One of the few arenas for which Nepal has got well-deserved international praise is conservation. Nearly a quarter of the country’s area is protected, the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/how-many-tigers-in-nepal">wild tiger population</a> has tripled in 12 years, rhino poaching has been curbed, and forest cover has doubled in the past 30 years to 45% of Nepal’s area.&nbsp; And that makes Forest and Environment Minister Birendra Prasad Mahato of the JSP salivate. He is the architect behind a series of proposals that could undermine Nepal’s hard-earned conservation achievements, forgetting that his portfolio is for protecting forests, not destroying them. Nepal was the first tiger range country to not just double but nearly triple the population of big cats. The minister now wants to auction tiger trophy hunting licenses because Nepal has “too many tigers”.&nbsp; “Beyond just the unethical and unscientific, the proposal to cull tigers is illegal, illogical and unimplementable,” says <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/interview/Hemanta-Mishra-on-eco-tourism-in-Nepal,1029">Hemanta Mishra</a>, one of the founders of <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/review/chitwan-national-park-handbook-book-review,1612">Chitwan National</a> Park in 1973, which rescued Nepal’s tigers and rhinos from the brink of extinction.&nbsp; “The proposal violates the CITES treaty and Nepal’s own laws. Even if super-wealthy foreigners shoot tigers in Nepal, they will certainly be breaking the laws of their own countries if they take the trophies back. In short, it ain’t doable,” says Mishra, who is now Global Ambassador at <a href="https://wellbeingintl.org/">WellBeing International</a>. Indeed, many find Minister Mahato’s assertion laughable that Nepal can earn up to $25 million through tiger hunting licenses and that would underwrite the cost of maintaining national parks.&nbsp; The tiger is on Appendix 1 of CITES, and Nepal is among 184 countries to have signed this international treaty. Nearly half of all <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/wildlife-people-coexistence-in-nepal-national-park">tourists coming to Nepal visit national parks</a>, and there are growing numbers of Nepali tourists also contribute to local jobs and income.&nbsp; In fact, 90% of the revenue of the parks is from tourism. Chitwan and <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-s-tiger-conservation-too-successful">Bardia</a> are world class national parks and any loss of biodiversity would undermine tourism. Admittedly, the increase in tiger numbers has affected prey density forcing some to venture outside national parks and leading to contact with villagers outside. Expansion of forests has also led to crop loss from wildlife. There are protocols in place to deal with man-eating tigers, and crop damage by wildlife.&nbsp; The government is trying to dismantle other areas in which Nepal has achieved success, like <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/who-now-owns-nepals-forests">community forestry</a>, by allowing ‘management’ of trees. It is strongly backing the Nijgad Airport project that would decimate the last remaining native forests in the eastern Tarai, and it is drafting a bill to amend laws to allow resorts, hotels and infrastructure inside national parks. &nbsp; “Minister Mahato clearly has no understanding of how conservation works,” says environmentalist Babu Krishna Karki. “Someone who dreams of making a national park a source of revenue doesn’t know the first thing about conservation. How can he consciously spout such nonsense?”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230915050944_6bbe3df3771b76221ad7902060ee1f567309531f4254dc0376238eb56f2e1ed6.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20230915050944_6bbe3df3771b76221ad7902060ee1f567309531f4254dc0376238eb56f2e1ed6" data-rendition-name="original" width="1800" height="1200" loading="lazy" alt="Birenda Mahato Forest Minister"> <figcaption>Forest and Environment Minister Birendra Prasad Mahato. Photo: RSS(Photo: HARRAM BHETUWAL)</figcaption> </figure>  Minister Mahato has accused national park employees of colluding with wildlife poachers, and even blamed international development partners of making money from Nepal’s achievement in <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nature-without-borders">tiger conservation</a>. Mahato was appointed forest minister in May by Upendra Yadav’s Tarai-based JSP and has been brazenly trying to find ways to cash in by allowing extractive projects inside national parks. Given this government’s lack of transparency and impunity for corruption, he may well get his way. “We have to be very careful not to kill the goose that lays golden eggs,” warns Ghana Gurung of WWF Nepal. “Tiger culling is an absolute no-no, and any decision to allow resorts inside national parks has to be consultative and transparent.” Indeed, Tarai national parks like Chitwan, Parsa, Bardia already face threats from encroachment, poaching, river pollution, and the climate crisis. Allowing <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/in-conservation-nepal-is-not-out-of-the-woods-yet">infrastructure like roads, railways and irrigation canals inside</a> them will further damage the ecosystem. &nbsp; Mahato has formed a task force under the Director General of the Forest Department Shivkumar Wagle to relax the restrictions to collect Tamarix dioica, a kind of lichen locally known as jhau that has medicinal properties. A ban has been in place in harvesting this shrub since 2010.&nbsp; Botany professor Krishna Kumar Shrestha says that some lichens found in branches of trees or on rocks are <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/between-existence-and-extinction-in-nepal">rare species</a>, and as such should be studied thoroughly first. “We have to ensure the reproduction of those lichen species before lifting the ban otherwise we are destroying biological diversity,” he adds. Experts who have spoken against Mahato’s proposals are being sidelined by his ministry. &nbsp;Forest Secretary Rewati Raman Poudel was transferred after he raised objections and was replaced by Deepak Kharel of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. Mahato himself has no background in conservation, and his only claim to fame is that he is the brother of Belarussian billionaire of Nepali origin Upendra Mahato, and was the chair of Machhapuchche Bank and has investments in hydropower.&nbsp; As minister, Mahato has also exerted pressure to pass the EIA of the Rs3 billion Pathibhara Cable Car project which is opposed by the local indigenous Yakthung Limbu people. He has also forced officials to ignore EIAs on several <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/balance-of-power">hydropower projects</a> in which he has investments. The National Park and Wildlife Conservation Act has provisions to operate facilities inside the park for tourism, but the regulation stipulates that any decision has to be transparent so it does not impact on the ecosystem. Under Nepal’s current governance climate, that is problematic.&nbsp;

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Conservation vs Conservatives

