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Kathmandu Saturday February 03, 2001 Magh 21, 2057.
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WWF for conservation of Chure hills
By Yagya Bikram Shahi
BARDIYA, Feb 2 - The Worlwide Fund for Nature(WWF), Nepal has begun a
long-term programme for the conservation of the western Terai and Chure hills, one of the
best habitats for Royal Bengal tiger, one-horned Asiatic rhino and elephant.
The WWF-Nepal has implemented its master plan with a view to preserve the
Terai and Chure hills jungle, extending from Parsa Reserve in the east to Rajaji National
Park in the north-western region of India. The 100 years plan is to be implemented under
its Terai Arch Landscape Nepal (TALN) programme.
Programme Co-ordinator and Director of WWF-Nepal, Anil Manandhar, said that
an eight-member study team would carry out its on-the-spot studies around Lamahi and
Butwal, the most sensitive junctions for wildlife movement between Parsa Wildlife Reserve
in the east and Royal Bardiya National Park in the west.
Although the government announced to expand Royal Bardiya National Park from
its current 968 square km to 1,790 square km, experts fear that the forest cover in the
extended area would be destroyed and there would be problem in land management.
The government announced to extend the forest area without developing a
required infrastructure, experts say. Biologists point out the need for regular movement
of wildlife from one habitat to another with different climatic zone to maintain their
pedigree.
"There should be a close link between the enormous Terai and Chure hill
area for maintaining bio-diversity," Royal Bardiya National Park biologist, Naresh
Subedi, says. The WWF has identified 236 habitats as endangered areas out of the total 800
habitats around the world. Among them, the WWF has included Nepal’s Western
Terai-Chure as an endangered region that needs to be protected from being encroached upon.
The TALN has decided to declare the region as a protected area.
Sushila Nepali, Deputy-Director of the TALN, says that the programme will
co-ordinate between the Department of Forest and the Department of National Parks and
Wildlife Conservation, both the government entities. The WWF Nepal has been working
together with the government since early 70s.
The TALN has a plan to connect the three densely-tiger-populated conservation
units - Banke-Bardiya (Nepal), Kailali-Dudhawa (Nepal and India) and Shuklaphanta-Kisanpur
(Nepal and India) - via wildlife corridors. To achieve the goal of developing the wildlife
corridors from north to south, there should be an understanding between the
Nepali and Indian side. Though there is no disagreement, in principle,
between the two sides about the conservation of wildlife, strong commitment is required to
achieve the desired goal.
WWF’s Coordinator Manandhar says, "The wildlife issues were raised
during the talks on border between the two countries. But no formal agreement has so far
been signed yet". However, a letter of understanding has been reached between the WWF
Nepal and WWF India. The plan of developing the wildlife corridor between the wildlife
habitats of the two countries was envisaged five years ago. The international standard
requires that atleast two km wide forest or agriculture area should be allocated for the
cross-movement of large wild animals.
People’s participation is a must to protect the wildlife and
bio-diversity of the western Terai-Chure hill, habitat of the large wild animals - tiger,
rhino and elephant.
Chairman of Thakurdwara VDC, Krishna Prasad Wagle, opines that the goal of
protecting wildlife habitats cannot be achieved without getting the local people involved
in the programme.
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