Challenges in wildlife conservation In Nepal

Management quality of wildlife conservation has declined owing to the increasing spread of new plant species like Mycenae, jalakumbhi (watercress) and banmara in the parks and reserves. The floods and landslides and drying up of the water sources due to the effect of climate change and increasing diseases have also been the added challenges to the conservation activities. It has been difficult to properly manage the protected areas due to physical infrastructures damaged during the conflict period and inability to build new infrastructures owing to lack of resources. Although the protected areas have been extended over the years, their management has to be handled by the manpower of the same old organizational structure. The Protected areas have not been managed at the level of the international standards due to lack of skilled manpower and the latest technologies although we have earned fame in the conservation field in the world. Expected success in reducing the human wildlife conflict has not been achieved in absence of adequate budget and its delayed allocation even after the implementation of Wildlife Damage Relief Guideline, 2009 to reduce the impact of human wildlife conflict.

Main challenges

• Increasing pressure on natural resources (timber, firewood, fodder, non-timber forest products, grazing, stone, sand, pebble etc.)

• Problems in managing habitats

• Forest encroachment, flood and landslides in national parks and their surroundings

• Inadequate of required knowledge, skills and incapacities among the employees of the parks and the buffer zone communities for the management of the buffer zones

• Inadequate of manpower for the proper management of the protected areas

• Human-wildlife conflict and the problem of their management

• Inadequate budget for the management of the buffer zones

• Delay in revising and amending the laws, regulations and directories as per the changing time

• Problem of alien and invasive species

• Poaching of wild animals and illegal trade of animal parts and illegal felling and smuggling of forest products

• Destruction of habitats in and around protected areas (encroachment, illegal felling of trees, insufficient scientific management, conversion of the habitats)

• Inadequacy of physical infrastructure and Facilities

• Lack of adequate research and monitoring

• Garbage management

• Tourism management

• Climate change

• Imbalance between conservation and development

• Insufficient use of modern science and technology

 SOURCE : INTERNET