For the first time in the history of Everest climbing, Nepal conducted the mega Everest Clean-up Drive for over a month in the last spring season.

In coordination with the government and private agencies, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation conducted the cleaning campaign on the mountain from April 14 – May 29, 2019.

Twelve trained Sherpa climbers, including ice-fall doctors, collected approximately 10,386 kg of garbage from the mountain.

Of the total trash collected, 5,049 kg were recycled (including glass, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans), but the remaining non-recyclable material had to be incinerated or sent to landfill.

[Also Read: COVID-19 Clears Air for Mt Everest ‘Visibility’ From 123 Miles]

Around 5,700 kg of the total litter was collected from base camp, high camps, old Khumbu Icefall route, and other settlements of the mountain.

“The largest clean-up of Mt. Everest saw 10,386 kg of garbage collection from the mountain by 12 Sherpas between 14 April to 29 May 2019,” read the GWR certificate.

“The most common types of litter retrieved were wrappers, thermo-insulation linings and broken glass,” informed Meera Acharya, Spokesperson at the Department of Tourism (DoT).

According to DoT, the Nepali Government spent NPR 27 million for the cleaning program.

Apart from the garbage, the Sherpas also retrieved four bodies of climbers who had died while climbing Mt. Everest.

[Also Read Bahrain Army to Climb ‘Mt Everest’ in 2021]

The Ministry of Forests and Environment, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, the Nepali Army, the Nepal Mountaineering Association and the Nepal Tourism Board are some agencies that assisted the cleaning campaign.

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According to the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), for the first time, the government has allocated NPR 11 million to carry out the rhino census.

Earlier, the donor agencies used to provide financial support for the DNPWC to conduct the census.

The Department has decided to conduct the rhino census in Chitwan National Park and Parsa National Park in the first phase, and Bardiya National Park and Shuklaphanta National Park in the second phase.

As per the DNPWC Spokesperson Bishnu Shrestha, the Department will deploy around 35 elephants and 60 technical personnel to count rhinos at Chitwan National Park.

In the last survey in 2015, authorities counted 645 rhinos including 605 in Chitwan National Park alone.

The Nepali Government has decided to conduct the census in response to the alarming rise unprecedented rhino deaths in the country, especially at Chitwan National Park.

Around 55 rhinos have died since last FY 2018-19 at the Chitwan National Park. The DNPWC conducts the rhino census for every 5  years.

Some of the previous ‘Rhino Census in Nepal’ are as follows

Related Articles:

• Visit Nepal 2020: 18 Rhino Deaths Raise Alarm
• CNP Records One Rhino Death in Every Eight Days
• CNP Records 19 Decomposed Rhinos of 41 Dead
• Nepal’s CNP Records 41 Rhino Deaths in Nine Months
• Nepal to Conduct Rhino Census After ‘Four’ Years

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The Himalayan nation holds a rich biodiversity profile that boasts of conserving many of the world’s endangered species.

Thick forest cover supported by the naturally-formed mountain ranges and rivers adds to the beauty of Nepal’s conservation portfolio.

To maintain this standards, the country has some good number of conservation regions such as Annapurna, Chitwan, among others.

There is one more that one must know about to understand the wildlife conservation in life.

With Karnali River on the west, foot of the Sivalik Hills as the north and bisected by the Babai River in the Bardiya District in the Terai region lies Nepal’s largest national park, the Bardiya National Park (BNP).

Wildlife and Bird Watching at Their Best!

Safeguarding 968 sq.km of sal forest, grassland, savannah, and riverine forest cover, BNP provides one an opportunity to spot some of the world’s endangered wildlife species.

Bengal Tiger is the king of BNP at around 60 in number and is also the habitat of many other wild animals such as wild Asian elephants and one-horned rhinos.

The park is also home to 50 other species of mammals such as Gharial crocodile, Marsh mugger crocodile, leopard, swamp deer and grey langur monkeys.

A rafting trip along the Geruwa River, the eastern channel of the Karnali River, can give a rare chance of spotting Gangetic river dolphins occasionally.

Fondly called as ’paradise for birdlovers’, BNP offers you the best experience in bird watching with more than 400 species of birds including the endangered Bengal florican and Sarus crane.

One can enjoy fishing on the Karnali or Babai river, the home to 125 recorded species of fish such as golden mahseer, among others.

