NEPAL ANNUAL REPORT 2020 CONTENTS MESSAGE 3 HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR (FY 2019-2020) 4 WILDLIFE 7 FORESTS 13 CLIMATE & ENERGY 19 FRESHWATER 23 GOVERNANCE 27 COMMUNICATIONS & EDUCATION 31 TEN YEARS OF HARIYO BAN PROGRAM 34 FINANCIAL SUMMARY 42 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 43 © WWF 2020 All rights reserved. Any reproduction of this publication in full or in part must mention the title and credit WWF. Published by: WWF Nepal PO Box: 7660 Baluwatar, Kathmandu, Nepal T: +977 1 4434820, F: +977 1 4438458 [email protected], www.wwfnepal.org Cover photo: ©WWF Nepal Designed by: Kazi Studios ©Emmanuel Rondeau/WWF-US ABOUT WWF NEPAL From its origins as a small group of committed wildlife enthusiasts, WWF has grown into one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, active in over 100 countries. Over this time, WWF’s focus has evolved from localized efforts in favor of a single species and individual habitats to an ambitious strategy to preserve biodiversity and achieve sustainable development across the globe. WWF first started working in Nepal in 1967 through a rhino conservation program in Chitwan, however the WWF Nepal office was formally established only in 1993. WWF’s work in Nepal is centered on five thematic goals – forests, wildlife, freshwater, climate & energy and governance across the Terai Arc Landscape (TAL), Sacred Himalayan Landscape (SHL), Chitwan Annapurna Landscape (CHAL) and National Conservation Priority Areas (NCPA). The effective delivery of conservation results under the five thematic areas are supported by crosscutting programs on sustainable livelihoods, monitoring and evaluation, knowledge management, communications and conservation education. At WWF, we firmly believe people and nature are inextricably linked. Through the years, WWF Nepal has progressed towards a landscape approach that prioritizes community-based conservation as the foundation for a sustainable future, benefiting approximately 2.1 million people. Guided by the Government of Nepal’s priorities for biodiversity conservation, WWF Nepal works closely with the Ministry of Forests and Environment through the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and Department of Forests and Soil Conservation. Besides the national priority areas, WWF Nepal also works in conservationDedicated mothers: issues tigresses of regional raise their andcubs ©Emmanuel Rondeau/WWF-US transboundary importance.alone, protecting them from predators and teaching them how to hunt. WWF NEPAL ANNUAL REPORT 2020 1 COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVE MESSAGE Nepal is not immune to the challenges of conservation, but the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded these challenges at a global scale. While the past year has been a difficult one, there have also been defining moments–of joy, togetherness and innovation–demonstrative of the spirit of together possible. This past year, Nepal made history by satellite collaring two Whereas under the Freshwater practice Nepal embarks on snow leopards in its Western Himalayan Landscape with its first ever assessment of Power System Pathways and High©WWF vital support from local citizen scientists. This was shortly Conservation Value Rivers. Significant progress has also been followed by the discovery of Nepal’s first High Altitude made under WWF Nepal’s newly established Governance Tiger, paving the way for close transboundary partnerships practice with the proposed development of 14 dedicated in conserving these critical flagship species. Over the past wildlife crossing structures and a pilot of five canopy bridges decade, WWF Nepal has been actively working to restore in Banke National Park. Additionally, 17 municipalities were herbivore assemblages in their historical ranges, finally also supported in the drafting of Environmental and Natural succeeding in establishing a second viable population Resource Conservation Acts and 253 marginalized right of blackbucks in Shuklaphanta National Park this year. holders and duty bearers capacitated. Meanwhile, in a first for South Asia, Nepal also hosted the World Ranger Congress with the largest ever gathering Despite the challenges faced, this year we reaffirmed and of rangers and culminating in the signing of the Chitwan showcased how government commitment, community Declaration. stewardship and strong partnerships can propel Nepal towards greater heights in conservation. These achievements Meanwhile our initiatives in forestry sector helped bring are but tiny steps forward in a long and arduous journey 42,959 hectares of forests under improved management, towards a future in which humans can live in harmony with benefiting 25,539 forest dependent households through nature, and the time for transformative action is now. The WWF supported livelihood diversification measures and challenge we face today is