<figure><img width="1500" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111410118/637205929c7e80680e0b28c4jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Two nature reserves in Nepal have been recognised for their success in <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/villagers-step-up-to-protect-nepals-tigers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">involving local communities</a> to conserve their tiger habitats. 
<a style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/its-a-jungle-out-there/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bardia National Park</a> in Nepal and the Khata Forest Corridor in the western Tarai have been awarded for contributing to Nepal becoming the first tiger range country to fulfil an international pledge to double its tiger population.
Bardia and Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in India won this year's TX2 Award for doubling their population of wild tigers since 2010, while Khata Forest Conservation Area in Nepal that serves as a transboundary <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nature-without-borders/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">connectivity for tigers between Nepal and India</a>, won the Tiger Conservation Excellence award.
“They demonstrate what can be achieved through long term commitments to tiger conservation,” said Stuart Chapman of the Tiger Alive Initiative of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). “The dedication of field teams, conservation partners and communities living with tigers are behind these extraordinary results.”
WWF Nepal Country director Ghana Gurung said the award is a testament to the continuous effort, dedication and commitment shown by the government, communities, buffer zone and the national park for tiger protection. "I also deeply appreciate the enormous role communities of Khata corridor that live alongside the tigers and thrive under challenging conditions have played in establishing Khata as a globally recognized and functional corridor," he added.
The awards celebrate the upcoming launch of the 2022 Lunar Year of the Tiger. In September, tiger range countries will convene at the second Global Tiger Summit in Vladivostok to assess progress towards the ambitious TX2 goal to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-tiger-conservation-too-successful/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">double the number of tigers</a> in the wild. The conference will also identify tiger conservation priorities for the next 12 years.
The tiger population in Bardia National Park did not just double, but increased almost five-fold from less than 20 tigers in 2009 to almost 90 in 2018 — an astounding achievement given it is situated in one of the most densely populated regions of the world. 
“Successful <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/unsung-heroes-of-nepals-tiger-recovery/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tiger conservation</a> involves continuous management and improvement of habitats at the landscape scale, rigorous monitoring of tigers and their prey, and working extensively with local communities, said Sugoto Roy of the Integrated Tiger Habitat Programme at the International Conservation Union (IUCN). “All of these criteria have been met with excellence, giving us these globally significant results.“
Sathyamangalam, which India designated a Tiger Reserve in 2013, was home to only 25 tigers in 2011 but today there are an estimated 80 individuals in the area. Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, located in the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot, connects with two other protected areas, supporting one of the most important and largest tiger populations in the world.
The transboundary Khata corridor was also recognised for its <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepali-women-at-forefront-of-saving-tigers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">community-based conservation efforts</a>, including a network of 74 community forests covering 202 km2 which have secured safe passage for tigers between Bardia National Park in Nepal and Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in India. 
Over the last five years 46 individual tigers have been detected on camera traps using the corridor together with other iconic and threatened mammal species including the Asian elephant, and the greater one-horned rhino.
The TX2 goal is one of the most ambitious <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/habitat-destrcution-of-tiger-in-Tarai,3423" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">conservation goals</a> ever set for a single species and the second Global Tiger Summit in Vladivostok, September 2022, offers the opportunity to set a new vision to secure their future. 
Tigers numbered perhaps 100,000 a century ago but dropped precipitously to as few as 3,200 in 2010. Their numbers have slowly recovered to approximately 3,900, based on estimates from tiger range countries compiled in 2016. 
Nepal is currently conducting a tiger census, and the number are expected to be even higher than in the last census. The last  census in 2018 showed that Nepal's tiger population had doubled to 235 from the previous tally in 2009. This made Nepal the first country to attain the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=16820#.W6d_Atcza71" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D16820%23.W6d_Atcza71&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1643365111069000&amp;usg=AOvVaw18lnqEeRRRTPh00Thfo-8P">TX2 target of doubling its wild tiger population</a> adopted at the St Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010.  
The awards are presented by the Conservation Assured Tiger Standards (CATS), Fauna and Flora International (FFI), Global Tiger Forum (GTF), IUCN’s Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Programme (ITHCP), Panthera, UNDP, The Lion’s Share, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and WWF.
Said Dale Miquelle of the Wildlife Conservation Society: “The results demonstrated by these three sites demonstrate what tiger conservation success can look like when government agencies, non-governmental bodies, and local communities work together to create a better future for both tigers and people.”
<a href="https://tx2tigeraward.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://tx2tigeraward.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1643365111069000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0l2Whdc1RYg_1r9WcKdKPr">https://tx2tigeraward.org/</a>

2 Nepal tiger reserves awarded

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111410114/637204fd9c7e80680e0b2890jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="582"/><figcaption>Ganges river dolphin back in Nepal’s Narayani River. Photos: TEK MAHATO.</figcaption></figure>It is the best possible New Year 2022 present. A local nature guide in Nepal, Tek Mahato took several photos of a Ganges <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/the-wellbeing-of-the-wilderness/">river dolphin</a> in the Narayani River, the first time there has been photographic evidence of a dolphin in the river in years.One of the country’s four largest rivers, the Narayani crosses the border into India as Gandaki, and used to be part of the species’ traditional range, which has dwindled considerably in recent decades.Ganges river dolphins are now rare throughout Nepal. In 2016, the Department of Wildlife Conservation and National Parks estimated the river dolphin population in the country at 52 individuals: 43 in <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/freshwater-dolphins-make-comeback-in-nepal/">the Karnali River</a> and its tributaries, and nine in the Kosi River. None were believed to still live in the Narayani River.Indeed, it was only last year that we finalised the current distribution map of the Ganges river dolphin, just <a href="https://www.riverdolphins.org/river-dolphins-worldwide/ganges-river-dolphin/">3,500–5,000 of which now inhabit</a> in the great Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna river basins.The Narayani is coloured in purple (map below) for population extinct as no dolphins had been officially sighted in the river for ten years.That is until the message about Tek Mahato’s remarkable sighting came in.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111410114/637204ff9c7e80680e0b2891jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1384" height="980"><figcaption>Ganges river dolphin distribution and density. Map: WWF</figcaption></figure>This teaches us two important lessons: nature is adaptive and bounces back whenever humans allow her to do so. This hopeful message is very welcome at the start of 2022, which is an absolutely critical year for <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/between-existence-and-extinction-in-nepal/">biodiversity</a> with a new global framework for nature due to be agreed at the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) conference in China.The return of Ganges dolphins to the Narayani shows that life will return to the world’s rivers if we take the right steps to restore and protect them.Freshwater species populations have collapsed by 84% since 1970 and all six river dolphin species are now facing extinction. However, we can reverse these trends if countries sign up to, and then implement, ambitious goals under the CBD to conserve and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/too-little-too-much-or-too-polluted/">restore healthy rivers</a>, such as keeping rivers free flowing and tackling pollution. And if more businesses adopt a water stewardship approach as well as support critical water stewardship programs, like WWF-Nepal’s river restoration and collective action initiative on the Narayani.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111410114/637205039c7e80680e0b2892jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="1050"><figcaption>Ganges river dolphin in Narayani.</figcaption></figure>The second lesson is to conduct a detailed census of Nepal’s rivers to establish the true population status of its river dolphins, an activity that is in line with the government’s <a href="https://dnpwc.gov.np/media/publication/Dolphin_Conservation_Action_Plan.pdf">National River Dolphin Action Plan</a>, which was finalised in 2021.The most recent survey in 2016 was conducted over too short a period of time and, six years later, the situation has clearly changed. We need to know how many dolphins still swim in Nepal and in which rivers before the authorities, communities and conservation organisations (including my colleagues from WWF-Nepal) can develop the best way to help them survive and thrive.The challenges river dolphins face are huge, particularly in Asia where they live in some of the most densely populated river basins in the world.But this reappearance gives us real hope that our work, particularly with our partners under the <a href="https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/freshwater_practice/freshwater_inititiaves/river_dolphins_initiative/">WWF River Dolphin Rivers initiative</a>, can make a difference. That together we can help enhance the health of these rivers and rebuild their dolphin populations.©WWFDaphne Willems is the Lead at the WWF River Dolphin Rivers initiative. Read original article <a href="https://medium.com/@WWFWater/return-of-river-dolphins-to-narayani-8e5deb57c236">here</a>.

