25 Years of Achievements on Biodiversity Conservation in Nepal 25 Years of Achievements on Biodiversity Conservation in Nepal Ministry of Forests and Environment Singha Durbar, Kathmandu Phone: +977-1-4211892 Website: www.mofsc.gov.np Government of Nepal Ministry of Forests and Environment Singha Durbar, Kathmandu Nepal 2018 25 Years of Achievements on Biodiversity Conservation in Nepal Government of Nepal Ministry of Forests and Environment Singha Durbar, Kathmandu Nepal 2018 25 Years of Achievements on Biodiversity Conservation in Nepal Editorial Team : Dr. Maheshwar Dhakal Mr. Dhananjaya Lamichhane Ms. Madhu Devi Ghimire Mr. Amit Poudyal Dr. Yadav Uprety Mr. Thomas Svich Ms. Monica Pandey Published by : Environment and Biodiversity Division, Ministry of Forests and Environment (MoFE) Copyright : © May 2018, Ministry of Forests and Environment (MoFE) Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Cover photos : Gokyo Lake (Amit Poudyal) Rhinocerous, Tiger and Farming Land (Sagar Giri) Padamchal (Prabin Bhandari) Copper-Headed Trinket (Mahendra Kotila) Gharial Crocodile (KB Thapa) Danphe, Rhododendron Forest and Ghodaghodi Lake (Hari Basnet) ISBN : 978-9937-0-4160-7 Available from : Environment and Biodiversity Division Ministry of Forests and Environment Singha Durbar, Kathmandu Phone: +977-1-4211892 Website: www.mofsc.gov.np Disclaimer: The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the Ministry of Forests and Environment (MoFE) or of the organizations they represent. Message he year 2018 marks the 25th anniversary of the entry into force of Tthe Convention on Biological Diversity. The year is also coincide with the adoption of the Convention by Nepal. We are proud to the achievements that the Nepal has made in conserving its biodiversity during these 25 years. Nepal is trying to achieve sustainable economic growth through wise use of its natural resources. The Government of Nepal fully recognizes that the efforts to economic growth would only be sustainable if undertaken through sound environmental management and biodiversity conservation. We are fully committed to manage the country’s rich biological diversity as per the national need and in the spirit of the Convention on Shakti Bahadur Basnet Biological Diversity. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Honourable Minister all our conservation and development partners for their support Ministry of Forests and Environment and local communities for their sincere efforts to conserve and sustainable use the biological resources. Foreword he CBD Secretariat has announced that this year’s International TBiodiversity Day theme will be “25 years of Convention on Biological Diversity: Safeguarding Life on Earth”. This 25th anniversary of the Convention presents us a unique opportunity to highlight our conservation efforts and achievements and also provides an opportunity to review and look towards the future. We have made remarkable achievements in the conservation field, which cannot be summarized in this one publication. However, this document has tried to summarize a few of them. I look forward to even stronger cooperation and collaboration among all the national Dr. Bishwa Nath Oli and international stakeholders in our conservation efforts in the Secretary upcoming days. Ministry of Forests and Environment Acknowledgements would like to thank all the authors and contributors of this I publication. I am equally thankful to everyone who provided time and effort to make this publication in this form. A special thanks goes to the colleagues of the Environment and Biodiversity Division and IUCN for their tireless support. I am looking for the similar cooperation in the days to come. Dr. Maheshwar Dhakal Joint Secretary and CBD National Focal Point Ministry of Forests and Environment CONTENTS Policy and Institutional Reform to Biodiversity Conservation in Nepal ....................1 Bishwa Nath Oli and Maheshwar Dhakal Agrobiodiversity in Nepal ......................................................................................7 Yubak Dhoj G.C. and Anil Kumar Acharya Aspects and Prospects of Farm Animal Biodiversity Conservation in Nepal .........13 Grishma Neupane and Prakash Mathema Major Achievements of 25 Years of Biodiversity Conservation in Nepal ...............17 Maheshwar Dhakal Forest Coverage and Biodiversity in Nepal ..........................................................23 Deepak Kumar Kharal and Milan Dhungana REDD+ and Biodiversity Conservation ................................................................27 Sindhu Prasad Dhungana Nature-based Tourism, Protected Areas and