Exciting Activities in and Around Bardia National Park

A 4-5-day focused trip in and around BNP can give you an unforgettable travel experience, where you can enjoy a range of joyous activities such as:

• Jungle Walk: Nepal is the only country that makes jungle walk possible. Enjoy walking through the jungle for about 15-20 km in a day and feel the experience of watching wildlife, birds, watchtowers, riverbanks, and many more
• Jeep Safari: Enjoy the half or full-day jeep safari and get a chance to witness diverse vegetation of the park, wildlife drinking spots, and more.
• Rafting Trip: Rafting is another way one can get a chance to spot wildlife. By rafting in BNP, you get a chance to witness the rare Gangetic river dolphins, enjoy the experience of Karnali, Geruwa and Babai rivers in and outside the park.
• Fishing Trip: A ride to Karnali and Babai rivers gives you the chance to catch rare fish species such as catfish and mahseer. You can plan a single day or multi-day fishing trip.
• Birdwatching: Get a chance to witness at least some of the 400 diverse bird species that BNP has. Take rafting or jungle walk to get the best results.
• Forest Camping: Camping staff is around you, awake in BNP forest camping. Enjoy the beautiful stay for a night at BNP jungle, sitting around the campfire and listening to what nature tells you in utter calmness! Lalmati is one camping spot to the northwest of Bardia National Park.
• Stay in a Treehouse: Take a trip to the community forest connected to BNP. Inside the forest lies a great tree house, where you can spend a night witnessing the serene experience of a staying in forest. Watch the sunset, sunrise, grasslands, flora and fauna, and more!
• Trekking in Babai Valley: In the northeast of the Bardia National Park lies the beautiful scenery of the Babai valley. Enjoy the unforgettable trekking experience from the Babai river dam near the Mahendra Highway to the final destination after 4 days, up north at Chepang village. Telpani trekking is one awesome experience available in the remote Churiya hills range north of Bardia National Park.
• Breeding Centers: Around BNP are the two different breeding centers of elephants and crocodiles. While the elephant breeding center gives you the experience of seeing wild Asian elephants, crocodiles breeding center is home to Marsh mugger crocodiles, Gharial crocodiles and turtles.
• Blackbuck Conservation Area: Close to the capital city of Bardiya district, Gulariya, there is a blackbuck conservation area with around 200 blackbucks. The area is spread across 15.95 km2 and was established in 2009 to conserve the endangered blackbucks. A jeep drive can bring you to this blackbuck conservation area.

Excited? There are many such! exciting opportunities that a trip to BNP provides you, which cannot be expressed in words and can only be felt!

The Countryside

Besides park, there is also an awesome countryside that BNP area offers to tourists.

Surrounded by peaceful villages and fields of the ethnic community named ‘Tharu’, BNP countryside offers a pleasant experience if you can stay there for 4-5 days.

A round of walking, cycling or motorbiking can give you the pleasant experience of BNP countryside.

Best Time to Visit Bardia National Park (BNP)

Mid-September till mid-December and start of February to end May are the ideal times to visit the Bardiya National Park.

During this period, the temperatures range from 25-37 degrees, making animals to rely on rivers for water. This gives you a chance to spot them easily.

Starting from mid-December till the end of January, the weather here is usually chill and foggy. Whereas, monsoons start in June and lasts till the August end, during which the rising river levels obstruct access to the park.

One of the world’s top tourism agencies Lonely Planet describes Bardiya National Park as:

“The largest national park in the Terai, a beautiful, unspoiled wilderness of sal forest, grassland and alluvial washes cut by the many fingers of the Karnali River. Largely unpopulated, it is often described as what Chitwan National Park was like 30 years ago, before its commercial development. One can raft through the park for hours on end and not encounter another person.”

Planning your visit to the Bardiya National Park? Go ahead and get the memories that stay with you for the lifetime!

Similar:

• Nepal National Parks – A True Harmony of Nature & The Wildlife
• Nepal, The Perfect Tourism Destination for an Unforgettable Holiday Experience
• Adventure Tourism – The Extreme Side of Nepal

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In its tiger census report released on September 23, 2018, the Government of Nepal reported a two-fold rise in the country’s tiger population in the last decade.

According to the report, Nepal’s tiger population has almost doubled from 121 tigers in 2009 to 235 at present.

This announcement comes as ‘ray of hope’ to global conservationists worried over the diminishing tiger population and also makes Nepal the ‘first country to be in line with the international goal of doubling tiger population by 2022’.

“The current growth of tiger population is a landmark achievement for the country. With the current progress, we can easily fulfil our global commitment of doubling our tiger population in 2022,” says  Shakti Basnet Forest and Environment Minister.