indicative of the delicate balance forest-based enterprises. Under the climate and energy we must maintain with nature, and we stand at a pivotal practice, WWF Nepal added 427,265 tons of carbon moment in history with the opportunity to reverse damages emission reductions through the second crediting period and build a safer future - for people and the planet. of Phase I of Nepal’s Gold Standard VER Project, bringing the total emission reductions to 952,889 tons. This year, we’ve also taken steps to reflect environmental goals at an operational level with WWF Nepal making significant Dr. Ghana S Gurung headway in moving towards carbon neutrality. Country Representative © Wim van Passel / WWF WWF NEPAL ANNUAL REPORT 2020 3 FLAGSHIP TIGER PUBLICATION SATELLITE TELEMETRY SCOPE OF COOPERATION LAUNCHED - THE X FACTOR: NEPAL’S IMPLEMENTATION GUIDELINE BETWEEN MINISTRY OF FORESTS JOURNEY TO TX2 APPROVED BY MINISTRY OF FORESTS AND ENVIRONMENT AND WWF AND ENVIRONMENT NEPAL REVISED TO ESTABLISH ASSESSMENT OF POWER SYSTEM STATE LEVEL COORDINATION HIGHLIGHTS PATHWAYS AND HIGH CONSERVATION MECHANISM FOR PROGRAM VALUE RIVERS INITIATED FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL IMPLEMENTATION FIRST TIME IN NEPAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION ACT (ENRCA) FRAMEWORK APPROVED BY OF THE YEAR 150+ TEACHERS TRAINED ON MINISTRY OF FEDERAL AFFAIRS AND GENERAL ADMINISTRATION GREEN SCHOOL GUIDELINES AND 60 EARTH HOUR NEPAL MARKED ADDITIONAL ECO-CLUBS ESTABLISHED DIGITALLY WITH A DIGITAL REACH ACROSS SIX DISTRICTS OF 4.5 MILLION AND 9.2 MILLION IN SOCIAL MEDIA IMPRESSIONS SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT JULY 2019 SEPTEMBER 2019 OCTOBER 2019 MANUAL PUBLISHED MARCH 2020 NOVEMBER 2019 DECEMBER 2019 JANUARY 2020 NATIONAL LEVEL ECOSYSTEM APRIL 2020 9TH WORLD RANGER CONGRESS ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL AND FOREST TYPES MAPPING SUCCESSFULLY HELD IN CHITWAN (AND IN SAFEGUARDS FRAMEWORK FOR INITIATED IN THE COUNTRY TIGER SIGHTED AT RECORD HIGH ASIA) FOR THE FIRST TIME TERAI ARC LANDSCAPE SCREENED AND ALTITUDE OF ~2500M IN WESTERN, NEPAL APPROVED NATIONAL RIVER BASIN STRATEGY TWO SNOW LEOPARDS SUCCESSFULLY AND ACTION PLAN INITIATED SATELLITE COLLARED FOR THE FIRST FIRST NATIONAL PARK WIDE SNOW COVID-19 PREPAREDNESS SUPPORT TIME IN SHEY PHOKSUNDO NATIONAL LEOPARD CAMERA TRAP SURVEY EXTENDED TO 20 PROTECTED AREAS PARK IN NEPAL'S WESTERN HIMALAYAN CONDUCTED IN SHEY PHOKSUNDO AND 44 DIVISIONAL FOREST OFFICES LANDSCAPE NATIONAL PARK FEBRUARY 2020 WILDLIFE DAMAGE INSURANCE MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY, SECOND VIABLE ZERO POACHING OF RHINOS ACHIEVED MECHANISM SUCCESSFULLY PILOTED GOLD STANDARD VERIFIED EMISSION TOURISM, FOREST AND POPULATION OF ON SEVEN OCCASIONS (2011-2020) UNDER A PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP REDUCTION SALE AND PURCHASE ENVIRONMENT, ADOPTS BLACKBUCKS MODEL IN A BUFFER ZONE OF CHITWAN AGREEMENT SIGNED WITH MYCLIMATE THE KARNALI PROVINCE ESTABLISHED IN NATIONAL PARK TOURISM MASTER PLAN SHUKLAPHANTA AND FEASIBILITY STUDY NATIONAL PARK OF TOURISM ROUTES WWF NEPAL ANNUAL REPORT 2020 5 WILDLIFE NEPAL’S FIRST HIGH ALTITUDE TIGER RECORDED AT ~2500M 7 OCCASIONS OF ZERO POACHING FOR NEPAL’S RHINOS 140,635+ HOUSEHOLDS BENEFITED FROM HABITAT AND CORRIDOR EFFORTS 6 SNOW LEOPARDS SUCCESSFULLY SATELLITE ©DNPWC/WWF Nepal COLLARED (1993-2020) WWF NEPAL ANNUAL REPORT 2020 7 HIGH ALTITUDE TIGER A tiger was sighted at a record high altitude of ~2500m in the forests of Dadeldhura, beyond Nepal’s known tiger distribution range in the Terai Arc Landscape. The finding validates former studies and qualifies Nepal as a high- altitude tiger habitat site. This opens up possibilities of a contiguous habitat for tigers spanning the transboundary landscape - from the Churia forest range in Nepal, to the Boom, Danda and Champawat forest ranges in India. The finding also opens avenues for research on the relatively understudied Mahabharata range and understanding on tiger’s use of such high-altitude habitats, widens opportunities for strengthened transboundary conservation and provides a safe dispersal pathway between protected areas. ©DNPWC/WWF Nepal ENCOUNTERING THE ELUSIVE IMPROVING CRITICAL HABITATS Two male snow leopards were sucessfully GPS collared in Approximately 3,000 ha of critical habitats – grasslands, Shey Phoksundo National Park (SPNP), Dolpa on 16 and riverine, pasturelands, refugia, wetlands – were protected, 18 November 2019 making them the first satellite collared managed and restored this fiscal year across WWF Nepal’s snow leopards in Nepal’s Western Himalayan Landscape working landscapes through removal of invasive species (WHL). Captured at 4171m, the first snow leopard weighing and woody perennials, grassland management, ensuring 38 kgs was named Zeborong, while the second captured at access to pasturelands and construction of 28 wetlands.