Economic Development in Nepal ..31 Siddhartha Bajra Bajracharya and Maheshwar Dhakal Status and Opportunity of Scientific Forest Management in Nepal ......................37 Ishwari Prasad Poudel; Vijaya Raj Subedi and Dipak Jnawali Conservation Education for Biodiversity Conservation in Nepal ...........................41 Bishnu Prasad Shrestha Conservation Breeding Centers in Nepal ............................................................45 Laxman Prasad Poudyal; Bed Bahadur Khadka; Amir Sadaula; Krishna Prasad Bhusal and Kamal Prasad Gairhe Bird Conservation in Nepal .................................................................................51 Hem Sagar Baral; Laxman Prasad Poudyal; Raju Acharya and Tulsi Subedi Small Mammals Conservation in Nepal ...............................................................57 Sanjan Thapa, Tulshi Laxmi Suwal, Sagar Dahal, Hari Basnet Ex-situ Conservation of Plants and Botanical Gardens in Nepal ..........................61 Dipak Lamichhane Watershed Management: Contributing towards Biodiversity Conservation ..........67 Ram Singh Thapa and Jagannath Joshi Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities .......................................................71 Kamal Samarung ‘Kamal Kumar Rai’ Traditional Knowledge and Biodiversity Conservation .........................................75 Yadav Uprety; Amit Poudyal and Racchya Shah Current Status of Wetlands in Nepal ...................................................................79 Juddha Bahadur Gurung Landscape Conservation Approach and Biodiversity Conservation in Nepal ......83 Laxmi Dutt Bhatta Leasehold Forestry: Its contribution to Biodiversity Conservation and Restoration of Land Degradation ...........................................................................................87 Pashupati Nath Koirala Policy Reform on Forest Use for Non Forest Purposes .......................................93 Chandraman Dongol Transboundary Cooperation in Biodiversity Conservation....................................97 Dhananjaya Lamichhane Role of Media in Biodiversity Conservation ........................................................101 Ramesh Bhushal Bio-Finance and Biodiversity in Nepal ...............................................................105 Rajesh K Rai and Vijay P Kesari Role of Private Sector in Biodiversity Conservation in Nepal ..............................109 Kalyan Gauli and Sony Baral ;fd'bflos jg / h}ljs ljljwtf M gLltut cj;/ / ;Defjgfx? ...................................113 ef/tL kf7s / lbn/fh vgfn 25 Years of Achievements on Biodiversity Conservation in Nepal Photo: Sagar Giri Ministry of Forests and Environment 8 25 Years of Achievements on Biodiversity Conservation in Nepal POLICY AND INSTITUTIONAL REFORM TO BIODIVERSITY CONSERVatiON IN Nepal Bishwa Nath Oli, PhD Secretary, Ministry of Forests and Environment Maheshwar Dhakal, PhD Joint Secretary, Ministry of Forests and Environment Photo: Amit Poudyal Introduction of biodiversity conservation. Success in Nepal has formulated a number of polices biodiversity conservation is one of the areas and legislative instruments to biodiversity that Nepal can showcase to the international conservation. Similarly, institutional reform communities. This papers highlights the policy has been made in the past to address and institutional reforms since the adaptation issues of biodiversity conservation. After the of the convention by the Government of adoption of United Nations Convention on Nepal focusing to the 25 years biodiversity Biological Diversity (UNCBD) in 1992, Nepal conservation actions in the country. has continuously been working with the spirit of the convention. As a result, remarkable Major policy intervention achievements have been made in the field Biodiversity being a common property Ministry of Forests and Environment 1 25 Years of Achievements on Biodiversity Conservation in Nepal resource, it demands constant policy reform engaging on forest protection, management for its long term conservation, management and utilization. These groups has covered and utilization. For access and equity of local more than one third of the forests across the communities over the biodiversity resources country. The community forest user group and its benefit sharing among the beneficiaries network is expanded all over the country and it demands policy back up. Policy not only it is also praised by international communities. support to develop enabling environment, The role of community forest user groups are but also help to safeguard the resources from further expanded not only in access and equity