This also proved Nepal’s commitment to conservation of big cats as promised under the Global Tiger Recovery Plan (TX2), a global initiative endorsed by 13 countries (home to wild tigers) as part of the 2010 Saint Petersburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation.

While the country had 125 tigers at the time of declaration, continuous efforts since then helped the country see a further growth of 198 tigers by 2013 and further to the current number, which is nearly-doubled.

“The progress is very satisfactory, and we are very close to making the TX2 which is the global goal,” says Ghana S Gurung, Country Representative of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Nepal.

Challenges at Country’s Largest Reserve!
Meanwhile, the country’s largest wildlife reserve and home to the largest number of wild tigers Chitwan National Park (CNP) reports a declining trend in tiger population in its zone.

The report found that the adult tiger population in CNP has declined from 120 (as of 2013 survey) to 93 at present.

However, the country’s wildlife officials feel that the number looks significant as CNP hasn’t been conducting tiger census since the last five years.

“There was an annual internal tiger count in other national parks, but it wasn’t done in Chitwan for five years,” says Gopal Prasad Bhattarai, Deputy Director General for the Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation.

Whereas, Gurung says, “Tiger numbers can go up and down. Tigers fight among themselves and die. Then there is migration. Tigers from Chitwan might have migrated to Parsa National Park, where the population has gone up.”

Government statistics report a death of nearly 33 tigers in the last four years in protected areas due to natural causes, with 11 deaths in CNP alone including 6 in the last one year.

The tiger census began in November 2017 dividing country’s tiger potential across three divisions namely Chitwan-Parsa Complex, Banke-Bardiya Complex and Shukla-Laljhadi-Jogbudha Complex.

Besides natural deaths, activities like poaching, habitat fragmentation and illicit trading continue to be other serious challenges in tiger conservation.

“Controlling tiger poaching and management of the habitat is important for tiger conservation. With proper management of habitat, prey base can be improved, which will ultimately increase tiger density,” says Gurung.

Also Read:

• Tiger Population in Nepal 2018
• Nepal Research Centre Uses Comprehensive Database to Crackdown Tiger Poaching
• Wildlife Conservation: India, Nepal To Estimate Tiger Population

The post Nepal Atop in Tiger Conservation, Meets Intl Goals in Decade appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

The World Tiger Day (WTD) 2018 shed light on need for awareness about tiger population globally along with challenges and success stories of tiger conservationists in achieving the same.

While the World Wide Fund (WWF) 2018 reports rise in tiger population in its 2016 report, tiger conservationists took on social media on the eve of WT 2018 voicing their concerns about the current status of tiger conservation, globally.

When it comes to conserving biodiversity, Nepal holds a special place in the world as a home to some of the world’s rare flora and fauna- Tigers among them.

World Tiger Day 2018 in Nepal
In line with the global convention taken at Saint Petersburg of Russia in 2010, Nepal has been successfully observing the World Tiger Day on July 29 of every year.

Continuing the journey, Nepal celebrated the World Tiger Day 2018 on a grand scale amid wide range of programs and discussions on ways towards successful conservation of big cats!

Nepal observed the World Tiger Day 2018 under the theme: ‘Fresh Ecology for Tigers’ Protection’.

To mark the seventh edition of the day, Nepal’s Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation planned various special programs across the country.

However, the most-awaited Tiger Census Report by Nepal Government was not released on the occasion, leaving a little disappointment for the related stakeholders of the country.

The government feels that it would require additional time for a detailed analysis of the scenario before coming up with final survey report.

After field work, we began data analysis on May 15. We have to analyze and compare every single picture from the field. Since we also have to go through data similarly processed by the Valmiki Tiger Reserve of India, it is likely to take more time, says
Gopal Prakash Bhattarai, DG, Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC)

Nepal Forest and Environment Ministry Secretary Bishwa Nath Oli attributes the delay to additional measures needed to maintain accuracy in the survey.

“We have to best utilize science, technology and our own experience rather than misusing it in the rush. The government will publish the report at the right time after conducting a thorough analysis of available data,” says Oli.

The country’s potential tiger reserves are basically across three regions: Chitwan-Parsa, Banke-Bardiya and Shukla-Laljhadi-Jogbudha, which are further categorized into a total of 1,887 grids with each covering a 4 sq.km area.

As part of the survey, a total of 1,643 camera traps were installed across these grids to monitor and record tiger movement.

It’s noteworthy here that Nepal has been at the forefront with regard to one of the most-endangered snow leopard species and has already put forth its plans towards conserving the same.