Freshwater dolphin comeback in Nepal

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131124/636cee029c7e80680e09adfdjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"/><figcaption>All photos: PRAMOD NEUPANE/WWF NEPAL</figcaption></figure>On 2 January, the news of an adult tigress struck by a vehicle in Mahendra Highway made the rounds on social media. The photo of the striped big cat sprawled on the asphalt in a pool of blood touched many.But there was also anger. The roadkill followed the killing by another tiger of a middle-aged woman on a motorcycle with her son in the same stretch of highway.In December 2016, a speeding bus killed another tiger, and another in January 2019 left a tiger severely injured, the animal’s condition did not improve despite treatment and it died 13 months later.These examples of harrowing road kill and human-animal conflict are on the rise in Nepal, thanks to new infrastructure including roads, irrigation canals, transmission lines and even railways crisscrossing nature reserves and national parks.Case in point is the planned upgradation of the existing two-lane standard highway along the Pathlaiya- Hetauda, Hetauda-Narayanghat and Narayanghat-Butwal sections of Mahendra Highway, all of which will slice across protected areas including the Parsa National Park, Barandabhar Corridor and the buffer zone of Chitwan National Park.The phenomenon even has an acronym, Vehicular Wildlife Collisions (VWC), and these are only bound to rise. Of the unnatural wildlife fatalities in Nepal in the last four years, with roadkill accounting for nearly half of all deaths. At least 29 deer, 24 wild boars and 22 monkeys were identified as roadkill just in 2019.And despite reduced vehicular flow during the Covid-19 lockdown, there were 108 wildlife deaths in 2020 across highways that crisscross natural habitat and jungle corridors, and these do not include fatalities outside parks, which means many more deaths beyond protected areas go unrecorded.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131124/636cee069c7e80680e09adfejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="360"><figcaption>Wildlife Death and Roadkill Records within Protected Areas. Source: DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION ANNUAL REPORTS</figcaption></figure>VWCs don’t only harm animals, they put drivers and passengers of vehicles also in danger. We need a collective effort from highway authorities, planners, road security personnel, commuters and indigenous communities to tackle the mounting challenge.The good news is that the government has advanced efforts to integrate innovative wildlife crossing structures across highways. One such intervention is a timecard system introduced to check vehicular speed at a wildlife hotspot along the Mahendra Highway that cuts through Bardia National Park. Since its installation in 2017, VWCs here have declined by half.Similarly, the Department of Roads (DoR) is incorporating 55 small and large wildlife crossing structures, primarily underpasses, at critical locations along the Narayanghat-Butwal section of Mahendra Highway.The DoR has also prioritised detailed biodiversity assessments in environmental studies for upgradation of highway sections. Plans to incorporate wildlife friendly crossing structures in two critical forest patches of ghe Barandabhar Corridor in Chitwan and Aadhabhar section in Parsa National Park are also in the pipeline, raising hopes for improved connectivity with safe wildlife dispersal.Linear infrastructure, which fragment important biological areas (wildlife hotspots and corridors) have a direct relation to increased human wildlife conflicts.When wildlife using a certain perimeter for crossing are obstructed by vehicular movement, they often get deflected to nearby settlement areas, evident in critical wildlife corridors Khata, Mohana and Basanta. So far this year, tigers have killed 10 people in the vicinity of Bardia National Park, Khata and Basanta Corridor.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131124/636cee079c7e80680e09adffjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000">Maintaining a safe corridor by integrating wildlife-friendly crossing zones inbuilt in linear infrastructure is the most sustainable and effective solution to ensure co-existence between humans and animals, particularly in areas where settlements are in close proximity to their habitat.The Postal Highway Directorate is planning to integrate a dedicated wildlife crossing structure along 556 m of critical wildlife crossing zones within a 2km Khata forest corridor fragmented by the Postal Highway. Such wildlife friendly planning can provide safe passage for wildlife to roam across the separated habitats to prevent roadkill.Meanwhile, the Ministry of Forest and Environment is in the final stage of endorsing its ‘Wildlife Friendly Linear Infrastructure Guideline’ which prioritises wildlife dispersal in developmental planning and implementation.Recent tiger sightings at an altitude as high as 2,500m and 3,165m in Dadeldhura and Ilam are indicative of the need for habitat connectivity for wildlife dispersal, particularly between the East-West and North-South parts of the country.Forging a harmonious relationship between humans and wildlife is critical for the survival of both species. If Nepal wants to become a middle-income country by 2030, it needs to balance the need for economic growth with ecological protection. This means ensuring that infrastructure and conservation go hand-in-hand.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131124/636cee0a9c7e80680e09ae00jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000">Nepal is an international model for wildlife conservation. It is the first-tiger range country to double the number of its big cats and has dramatically reduced rhino poaching in recent years. It is important now more than ever, to address the challenges posed by linear infrastructure to sustain viable wildlife populations within protected areas and beyond.With areas planned for infrastructure coinciding with key conservation landscape, it is critical that wildlife-friendly development is recognised as a major agenda nationally.On the International Day for Biological Diversity on 22 May, let’s commit to developing a model for the world where a biodiverse country succeeds in achieving both development and conservation without laying waste its rich natural resources.All we need for planners to find ways to build new infrastructure without irreversibly harming the country’s biodiversity, a developmental strategy that supplements conservation.Pramod Neupane is a Senior Program Officer - Infrastructure, at WWF Nepal.

