Ecological Monitoring and Conservation of Vultures in Jajarkot District, Nepal
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Ecological Monitoring and Conservation of Vultures in Jajarkot District, Nepal Report Submitted to: Oriental Bird Club, United Kingdom Submitted by: Khadananda Paudel Krishna Prasad Bhusal Bird Conservation Nepal P.O. Box 12465, Lazimpat, Kathmandu, Nepal www.birdlifenepal.org November, 2015 Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ........................................................................................................................ I SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................... II INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................... 1 PROJECT AREA .................................................................................................................................... 2 OBJECTIVES ......................................................................................................................................... 2 METHODOLOGY and RESULTS .......................................................................................................... 3 Fieldwork Efforts ................................................................................................................................ 3 Vulture Species and Number ............................................................................................................... 3 Survey and Ecological Monitoring ....................................................................................................... 4 Bird Survey in Jajarkot District ............................................................................................................ 4 Capacity Enhancement Training to Local NGO and Community Awareness ........................................ 5 School Education Programme .............................................................................................................. 5 Jajarkot District Declared as Diclofenac Free Zone .............................................................................. 6 KEY ACHIEVEMENTS ......................................................................................................................... 7 KEY RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................................................ 7 REFERENCES........................................................................................................................................ 8 ANNEX-1: List of bird species recorded during the trip (April 2014 and February 2015). ...................... 10 ANNEX-2: Number of vultures seen in trail .......................................................................................... 14 ANNEX-3: Vulture nest status and location in Jajarkot District ............................................................. 14 ANNEX-4: Some Photos ....................................................................................................................... 15 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We would like to acknowledge Oriental Bird Club (OBC), UK and Royal Society for Protection of Birds (RSPB), UK for funding and supporting the project. We would like to thank Dr David Buckingham for his cooperation for the project. We would like to express our deep gratitude to Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN), Barekot Environmental and Development Campaign (BEDC), Jajarkot, District Livestock Service Office (DLSO), Jajarkot for supporting the project. We highly appreciate the support and guidance of Dr. Narendra Man Babu Pradhan and Ishana Thapa. Our sincere thanks go to Harihar Singh Rathour, Govinda Bahadur Singh, Badri Panta, Bhupal Nepali and Ishwari Prasad Chaudhary for their tireless work during the project implementation. Finally, we would like to thank local youths, local organizations and local communities, veterinary practitioners, media personnel and district government authorities of Jajarkot district for their kind support, feedback and provide local knowledge during our fieldwork. I SUMMARY Vultures are the primary consumers of carrion in Asia and Africa; they dispose dead animals in nature and help in preventing the spread of zoonotic diseases. Four species of vultures in Asia are in grave danger of extinction across the Indian subcontinent due to toxic drug diclofenac. This project remained crucial for the exploration and ecological monitoring of Critically Endangered Red-headed Vulture nest in Jajarkot district. Only three nests of Red-headed Vulture have been identified in Nepal and are being monitored, among these three one active nest of Red-headed Vulture in Pinus rouxburghii tree was identified in Jajarkot through this project and is being monitored regularly now. The pair identified became successful to fledge chick in breeding season 2014-2015. Similarly one active nest of Egyptian Vulture also became successful with 100% breeding success. Five active nests of Himalayan Griffon were monitored of which three nests became success with 60% breeding success. One occupied nest of Bearded Vulture was also observed during the field visit. Detail bird survey was also carried out during the project implementation which recorded a total of 146 species of birds including Globally Threatened Cheer Pheasant, Red-headed Vulture, Egyptian Vulture and Nationally Threatened Satyr Tragopan, Bearded Vulture, Himalayan Griffon, Brown Fish Owl and Protected bird of Nepal Himalayan Monal. Jajarkot district was declared as ‘46th Vet Diclofenac Free District’ in Nepal by the local government authorities and stakeholders. 2230 Sq. km area of project site occupies Diclofenac Free Zone as a part of Provisional Vulture Safe Zone in Nepal. One day awareness programme was organized in Lanha-6, Pokhara of Jajarkot district to raise the awareness and familiarize local community and stakeholders with vulture conservation efforts. Some focal persons of community and members of local NGO named Barekot Environmental and Development Campaign (BEDC) were trained for vulture identification and nest monitoring. School Education Programme was done selecting six schools in the vicinity of vulture nesting site of Jajarkot in which a total of 669 students and 40 teachers participated. II INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND Out of nine vultures species in Nepal, four species namely White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis, Long-billed Vulture G. indicus Slender-billed Vulture G. tenuirostris and Red- headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus are listed as critically endangered by IUCN. Research and monitoring of vulture species undertaken in lowland areas revealed declines of 91% for White- rumped Vulture, and 96% for Slender-billed Vulture between 1995 and 2011 (Chaudhary et al., 2012). Vultures are highly susceptible to Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatary Drug, diclofenac, they are exposed to the drug through the carcasses of treated livestock. Diclofenac kills gyps vultures (Oaks et al., 2004; Swan et al., 2006) including Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis (Das et al., 2010) and possibly other species as they too have declined (Cuthbert et al., 2006; Acharya et al., 2009). In order to halt the decline of these critically endangered birds, Government of Nepal put ban on production, import and use of veterinary diclofenac in 2006 and endorsed Vulture Conservation Action Plan for Nepal (2009-13) in 2009. The main objective of Vulture Conservation Action Plan was to prevent the extinction of vulture species by ensuring re-introduction, safe food supply, maintenance of suitable habitat and better understanding of the ecological importance of these birds in Nepal with a goal to revive viable population of vultures in the wild. Vulture Conservation and Breeding Centre was established inside Chitwan National Park in 2008 by Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), with supports from National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN), Royal Society for Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Zoological Society of London (ZSL) (MoFSC, 2014). In addition to this, seven community managed Vulture Safe Feeding Sites have been established in Nawalparasi, Rupandehi, Dang, Kailali, Kaski and Sunsari districts of Nepal from 2007-2013 (Paudel, 2013; Himalayan Nature, 2015). The project aimed at exploring the habitat of vultures in Jajrkot district as well as identifying the species of birds in the area, expanding diclofenac free zones and doing some awareness activities for the conservation of vultures in the project area. 1 PROJECT AREA The project area is Jajarkot district of Bheri Zone in mid-western region of Nepal. The total population of the district is 171,304 (2011 census) with a density of 77/km². It covers an area of 2,230 km²and is located between N28°37'22" to 29°07'32" and E81°49'22" and 82°34'46". The district has 30 VDCs. Darim Lek (5440m) is the highest altitude and 610 m is the lowest altitude within the district. The climate of the district ranges from subtropical to alpine condition. Most of the nests of vultures are situated in Barekot area; the northern part of Jajarkot district. In Lanha VDC ward no 6 there is located a nest of Critically Endangered Red-headed Vulture. The nest has been made in the trunk of Pine (Pinus roxburghii) tree. Besides it other vulture are cliff breeding species thus their nests are located mountain rocky cliff of Shakla and Nayakbanda VDCs. This project area occupies 2,230 square kilometer area to the existing provisional Vulture Safe Zone in Nepal. OBJECTIVES The aim of project