Though Nepal, a developing country,  is lagging far behind on the issue of climate change,  pollution control and resource conservation but it has gained a huge success in protecting its endangered rare wildlifes and increasing their number significantly. The sucessful increase in the number of wildlifes like one-horned rhino and tigers in the conservation area of Nepal are one of the outsatnding task performed by Nepal in the year 2016,  that deserves a real apprciation. Today my article will try to focus on some of these aspects:

1) Incresed no of One-horned rhino

Nepal is home to one of the most rare animal of the wrold. A huge no of rhino are being conserved in Chitwan National Park of Nepal. In the past,  the poaching of this rhino for its high priced horn and skin was a major issue. But it is a pride for us to declare that no rhino were poached in the past two years since the latest poaching of 2 May 2014.

The population of one-horned rhinoceros in Nepal increased by 48% between 2008 and 2015. The present rhino population stands at 645 – the highest number recorded in Nepal till date. This is an important feat in rhino conservation in a country that lost 37 rhinos to poaching in a single year.  Nepal has large no of projects entitled for rhino conservation-translocations, anti-poaching measures, and broader community development and habitat protection – which are being supported by a range of partners and stakeholders including WWF Nepal. Rhino translocations resumed in Nepal after 13 years in 2016 with five rhinos successfully moved from Chitwan National Park to Bardia National Park with the major aim of inceasing the rhino population to the historic level of 800+. Lets hope that this can be achieved in the upcoming year.

2) Increase population of Red Panda :

Red panda?s a yet another endangered wildforms being conserved in the Langtang National Park of Nepal.  The poaching of this beautiful one was on peak in the past years.  But now the tables have turned.Nepal is presently home to an estimate 1.9% (approximately 237 -1061 individuals) of the total global red panda population. Nepal?s Langtang National Park hosts 24.33% of the country?s total red panda population. Mountain communities are at the forefront of the protection of this species with significant interventions in anti-poaching measures and habitat management. A community-based red panda monitoring mechanism was established in Langtang National Park in 2013 as an effort to draw attention to the conservation problems with regard to this endangered species. This mechanism capacitated community-based organizations and local people in endangered red panda conservation through red panda monitoring thereby creating local stewardship in the conservation efforts for this species.

3) Tiger population rebound: 

Today, just 3,900 wild tigers remain in all of Asia, largely due to poaching for the illegal wildlife trade. Nepal is estimated to support 163-235 tigers, according to a 2013 population survey. The 2016 survey confirms that Nepal has seen around a 45 percent annual increase in its tiger population. This has shown a positive beacon of hope for achieving the aim of doubling the tiger population of Nepal by 2022. Nepal is certainly walking in the right path. 

Success for tiger conservation requires viable habitats, stringent protection, effective monitoring, community engagement, increasing coordinated law enforcement activities, harsh prosecution for poachers, and wildlife monitoring. The patroling done by the Nepal army in such conservation area has also proven to be highly effective.