Nepal needs wildlife friendly highways

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111148/636b85f19c7e80680e067820jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"/><figcaption>All photos: PRAMOD NEUPANE/WWF NEPAL</figcaption></figure>On 2 January, the news of an adult tigress struck by a vehicle in Mahendra Highway made the rounds on social media. The photo of the striped big cat sprawled on the asphalt in a pool of blood touched many.But there was also anger. The roadkill followed the killing by another tiger of a middle-aged woman on a motorcycle with her son in the same stretch of highway.In December 2016, a speeding bus killed another tiger, and another in January 2019 left a tiger severely injured, the animal’s condition did not improve despite treatment and it died 13 months later.These examples of harrowing road kill and human-animal conflict are on the rise in Nepal, thanks to new infrastructure including roads, irrigation canals, transmission lines and even railways crisscrossing nature reserves and national parks.Case in point is the planned upgradation of the existing two-lane standard highway along the Pathlaiya- Hetauda, Hetauda-Narayanghat and Narayanghat-Butwal sections of Mahendra Highway, all of which will slice across protected areas including the Parsa National Park, Barandabhar Corridor and the buffer zone of Chitwan National Park.The phenomenon even has an acronym, Vehicular Wildlife Collisions (VWC), and these are only bound to rise. Of the unnatural wildlife fatalities in Nepal in the last four years, with roadkill accounting for nearly half of all deaths. At least 29 deer, 24 wild boars and 22 monkeys were identified as roadkill just in 2019.And despite reduced vehicular flow during the Covid-19 lockdown, there were 108 wildlife deaths in 2020 across highways that crisscross natural habitat and jungle corridors, and these do not include fatalities outside parks, which means many more deaths beyond protected areas go unrecorded.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111148/636b85f49c7e80680e067821jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="360"><figcaption>Wildlife Death and Roadkill Records within Protected Areas. Source: DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION ANNUAL REPORTS</figcaption></figure>VWCs don’t only harm animals, they put drivers and passengers of vehicles also in danger. We need a collective effort from highway authorities, planners, road security personnel, commuters and indigenous communities to tackle the mounting challenge.The good news is that the government has advanced efforts to integrate innovative wildlife crossing structures across highways. One such intervention is a timecard system introduced to check vehicular speed at a wildlife hotspot along the Mahendra Highway that cuts through Bardia National Park. Since its installation in 2017, VWCs here have declined by half.Similarly, the Department of Roads (DoR) is incorporating 55 small and large wildlife crossing structures, primarily underpasses, at critical locations along the Narayanghat-Butwal section of Mahendra Highway.The DoR has also prioritised detailed biodiversity assessments in environmental studies for upgradation of highway sections. Plans to incorporate wildlife friendly crossing structures in two critical forest patches of ghe Barandabhar Corridor in Chitwan and Aadhabhar section in Parsa National Park are also in the pipeline, raising hopes for improved connectivity with safe wildlife dispersal.Linear infrastructure, which fragment important biological areas (wildlife hotspots and corridors) have a direct relation to increased human wildlife conflicts.When wildlife using a certain perimeter for crossing are obstructed by vehicular movement, they often get deflected to nearby settlement areas, evident in critical wildlife corridors Khata, Mohana and Basanta. So far this year, tigers have killed 10 people in the vicinity of Bardia National Park, Khata and Basanta Corridor.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111148/636b85f69c7e80680e067822jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000">Maintaining a safe corridor by integrating wildlife-friendly crossing zones inbuilt in linear infrastructure is the most sustainable and effective solution to ensure co-existence between humans and animals, particularly in areas where settlements are in close proximity to their habitat.The Postal Highway Directorate is planning to integrate a dedicated wildlife crossing structure along 556 m of critical wildlife crossing zones within a 2km Khata forest corridor fragmented by the Postal Highway. Such wildlife friendly planning can provide safe passage for wildlife to roam across the separated habitats to prevent roadkill.Meanwhile, the Ministry of Forest and Environment is in the final stage of endorsing its ‘Wildlife Friendly Linear Infrastructure Guideline’ which prioritises wildlife dispersal in developmental planning and implementation.Recent tiger sightings at an altitude as high as 2,500m and 3,165m in Dadeldhura and Ilam are indicative of the need for habitat connectivity for wildlife dispersal, particularly between the East-West and North-South parts of the country.Forging a harmonious relationship between humans and wildlife is critical for the survival of both species. If Nepal wants to become a middle-income country by 2030, it needs to balance the need for economic growth with ecological protection. This means ensuring that infrastructure and conservation go hand-in-hand.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111148/636b85f99c7e80680e067823jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000">Nepal is an international model for wildlife conservation. It is the first-tiger range country to double the number of its big cats and has dramatically reduced rhino poaching in recent years. It is important now more than ever, to address the challenges posed by linear infrastructure to sustain viable wildlife populations within protected areas and beyond.With areas planned for infrastructure coinciding with key conservation landscape, it is critical that wildlife-friendly development is recognised as a major agenda nationally.On the International Day for Biological Diversity on 22 May, let’s commit to developing a model for the world where a biodiverse country succeeds in achieving both development and conservation without laying waste its rich natural resources.All we need for planners to find ways to build new infrastructure without irreversibly harming the country’s biodiversity, a developmental strategy that supplements conservation.Pramod Neupane is a Senior Program Officer - Infrastructure, at WWF Nepal.