Alarming Scenario
Nepal began the nation-wide tiger census on November 30, 2017 beginning with the Parsa National Park.

This delay in release of the report gave scope to rise of concerns over the dismaying decrease of tiger population in the country’s tiger reserves especially the Chitwan National Park (CNP), a protected area with the highest number of big cats in the country.

While the 2013 census report records adult tiger population in CNP at 125, the latest reports show some alarming decline of the same i.e. nearly 11 deaths in the last three years including six in 2017-18 alone.

According to the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), Nepal saw deaths of 33 tigers in the last five years across the country’s protected areas due to natural disasters.

Need of the Hour!
The Global Tiger Day was established following a global convention agreed upon among heads of nearly 13 countries as part of a conference held at Saint Petersburg of Russia in 2010.

For the first time in more than 100 years, WWF reported a rise in tiger population in April 2016.

As the records show, the world currently has around 3,890 tigers across the forests more than an estimated 3,200 recorded in 2010.

This rise is majorly attributed to effective conservation measures taken over the period.

According to conservationists, intensive poaching activity is causing a major hurdle for the increasing tiger population, majorly for their fur and bones for medicinal purposes.

Looking at this scenario, global biologists feel that continuing such a trend may lead to full extinction of tigers in the coming ten years.

Let’s hope the global conservation strategy and related measures to double tiger population by 2022 would address existing concerns pertaining to tiger population.

Also Read: 

• Wildlife Conservation: Nationwide Tiger Census Underway in Nepal
• Wildlife Conservation: India, Nepal To Estimate Tiger Population

The post World Tiger Day 2018: Nepal Continues Tiger Conservation Measures appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

This is evident in the role the country has been playing over the years towards conservation of endangered flora and fauna.

Contributing to the global efforts towards conservation of endangered species, Nepal’s Chitwan National Park (CNP) has taken a landmark decision of gifting 26 rhinoceros to the different nations.

In a new update, CNP has reportedly offered six rhinos: one to America, four to India and two each to Japan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Thailand, Austria, Britain, China and Germany, informed Ved Prasad Dhakal, Chief Conservation Officer, CNP.

With the latest move, the number of rhinos CNP has gifted to world nations so far reached 30.

As per the records, CNP gave four of its rhinos to Dudhuwa of India for the first time in 1985, followed by another pair of rhinos to Austria in 2006, among others.

Prior to this, Nepal reportedly bought elephants from Myanmar, Thailand and India in exchange of rhinos.

According to the former Chief Conservation Officer Ramprit Yadav, Nepal has so far bought 16 elephants from India alone in exchange of rhinos, and the move of gifting rhinos is part of enhancing ties with the world nations.

The step also helps in boosting the world rhino population, he says, adding that it would be great if Nepal can get Panda from China in exchange of rhinos.

Besides rhinos, Nepal also gifted gharial and magar crocodiles to various countries.

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The 14^th edition of this annual five-day event features elephant football, elephant bath, elephant walk, elephant picnic and elephant beauty contest, among others. Elephant picnic was added to the show three years ago.

” We have been organizing this festival to enhance human-wildlife relation by engaging them into sports and fun, and to promote Chitwan tourism. All our games and activities will revolve around elephants,” says Festival Coordinator Suman Ghimire Ghimire.

Besides elephant games, the event also showcases ethnic dances, cultural procession and musical programs with stalls covering wide varieties of local foods.

This festival is aimed at boosting Nepal tourism and promoting wild life conservation, and attracts hundreds of domestic and foreign tourists to Chitwan every year.

It is noteworthy that Chitwan National Park is famous for various endangered species like one-horned rhinos, and elephant safari is one of the major attractions of the park.

Despite of its position as a pioneer for elephant games, Chitwan lags proper reputation as that of other domestic tourism destinations like Pokhara and Kathmandu, say Nepali tourism entrepreneurs.

“Around 800,000 foreign tourists visit Nepal annually, but unfortunately Chitwan receives only 25 percent of them. We believe such festivals will attract more foreign tourists towards wildlife adventure,” Keshav Pandey, Director at Green Park Chitwan resort.

The event lasts till December 30, 2017.

The post Wildlife Conservation: Nepal’s Elephant Fest 2017 Begins appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

The census was launched by Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation (MoFSC) Secretary Yubak Dhoj GC at a ceremony held at PNP.

The survey would cover all the protected areas and forest areas that are prone to tiger population.

