proximity to the Annapurna which are over 8,000m high, Pokhara is home to all nine species of the vultures found in South Asia. The temperature is just right, not too hot or cold for the bird.The Valley’s terrain is also ideal for vultures which soar on the updrafts, and circle looking for food on the ground. Paragliders imitate the soaring vultures, often accompanying the birds above Sarangkot, and Pokhara has become a favourite international destination for <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=6573" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the sport</a>.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110151112/636d06dc9c7e80680e0a5f8ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2600" height="1733"><figcaption>Vulture and paragliders on one frame in Pokhara’s Sarangkot.</figcaption></figure>At a Jatayu Restaurant in Kaski’s Ghachok, one can easily spot 5-6 different species of the vultures on a daily basis. Globally critically endangered Slender-billed and White-rumped vultures have been nesting and rearing their young ones in Nirmal Pokhari and Bharat Pokhari areas for years.Although <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=17991#.YO0bTy2B0b0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">vulture populations</a> in Nepal’s mountains appear stable, they are declining in the plains and across South Asia. Indiscriminate poisoning of stray animals using lethal pesticides is ending up in the feed of the raptors, leading to their mass deaths.In April, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-vultures-between-existence-and-extinction/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">69 vultures of four species</a> (White-rumped, Himalayan Griffons, Cinereous and Slender-billed), two of them on the IUCN list of critically endangered birds were found dead on the grounds of a college campus in Nawalparasi.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110151112/636d06df9c7e80680e0a5f8bjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="3200" height="2133"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Initial investigation found the cause of the death to be pesticide poisoning of dogs, on which the vultures fed. The incident was a huge setback to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nepal-is-a-model-for-vulture-conservation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepal’s successful effort to protect the birds from</a> the brink of extinction after they started dying mysteriously in the 1990s.An analgesic called Diclofenac used to treat sick livestock was found to be the cause of decline. Just 30ml of Diclofenac can kill as many as 800 vultures. Subsequently, <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=14763#.YO0b0i2B0b0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the steroid was banned</a> in South Asia and Nepal in 2006.Since then, local communities and nature groups in the country have worked relentlessly to recover the vulture population, the most notable of which is the setting up of ‘vulture restaurants’ that serve safe, uncontaminated meat for the raptors to feed on.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110151112/636d06e39c7e80680e0a5f8cjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="3200" height="1917"><figcaption>Vultures feeding on a carcass of an ox by the Fhusre River.</figcaption></figure>There are now over half a dozen <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=19320#.YO0bSi2B0b0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">feeding centres ‘Jatayu’ Restaurants</a> in Nawalparasi, Rupandehi, Dang, Kailali, Kaski and Sunsari districts across the Tarai and foothills. The effort saw a significant revival of the vulture population in Nepal, which had declined from 1.6 million to 20,000 individuals.Vultures get a bad rap but are an integral part of the ecosystem, they protect humans and animals alike from various diseases by feeding on carcasses. In recent times, there has been a shortage of food as well as shelter. Death due to high-voltage electric shock is also on the rise.

Vultures swing back in Pokhara

<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.