<img width="856" height="570" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181144/636be7859c7e80680e087806jpeg.jpg" alt=""/>Half the world’s biodiversity and half the quarter of world’s population reside along the mountains. And a half of the world’s population quenches its thirst from melt water originating from the planet’s mountain glaciers. The water fed by these perennial mountain river systems have also become sources of energy through hydropower, irrigation for agriculture, and large water related economies downstream. Mountains in Nepal are characterised as sub-tropical to alpine climatic patterns ranging from soft hilltop to steeper terrain.Nepal has within its vertical terrain, the same range of biodiversity that stretches thousands of horizontal kilometers from the tropics to the Arctic on the planet’s surface.  Lush forests with important flora and fauna intermingle with  pockets of mountain communities spread across the Himalaya. This ice cap on ‘The Third Pole’ provides a life support system for the region and the planet. Mountains are incredibly rich in biodiversity, and the Himalaya is home for wildlife including red panda and snow leopard as well as a wide range of resident and migratory bird species. The mountains also offer habitats for various endemic species of flora with important medicinal and aromatic plants, and non-timber forest products including rhododendron, Yarshagumba, Paanchaule, Sarpagandha -- specifically growing in the rangelands that lie immediately past the snowline.The diversity and uniqueness in the extremities provided by the geographical terrain are limitless. Mixed in with this natural variety of plant and animal life, are culturally rich and ethnically diverse human settlements.This biodiversity is now at risk with increasing threats, both natural and human-induced. Infrastructure development, invasive species proliferation, and deforestation of high-value trees that often takes an age to mature along with overuse of limited natural resources have taken their toll on the Himalaya. The climate crisis has come on top of these existing problems. Glacial lake outbursts threaten downstream valleys, affect freshwater availability, increase in landslides, flash floods and forest fires, and changes in timings of flowering and fruiting of important crop species. Raising awareness to adapt to these changes, while global action is taken to mitigate carbon buildup in the atmosphere has never been more important. That is why on 11 December International Mountain Day this year, the theme is to focus on protecting mountain biodiversity. Protecting Nepal’s mountain ecosystems and their wealth of flora and fauna require immediate attention. Various groups are working with the Nepal government to ensure that large swathes of these multiple-use mountain landscapes are secured and preserved under the protected areas system such as conservation areas (Api Nampa, Annapurna, Manaslu, Gaurishankar and Kanchenjunga), national parks (Khaptad, Rara, Shey-Phoksundo, Langtang, Shivapuri-Nagarjun, Sagarmatha, and Makalu Barun) and a hunting reserve (Dhorpatan). In addition, large areas of mountain ecosystems outside the protected areas are under direct management of division forest offices and community forest groups. Nepal’s community forest management system, in particular, has been lauded globally as a unique model of grassroots-based conservation.Special focus is now provided to species conservation in mountains where external influences have impacted wildlife, their habitats, and communities. Species such as red panda in mid-mountain and snow leopards in high mountains are flagship animals, and indicator species of the local ecosystems. <figure><img width="1000" height="688" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181144/636be7889c7e80680e087807jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> Photo: STUART CHAPMAN/WWF</figcaption></figure>Their persistence in nature has been used as an emblem for conservation success. In the past, the Nepal government and the conservation fraternity have taken initiatives such as nationwide surveys, awareness and sensitisation programs, strengthening anti-poaching efforts, and forests and corridor restoration measures, while expanding livelihood initiatives in the mountains. Habitat restoration programs such as afforestation and networking of community managed forests have also enhanced the species conservation and maintenance of critical ecosystems in the mountains. Recent paper on red panda distribution in Nepal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0243450">published</a> in PLOSONE highlights the first baseline on red panda occupancy in the country. Approximately 40% of the potential habitat (nearly 22,453 km2) is currently being occupied by the red panda. Bamboo forests are highlighted as an important factor for red panda distribution in the mountain ecosystem. This is symbolic of the successes so far, and also point to the need to provide similar protection to the habitat of other species. Conservation of holistic mountain conservation guided by National Biodiversity Strategies, National Forests Strategies, landscape strategies, management plans, and species action plan including the community forest operation plan can weave together various strands of conservation work for the benefit of mountain, wildlife, and local communities.  <img width="81" height="109" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181144/636be78a9c7e80680e087808jpeg.jpg" alt="">Ananta Ram Bhandari heads the Mountain and Forest Programs at WWF Nepal. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/peak-ambition/">Peak ambition</a>, Lisa Honan and Nimsdai Purja

Conserving mountains for people and nature

<img width="856" height="570" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109191116/636bee884b0ad905ca02ef4fjpeg.jpg" alt=""/>Half the world’s biodiversity and half the quarter of world’s population reside along the mountains. And a half of the world’s population quenches its thirst from melt water originating from the planet’s mountain glaciers. The water fed by these perennial mountain river systems have also become sources of energy through hydropower, irrigation for agriculture, and large water related economies downstream. Mountains in Nepal are characterised as sub-tropical to alpine climatic patterns ranging from soft hilltop to steeper terrain.Nepal has within its vertical terrain, the same range of biodiversity that stretches thousands of horizontal kilometers from the tropics to the Arctic on the planet’s surface.  Lush forests with important flora and fauna intermingle with  pockets of mountain communities spread across the Himalaya. This ice cap on ‘The Third Pole’ provides a life support system for the region and the planet. Mountains are incredibly rich in biodiversity, and the Himalaya is home for wildlife including red panda and snow leopard as well as a wide range of resident and migratory bird species. The mountains also offer habitats for various endemic species of flora with important medicinal and aromatic plants, and non-timber forest products including rhododendron, Yarshagumba, Paanchaule, Sarpagandha -- specifically growing in the rangelands that lie immediately past the snowline.The diversity and uniqueness in the extremities provided by the geographical terrain are limitless. Mixed in with this natural variety of plant and animal life, are culturally rich and ethnically diverse human settlements.This biodiversity is now at risk with increasing threats, both natural and human-induced. Infrastructure development, invasive species proliferation, and deforestation of high-value trees that often takes an age to mature along with overuse of limited natural resources have taken their toll on the Himalaya. The climate crisis has come on top of these existing problems. Glacial lake outbursts threaten downstream valleys, affect freshwater availability, increase in landslides, flash floods and forest fires, and changes in timings of flowering and fruiting of important crop species. Raising awareness to adapt to these changes, while global action is taken to mitigate carbon buildup in the atmosphere has never been more important. That is why on 11 December International Mountain Day this year, the theme is to focus on protecting mountain biodiversity. Protecting Nepal’s mountain ecosystems and their wealth of flora and fauna require immediate attention. Various groups are working with the Nepal government to ensure that large swathes of these multiple-use mountain landscapes are secured and preserved under the protected areas system such as conservation areas (Api Nampa, Annapurna, Manaslu, Gaurishankar and Kanchenjunga), national parks (Khaptad, Rara, Shey-Phoksundo, Langtang, Shivapuri-Nagarjun, Sagarmatha, and Makalu Barun) and a hunting reserve (Dhorpatan). In addition, large areas of mountain ecosystems outside the protected areas are under direct management of division forest offices and community forest groups. Nepal’s community forest management system, in particular, has been lauded globally as a unique model of grassroots-based conservation.Special focus is now provided to species conservation in mountains where external influences have impacted wildlife, their habitats, and communities. Species such as red panda in mid-mountain and snow leopards in high mountains are flagship animals, and indicator species of the local ecosystems. <figure><img width="1000" height="688" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109191116/636bee8a4b0ad905ca02ef50jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> Photo: STUART CHAPMAN/WWF</figcaption></figure>Their persistence in nature has been used as an emblem for conservation success. In the past, the Nepal government and the conservation fraternity have taken initiatives such as nationwide surveys, awareness and sensitisation programs, strengthening anti-poaching efforts, and forests and corridor restoration measures, while expanding livelihood initiatives in the mountains. Habitat restoration programs such as afforestation and networking of community managed forests have also enhanced the species conservation and maintenance of critical ecosystems in the mountains. Recent paper on red panda distribution in Nepal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0243450">published</a> in PLOSONE highlights the first baseline on red panda occupancy in the country. Approximately 40% of the potential habitat (nearly 22,453 km2) is currently being occupied by the red panda. Bamboo forests are highlighted as an important factor for red panda distribution in the mountain ecosystem. This is symbolic of the successes so far, and also point to the need to provide similar protection to the habitat of other species. Conservation of holistic mountain conservation guided by National Biodiversity Strategies, National Forests Strategies, landscape strategies, management plans, and species action plan including the community forest operation plan can weave together various strands of conservation work for the benefit of mountain, wildlife, and local communities.  <img width="81" height="109" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109191116/636bee8c4b0ad905ca02ef51jpeg.jpg" alt="">Ananta Ram Bhandari heads the Mountain and Forest Programs at WWF Nepal. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/peak-ambition/">Peak ambition</a>, Lisa Honan and Nimsdai Purja