Its noteworthy here that a separate national tiger survey conducted, since the last census, inside the protected areas indicated a gradual rise in the country’s tiger population over the years.

“We are hoping to reach the goal earlier than other countries because of our improved tiger conservation. It won’t be a big surprise if Nepal emerges as the only country succeeding in doubling its tiger population by the assigned year,” says Man Bahadur Khadka, Director General of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC).

On the other side, Nepal and India have also planned for a joint initiative to conduct tiger census.

“This is the first time we are conducting tiger population survey simultaneously. Such initiation will minimize the duplication of tigers, which roam around the protected areas of the both countries,” says Khadka.

The census will be conducted using 1,200 high-tech automatic cameras method. “This is very scientific and reliable method to know about the tiger population in our protected areas,” informed Khadka.

A 66-day-long Survey

The census would be conducted in three complexes divided based on tiger habitat, including Chitwan-Parsa Complex, Banke-Bardiya Complex and Shukla-Laljhadi-Jogbudha Complex, which are further divided into total 1887 grids, each under an area of 4 sq.km.

Besides technology, the 66-day census will also involve human resources and elephants.

Human resources from the DNPWC, National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), protected areas officials, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Nepal, Nepal Army, District Forest Offices, and representatives from the buffer zone committees, among others, are being mobilized for the count.

While the total project cost is estimated at Rs 32 million, the WWF Nepal, Zoological Society of London Nepal and NTNC are extending financial, technical and managerial assistance.

Rise in Tiger Population

Nepal has endorsed the ‘Tiger Conservation Action Plan for Nepal (2016-2020)’ for tiger conservation.

According to a 2013 census, Nepal’s tiger population stands at 198, with 120 in Chitwan National Park (CNP) alone, followed by 50 in Bardiya National Park (BNP), 17 in Shuklaphanta National Park (SNP), seven in PNP and four in Banke National Park.

The current move by Nepal is line with its commitment to the Global Tiger Recovery Plan endorsed at the 2010 St Petersburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation.

Under the commitment, Nepal is targeting at doubling its tiger population up to 250 or more by 2022.

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In a first of its kind exercise, Nepal will be coordinating with India in the latter’s efforts towards estimate the tiger count.

Officials from both the countries have formed a resolution in this regard in a recently-held meeting to simultaneously estimate the number of tigers.

“The resolution was passed and now we will work on the module which will be followed along the border,” says Nishant Verma, DIG of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), who was one of the key attendees of the meeting.

Both the sides also discussed trans-boundary cooperation to fight against wildlife crime through regular meetings on the issue, joint patrolling and exchange of information, among other measures.

Core Idea of the Planned Survey

This initiative by India and Nepal gains significance in view of the recent revelation by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Initiative, wherein, it said that ‘there were about 11 tigers that reached Nepal boosting the population of the specie which was under severe poaching threat’.

The idea behind this initiative is to synchronize the monitoring process of big cats across the Indo-Nepal border areas.

In India, monitoring of tiger reserves is done annually through the Phase IV analysis, followed by the estimation exercise across states once in every four years.

Whereas, Nepal’s monitoring activity has been based on protocols of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the apex body that checks tiger conservation in India.

Nepal has around 200 tigers compared to India, which reported 2,226 tigers in its last estimation in 2014-15.

Initiative to Help India and Nepal

“We share common boundary and this comprehensive estimation will help both countries in estimating tiger numbers especially on border areas,” says Bivash Pandav, Scientist at Wildlife Institute of India.

The joint exercise will extend from Dudhwa National Park of Uttar Pradesh till the Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary and Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary of Nepal. Valmiki Tiger Reserve of Bihar, Pilibhit Tiger Reserve of UP, Chitwan National Park and Shukhlaphanta of Nepal would be covered in the process.

Whereas in Uttarakhand, the boundary is shared across Pithoragarh and Campawat forest divisions.

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A three-month long campaign has been launched at the Chitwan National Park (CNP) to counter poaching and conserve the habitats of wildlife during the monsoon season.

Nurendra Aryal, the CNP Information Officer, said that the park receives minimal tourist influx during this period which provides an unhindered opportunity for poachers to proceed with their activities. He added that patrolling would be intensified in the sensitive zones and areas where the wildlife frequently gathers would be specifically monitored at all times.

The Chief Conservation Officer of the park, Ram Chandra Kandel, informed that they will conduct an awareness program to educate the local community about the importance of wildlife conservation and also involve stakeholders from the Community Forest Office, District Forest Office and Nepal Army among others in their efforts.

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