Free report: Human Wildlife Conflict in Nepal

Month: June

Nepal's conservation efforts have been a major success, with endangered animals flourishing in the wild. This has been made possible by political commitment, law enforcement agencies', crackdown on poaching and illegal wildlife and body parts trading, and the majorly the Nepali Army's enhanced presence in protected regions. In past, the thousands of animals previously roamed the vast jungles of Nepal's Tarai plains, including the Royal Bengal tiger and the one-horned rhinoceros, but their numbers quickly dwindled due to excessive hunting by members of the Royal family and their foreign guests. In the 1970s, the first national park in Nepal was established in Chitwan to safeguard the tiger and rhinoceros. To safeguard distinct endangered species of flora and animals, Nepal now has established various national parks (12), one wildlife reserve, six conservation areas, one hunting reserve, and ten Ramsar sites. Despite the fact that Nepal's conservation efforts have shown results, the rising frequency of human-wildlife conflicts, many of which result in human mortality, represents a major problem in recent years. 

Just for example in just one month, from mid-February to mid-March this year, three people were killed in wildlife attacks near the Chitwan and Bardiya National Parks and buffer zones. The increased human-wildlife conflict could be due to a variety of factors. However, as humans encroach on their habitat in deep woods, wild animals have been compelled to wander out into buffer zones and human settlements in search of food and grazing land. The confrontation between humans and wildlife began in the 1960s, when people from the hills relocated to the plains in search of cultivable farmland, often settling in and nearby forest regions. However, the situation has worsened in recent years as a result of population increase, which has resulted in ever-expanding communities.

As a result, wildlife and humans compete for common natural resources such as wood and grass, among other things. Conflicts like these have an influence on people's food security as well as the health of humans and animals. And when people are injured or killed as a result of wildlife attacks, it's only natural for them to turn on the animal. Wildlife attacks vary in frequency, severity, and timing, according to studies. Tigers, rhinos, and bears attack humans primarily in protected regions, whereas elephants and leopards attack humans in human settlements. The Asiatic elephant and the common leopard have both been implicated in human attacks, with the elephant causing severe crop damage and the leopard causing considerable harm to livestock. 

As a result, solutions must be found on an individual basis. Human-wildlife conflict is unavoidable and cannot be avoided. Solutions to the conflict must be found so that humans and wildlife can coexist together. Whether it's smart land use planning, compensation for wildlife harm, or resource sharing, the community must be included in order to develop a long-term solution.