<figure><img width="1340" height="894" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb3d89c7e80680e07bb69jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>A rhino that was found dead in Chitwan National Park this week is believed to have been killed with a gunshot, the first rhino to be lost to poachers in Nepal in four years. Photo: Kunda Dixit</figcaption></figure>In its latest <a href="https://livingplanet.panda.org/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://livingplanet.panda.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599783612686000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFlHsj1TfW6MvwUT-ZVe60WRC_2-g">Living Planet Report 2020</a> released on Thursday, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has revealed that there has been a two-thirds decline in the global populations of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish in the past 50 years. WWF warns in its annual report that this environmental destruction is responsible for the emergence of zoonotic diseases such as Covid-19 and future vulnerability to pandemics.Shocking as the news is, Nepal has been praised internationally as a model for nature conservation and its ability to manage people and parks relatively well despite problems of poverty, population growth and pressure on land.“We have a lot to be optimistic about in Nepal because of our past achievements, but we cannot be complacent,” says <a href="http://www.wwfnepal.org/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.wwfnepal.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599783612686000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFOQXBGcvJHOGDhDXgZJCMepyyDjQ">WWF Nepal</a> director <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-tigers-now-number-235/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-tigers-now-number-235/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599783612686000&amp;usg=AFQjCNF2ynzsafaxhR6nTIP-ubM9sRYXGQ">Ghana Gurung</a>. “Because of our smaller area, things can go wrong very quickly. We have to keep being vigilant.”The warning comes amidst reports of an upsurge in poaching since the Covid-19 lockdowns began nearly six months ago. Six <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/7-musk-deer-killed-by-poachers-during-lockdown/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/7-musk-deer-killed-by-poachers-during-lockdown/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599783612686000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFng15G6ML2SrcJynPG5NtbIaM-xQ">musk deer were found killed</a> in traps in Sagarmatha National Park in April. There was a seizure of tiger and leopard pelts as well as bones this week in western Nepal from <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/lax-laws-make-nepal-haven-for-tiger-poachers/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/lax-laws-make-nepal-haven-for-tiger-poachers/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599783612686000&amp;usg=AFQjCNERCYDD8qYsAaSZp6Z_MAxqKBhJ-Q">poachers who were taking them to China</a>. And on Tuesday, officials at the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/chitwan-is-venue-for-world-ranger-congress/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/chitwan-is-venue-for-world-ranger-congress/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599783612686000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG-gl01ZeVaWMV_hJiRxUqmGb8KaQ">Chitwan National Park</a> confirmed that a dead rhino found there had a bullet hole in its head. They said the rhino was probably shot and wounded by poachers and jumped into the river before they could remove its horn. Nepal had marked its <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/how-many-rhinos-is-enough-rhinos/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/how-many-rhinos-is-enough-rhinos/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599783612686000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGdT7WIYITya_IxrYozc_X9DDBp0Q">fourth year with zero rhino poaching</a> recently.“The Living Planet Report shows how even a vast continent like South America can be threatened with serious biodiversity loss. Nepal has a rich genetic pool in a much smaller area, so we have to invest even more in its protection, especially in the post-pandemic era,” Gurung added.Nepal’s biodiversity faces a threat from land cover changes, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-environment-impact-non-assessments/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-environment-impact-non-assessments/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599783612686000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGJym6ydltzB2MjXT-0KBt1g5ac8A">destruction of natural habitats from infrastructure</a> and settlements which have been exacerbated by the impact of the climate crisis. On top of that, the post Covid-19 economic crisis means budgets for nature protection are tighter at a time when it is needed even more.Forest loss in Nepal’s Tarai has also impacted on increasing the danger of flooding, and reducing the ground water recharge. Felling trees for new infrastructure projects in the future will be a challenge to nature conservation. <figure><img width="640" height="596" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb3db9c7e80680e07bb6ajpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure><img width="640" height="743" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb3de9c7e80680e07bb6bjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>The new WWF report also contains the Living Planet Index (LPI) developed by the <a href="http://www.zsl.org/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.zsl.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599783612686000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEZ0P24O_LVmzrf77b4DkPaMdOZRw">Zoological Society London (ZSL)</a> which lists factors that increase the risk of pandemics -- including land-use change and the use and trade of wildlife. These were some of the reasons why there has been a 68% decline in global vertebrate species populations between 1970 and 2016. “The Living Planet Report 2020 underlines how humanity’s increasing destruction of nature is having catastrophic impacts not only on wildlife populations but also on human health and all aspects of our lives,” said Marco Lambertini, Director General of WWF International. “These serious declines in wildlife species populations are an indicator that nature is unravelling.”The Living Planet Report 2020 presents an overview of the state of our natural world through the LPI, which tracks trends in global wildlife abundance. It shows that the main cause of the dramatic decline in species populations on land observed in the LPI is habitat loss and degradation, including deforestation, driven by how we as humanity produce food. Endangered species captured in the LPI include the eastern lowland gorilla, whose numbers in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo have seen an estimated 87%  decline between 1994-2015 mostly due to illegal hunting. The population of the African grey parrot in southwest Ghana fell by 99% in the past 300 years due to trapping for the wild bird trade and habitat loss.The LPI, which tracked almost 21,000 populations of more than 4,000 vertebrate species between 1970 and 2016, also shows that wildlife populations found in freshwater habitats have suffered a decline of 84%. The sturgeon on China’s Yangtze river which declined by 97% in the past 25 years due to dams on the waterway.The LPR 2020 shows that without further efforts to counteract habitat loss and degradation, global biodiversity will continue to decline. The report makes clear that stabilising and reversing the loss of nature caused by humans’ destruction of natural habitats will only be possible if bolder, more ambitious conservation efforts are embraced and transformational changes made to the way we produce and consume food. The Living Planet Report 2020 is being launched a week before the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, where leaders are expected to virtually review the progress made on the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Climate Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Using data from 4,392 species and 20,811 populations, the 2020 global Living Planet Index shows an average 68% decline in monitored populations. The report is the 13th edition of WWF's biennial flagship publication. <img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb3e09c7e80680e07bb6cjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="744" height="1026">

