REGIONAL OFFICE FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC (RAP), BANGKOK January-March 2011 FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Regional Quarterly Bulletin on Wildlife and National Parks Management Vol. XXXVIII : No. 1 Featuring Vol. XXV: No. 1 Contents Community-based monitoring and conservation program for Red panda in eastern Nepal........................................ 1 Climate change and its risk reduction by mangrove ecosystem in the coastal community of Bangladesh............ 10 Status of mammals with special reference to Muntjac (Muntiacus muntak) in Khulgarh Watershed Area of Kumoan Himalayas......................................................... 15 Ethnobiology, ethnomedicine and ethnopharmacology practices among tribes of Similipal Biosphere Reserve........ 20 Occurrence and dominant behaviour of single Rhesus macaque female in uni-male bisexual troop of Hanuman langur............................................................................ 29 REGIONAL OFFICE FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC TIGERPAPER is a quarterly news bulletin The world celebrates 2011 as The International Year of dedicated to the exchange of information Forests!.......................................................................... 1 relating to wildlife and national parks Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) 2010: Key findings management for the and updates.................................................................... 3 Asia-Pacific Region. What can forests contribute to the poor?.............................. 7 ISSN 1014 - 2789 Strategic planning for South Asian forestry........................... 11 Edible insects: Lao school celebrates first cricket harvest....... 13 Address. New RAP Forestry Publications.......................................... 15 FAO Asia-Pacific Forestry Calendar………………............... 16 TIGERPAPER FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific Maliwan Mansion, Phra Atit Road Bangkok, 10200, Thailand Tel: (662) 697-4000 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.fao.org/world/ regional/rap/tigerpaper/tigerpaper.htm Editor: Janice Naewboonnien Advisor: P. Durst TIGERPAPER is dependent upon your free and voluntary The opinions expressed by the contributions in the form of articles, news items, and announcements in contributing authors are not the field of wildlife and nature conservation in the region. In order to necessarily those of FAO. The better serve the n eeds of our readers please write to us and send in the designations employed and the information you have or let us know if there is any information that you presentation of the material in the need. We appreciate receiving your letters and make all efforts to TIGERPAPER do not imply the respond. expression of any opinion on the part of FAO concerning the legal or Front cover: Red panda (Photo courtesy of Naveen Mahato) constitutional status of any country, territority or sea area, or the delimitation of frontiers. Vol. 38: No. 1 January-March 2011 | Community-based monitoring and conservation program for Red Panda in Eastern Nepal program Community-based monitoring and conservation A LONG-TERM COMMUNITY-BASED MONITORING AND CONSERVATION PROGRAM FOR RED PANDA IN UNPROTECTED FORESTS OF EASTERN NEPAL by Naveen K. Mahato, Kamal Kandel and Sunil Shakya | Project background and significance promoting community protection for the Red panda habitat. ed Panda Network, Nepal (RPN) has initiated Ra conservation project for Red panda in eastern The project area forms the lower part of the Nepal along the Singhalila Range in partnership with Kanchenjunga Mountain Landscape and is local organizations and community-based recognized as a region of international importance organizations. Administratively, the area is situated for biodiversity due to species diversity, species in Taplejung, Panchthar and Ilam districts along the endemism and the number of rare and threatened Indo-Nepalese border (Fig. 1) with a population species hosted by the area (Shakya & Joshi, 2008). density of about 83.2/km. The increase in Leading conservation organizations have recognized conservation areas on adjacent Indian territory, e.g., this area as a high priority conservation site, e.g., Singhalila National Park, has placed a tremendous WWF’s Global 200 ecoregions (Olson & Dinerstein, pressure on the Nepalese part of Singhalila Range 2002); “Himalayan hotspot” of Conservation in the form of intensive livestock grazing and International; it includes 2 Important Bird Areas harvesting of forest products for domestic and other (IBA) identified by BirdLife International (Baral & uses. As a result, forest shrinkage and fragmentation Inskipp, 2005); and is included within the Sacred has increased threats to the habitats of the Himalayan Landscape by the Ministry of Forests endangered Red panda and other species (Oli, 2008). and Soil Conservation, Nepal and WWF (Gurung et RPN initiated a conservation project in order to al., 2006). This area also forms a central linkage in safeguard the critical habitat for Red panda by the Kanchenjunga Mountain Complex, providing 111 Vol. 38: No. 1 January-March 2011 | trans-boundary connectivity between broadleaved and conifer forests (Yonzon et al., Kanchenjunga Conservation Area in Nepal, 2000). Kanchendzonja National Park (Sikkim), Singhalila National Park (Darjeeling) and Barsey Project introduction Rhododendron Sanctuary (Darjeeling) in India (CEMP Consult, 2001). This area has also been The project goal is to preserve Red panda and its proposed as one of the five corridors (Eastern habitat through an innovative community approach Nepal Connectivity Corridor) needed in order to by utilizing indigenous and scientific ecological maintain linkages in the Kanchenjunga Mountain information. Through local educational programs Complex by the International Center for Integrated RPN aims to develop a local appreciation for Red Mountain Development (ICIMOD) (Chettri et al., panda within the communities and train a local 2008; Shakya & