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Conservation, Zero Poaching and Stockpiles Management in Nepal
Siddhartha Bajra Bajracharya, PhD
Executive Director
National Trust for Nature Conservation
NEPAL
Bangkok Conference on Science, Technology, and Innovation for Addressing Wildlife and Forest Crimes and Attaining SDGs
28 – 30 August 2018
Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand
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Presentation structure
• Biodiversity conservation in Nepal
• “Zero poaching”
• Wildlife crime
• Wildlife stockpiles management
• Conclusion
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Biodiversity Conservation
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Sub-alpine
forests
Alpine and
Tundra
Upper
Temperate Forests
Temperate
broad-leaved forest
Tropical and
Sub-tropical forest
8,848m
60m200 km60m from MSL
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Conservation in Nepal
• The protection of biodiversity in Nepal began with enactment of National Park & Wildlife Conservation Act 1973.
• Chitwan National Park was established as the first Protected Area in 1973.
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0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
40000
1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
Sq. K
m
Growth of Protected Areas (Sq. Km)
12
11
6
12
Different categories of Protected Areas
National Park Wildlife Reserve Hunting Reserve Conservation Area Buffer Zone
23.39% PA with 40+ % forest cover
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63% increase in the populaton
121
198250
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
2009 2013 2022Total Number
TX2
Tiger population
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Adequate prey base to support growing tiger population
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Chitwan
Rhino populationRhino population
Rhino mortality
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Snow leopard population
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6139 47
57 4981 73
166
2004 2005 2006 2008 2010 2011 2013 2016
Gharial Number in Chitwan
Number of Gharials Released 965
Gharial population
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205195
141
111
5266 68
43 43
68 71 75
111
20
02
20
03
20
06
20
08
20
09
20
10
20
11
20
12
20
13
20
14
20
15
20
16
20
17
White-rumped Vulture
Vulture population
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Bengal Florican population
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ExistingSpecies Year
Elephant 2009-2018
Vulture 2015-2019
Bengal Florican 2016-2020
Tiger 2016-2020
Snow Leopard 2017-2021
Rhino 2017-2021
Gharial 2018-2022
Pangolin 2018-2022
Upcoming
Red PandaPheasants
Species Action Plans
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Zero Poaching
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365 Days of Zero Poaching
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No poaching of RHINO
No rhino killed in the 365 days – (2011) (2013-14) (2014-15) (2017-18)
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Technological intervention
Technological interventionReal time SMART patrolling
CCTV based surveillance
GPS-based Radio Collaring
ID-based Rhino Monitoring
Use of drone
Social interventionBuffer Zone community mobilization
Community-based Anti-poaching units
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Wildlife Stockpiles Management
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Wildlife Crime
• Wildlife trafficking involves many distinct markets, each with its own drivers & dynamics.
• The trafficking has a significant threat to many plant and animal species.• The World Wildlife Crime Report 2016 produced by UNODC shows over 164,000
seizures from 120 countries.
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Confiscated Wildlife Parts
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Major Species in Wildlife Trade
• Rhino
• Tiger & Its Parts
• Red Panda
• Leopard
• Shahtoosh
• Pangolin Scales
• Birds
• Musk Pod
• Elephant Tusk
• Turtle
• Snake
BIG 5s OF NEPAL
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Wildlife Crime
• Wildlife crime is one of the significant threats to our conservation effort.
• Nepal is a source and a transit country.• This crime shows an increasing trend due
to:• Low awareness level;• Limited livelihood opportunities; • Weak law enforcement;• Porous border; and • Inadequate trans-boundary coordination.
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Wildlife stockpiles management in Nepal
• The long-standing efforts of the Government of Nepal have created a large volume of wildlife stockpiles.
• The majority of such stockpiles was derived from two major sources:
a) Confiscation: Wildlife parts or products confiscated in wildlife crime cases
b) Natural causes: Wildlife stockpiles collected after death due to natural causes
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Wildlife stockpiles management
• Growing attention has been given on ensuring adequate wildlife stockpiles management primarily from a ‘law enforcement’ perspective.
• High cost for the management of increasing volume of wildlife stockpiles.
• The potential for the illegal trade from the stockpiles could seriously undermine ongoing conservation efforts.
• Good stockpile management practices can help prevent leakage of stores into illicit markets.
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Wildlife stockpiles management in Nepal
The wildlife stockpiles management system includes the following components.
• Stockpile inventory • Methods to handle all types of stockpiles (measurement, packing and storing)• Datasheet that capture all necessary stockpile information• Decision for further actions during handling
• Stockpile sampling• Laboratory samples for future research • Reference samples for law enforcement and education
• Stockpile database• A web-based database application
• Stockpile destruction • Destroy by burning
• Post-destruction • Monitor retained items and laboratory samples
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Stockpile inventory
• Methods to handle all types of stockpiles (measurement, packing and storing)
• Datasheet that capture all necessary stockpile information
• Decision for further actions during handling
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Stockpile sample collection
Laboratory samples for future research
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Stockpile sample collection
Reference samples for law enforcement and education
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Stockpiles database
• A web-based Wildlife Stockpile Database Management System (WSDMS) to record all information available on wildlife stockpiles in a systematic and efficient way.
• A data storage, analysis, and management tool for stockpiles of wildlife products.
• Designed for all types of stockpiles
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Stockpiles database
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Wildlife stockpiles burning
• The Government of Nepal made a decision to destroy stockpiles.
• 4012 items of 48 species were destroyed on May 2017.
• Wildlife parts of 18 species included in the CITES Appendix I were among them.
• 67 tiger skins and 357 rhino horns
• No ivory was destroyed in the destruction
• Detailed auditing of stockpiles was done before the burning.
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Wildlife stockpiles burning(for the first time in 20 years)
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Wildlife stockpiles burning
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Key Challenges
• Effectively managing the network of the protected area system• Conserve to enhance quality of life of people• Doubling the tiger population by 2022• Maintain the legacy of ‘Zero Poaching Year’• Zero tolerance towards wildlife crime• Needs more effective ‘cutting-edge technologies’
Conclusion