World lost 2/3 of its animals in 50 years: WWF report

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141140/636bae029c7e80680e077fcbjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"/><figcaption>Wild elephants crossing the East-West Highway in Bardia National Park recently. Photo: WWF</figcaption></figure>Cutting through the dense jungles of the Tarai national parks, the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/east-west-city/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/east-west-city/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1595388886696000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFgSeRApwHpAcpPoNGJ915JnQcfmA">East-West Highway</a> is turning into a death trap for Nepal’s endangered and protected wildlife. Now, Nepal is building more underpasses so animals do not have to risk crossing highways.Of the 1,028km East-West Highway, nearly 400km slice through national parks in Parsa, Chitwan, Bardia, Banke. Another 122km stretch of roads cross wildlife corridors connecting protected areas, as well as linking Tarai forests with the mountains to facilitate wildlife migration.Nepal’s <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/in-conservation-nepal-is-not-out-of-the-woods-yet/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/in-conservation-nepal-is-not-out-of-the-woods-yet/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1595388886696000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFlRYbCC1nUHWVECaOS1ke8ZPO3Ew">conservation success story</a> means that there is now more wildlife movement between national parks, while <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/planned-new-east-west-railroad-and-expressway-threaten-the-Chitwan-National-Park,1079" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/planned-new-east-west-railroad-and-expressway-threaten-the-Chitwan-National-Park,1079&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1595388886696000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGBnliUz0r8ybsppzBDmTdqdA9KRQ">upgraded highways</a> have increased the number of vehicles and their speed. In the past three years alone there have been 400 road kills involving wild animals.The 30km Narayanghat-Mugling Highway was recently improved to meet Asian highway standards, and this meant not only did it have to ensure adequate road safety features but also address conservation needs.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141140/636bae059c7e80680e077fccjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1604" height="634"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>The highway features the first two of Nepal’s four new wildlife underpasses in the Aptarai and Ramnagar in the section where the road passes through an important animal migration corridor.The underpasses were also equipped with 14 camera traps by the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=6857#.XxVBdCgzbb0" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D6857%23.XxVBdCgzbb0&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1595388886696000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFAZV_0bfdKqcXz1WdY2x2-fsKdGw">World Wildlife Fund (WWF)</a> and its ‘Hariyo Ban Program’ to better understand wildlife migration in the Barandabhar Forest Corridor and to monitor whether the underpasses are effective.The WWF has now released its findings from the study, and concludes: ‘Wildlife crossing structures are essential for all linear infrastructure projects traversing critical forests, incorporating designs based on international practice and available guidelines in all planned projects seem imperative in the future.’Read also:<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/in-conservation-nepal-is-not-out-of-the-woods-yet/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/in-conservation-nepal-is-not-out-of-the-woods-yet/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1595388886696000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFlRYbCC1nUHWVECaOS1ke8ZPO3Ew">In conversation, Nepal is not out of the woods yet</a>, Sonia Awale<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nature-without-borders/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nature-without-borders/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1595388886696000&amp;usg=AFQjCNF8a70J8PS6fLJWmTWLFNkTNrIqNw">Nature without Borders</a>, Sewa Bhattarai<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/planned-new-east-west-railroad-and-expressway-threaten-the-Chitwan-National-Park,1079" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/planned-new-east-west-railroad-and-expressway-threaten-the-Chitwan-National-Park,1079&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1595388886696000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGBnliUz0r8ybsppzBDmTdqdA9KRQ">Trespassing into Nature</a>, Bhrikuti Rai, and Sunir Pandey<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141140/636bae089c7e80680e077fcdjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="912"><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141140/636bae0b9c7e80680e077fcejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="394"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141140/636bae0e9c7e80680e077fcfjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="394"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>According to the Department of National Parks and Wildlife conservation, the road kill problem is getting worse. There were 119 animals run over by vehicles in national parks in 2018/19, down from 124 in 2017/18 and 133 in 2016/17. In some years this was up to a third of the total number of recorded wildlife deaths in national parks. However, conservationists say the number could be much higher if highways through unprotected forests are also counted.“With such massive new investment in large infrastructure project, the impact on biodiversity and wildlife will be heavy, and we need mitigation measures such as underpasses and overpasses not only to save wildlife but also for human safety,” says WWF Nepal Representative Ghana Gurung.The WWF monitoring of the underpasses after the Narayanghat-Mugling Highway was upgraded from August 2017 till June 2018 shows that more than half of the animal movement occurred in winter when wildlife moved to sources of water.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141140/636bae119c7e80680e077fd0jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="645" height="693"><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141140/636bae139c7e80680e077fd1jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1518" height="1140"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>The WWF’s Pramod Neupane says the use of underpasses will increase as animals get more familiar with the structures. He adds: “Our research proves that underpasses are effective in facilitating safer wildlife movement, and we need to replicate this in other critical jungle corridors in the Tarai.”Only a quarter of the movement was during the monsoon months, while the pre-monsoon dry season saw the least movement. Most of the wildlife using underpasses were deer, wild boar and other medium-sized animals, and only 10% of the animals were large mammals like tigers, leopards and rhinos.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141140/636bae179c7e80680e077fd2jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="796"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>“It seems the underpasses are not being used to their full extent because they are too small for large animals like wild elephants, and also because of the litter from the highway some of the underpasses have become constricted so bigger wildlife cannot easily pass through,” explains Padma Raj Nepal of the Division Forest Office in Chitwan.Manoj Aryal at the Department of Roads says the Chitwan study has shown that underpasses are effective in reducing wildlife deaths. After studies showed 30 spots along the 160km stretch of the East-West Highway between Narayanghat and Butwal that wild animals frequent, the Department is constructing four more underpasses and one overpass.Other wildlife underpasses are planned on the highway from Patalaiya of Bara to Dhalkebar of Dhanusha on the East-West Highway, which passes through the Charkose Jhadi and Parsa National Park.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141140/636bae199c7e80680e077fd3jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1100" height="659"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>In Bardia, various line ministries in Province 5 in coordination with the Division Forest Office in Bardia have prepared a detailed project report for a 45m overhead wildlife bridge in an important migration corridor where wildlife movement is very high.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141140/636bae1c9c7e80680e077fd4jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1530" height="782"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>The overpass will allow tigers, rhinos and wild elephants migrating through <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nature-without-borders/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nature-without-borders/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1595388886696000&amp;usg=AFQjCNF8a70J8PS6fLJWmTWLFNkTNrIqNw">jungle corridors connect Bardia National Park with Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in India</a>. The overpass will cost Rs81 million and construction will begin once the Environment Impact Assessment is done.Adds Aryal: “In the past, the cost of building such passes were considered unnecessary. But the success of the Chitwan experiment has shown that safe passage for wildlife is vital in reducing wildlife death along our highways.”

Underpasses to reduce roadkill in Nepal

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141136/636bad219c7e80680e077f73jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1050" height="657"/><figcaption>A pod of dolphins at the confluence of the Mohana and Karnali Rivers recently. The endangered mammals swim upstream from India to breed in Nepal every monsoon.</figcaption></figure>It is the annual monsoon season, and despite the rains this would be the time of year when tourists flocked to the tributaries of the Karnali River in Nepal for dolphin watching.When the rivers are in spate is when the endangered Gangetic Freshwater Dolphin swim upstream from India to the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/the-wellbeing-of-the-wilderness/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/the-wellbeing-of-the-wilderness/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1594719340334000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFo-eHDdDw7OVO_jXw4F1O8UprQZw">mighty Karnali</a>, Nepal’s longest river, to find mates on the still backwaters of the oxbow lakes.But this year, due to the COVID-19 lockdown there is no one here to watch the nearly-blind aquatic mammals as they surface to exhale noisily through the blowholes on top of their heads.Swimming upstream in the strong current is hard enough, but navigating through memory and echo-location could be even more difficult for the only cetacean species found in Nepal. But they follow mind maps that they have inherited from ancestors to travel to the same spot every year to breed and rear calves.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141136/636bad239c7e80680e077f74jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="760" height="475"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>“When water levels begin to rise, they can be easily spotted,” says Bhoj Raj Dhungana of the Dolphin Aquatic and Biodiversity Conservation Nepal. “They swim all the way from the Ganges to breed and rear their young in safer, more shallow waters in Nepal.”Dhungana says that although only a mother dolphin and her calf had been sighted till mid-June, in the past month five juveniles and 10 adults have been seen in the waters.Locally referred to as ‘Susu’ after the sound they make while surfacing to breathe, these playful mammals are mostly found along the Karnali’s confluence with rivulets like the Mohana, Pathariya, and Kada in Kailali. As the monsoon tapers off, they swim back downstream into India.After being red-listed as an endangered species by both the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Gangetic Freshwater Dolphins are now actively protected in Nepal and India. Local conservation organisations in Tikapur and Bhajani municipalities whose communities benefit from dolphin tourism are also involved.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141136/636bad259c7e80680e077f75jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2300" height="1462">River dolphins are known to be accurate indicators of a river’s health. If their numbers decline, as they have been for decades, it means the rivers are polluted, there is overfishing, they are entangled in fishing nets, or new dams are preventing their migration for breeding.Over the years, the total number of Gangetic dolphins have decreased from 5,000 to less than 2,500. They used to be present in all of Nepal’s big rivers like the Kosi, Gandaki and Karnali. But except for the Karnali the other two are both dammed at the Indian border for irrigation and flood control, and the numbers in Nepal have dramatically declined.“Although Gangetic dolphins visit our rivers annually in the monsoon, increased pollution of the rivers and the poaching for food has seriously depleted their numbers,” says dolphin conservationist Vijay Raj Shrestha, who noticed that the dolphins appeared earlier than usual this year possibly because of heavy pre-monsoon rains and the lack of disturbance due to the COVID-19 lockdown.The government is now trying to declare the confluence of the Mohana and Pathriya as a Dolphin Conservation Area, ban the use of fishing nets and prevent plastic garbage  dumping and use of fishing nets in the rivers.Wildlife enthusiasts from all over the world used to flock to Kailali to watch dolphins, contributing to the local economy and spreading awareness among local people about the importance of conserving the rare mammals. However, visitors had to rough it because of the lack of standard hotels and difficult access through dirt tracks.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141136/636bad289c7e80680e077f76jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="760" height="351"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Freshwater dolphins are found in South America and Asia, and regarded as some of the oldest creatures on earth. They have lost their sense of sight because they live in such murky waters, instead they use ultrasonic clicks to navigate and find prey. They travel in pods with their calves.The <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/ganges-river-dolphin" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/ganges-river-dolphin&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1594719340335000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFWRRQSPaFs2kRkP5PiAOdRan75iQ">World Wildlife Fund (WWF)</a> is helping Nepal and India to upgrade conservation efforts and to spread awareness about river pollution. In Nepal, WWF has supported a dolphin census and monitored their population, while also adivising the national and local governments about their conservation.

Freshwater dolphins make comeback in Nepal

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.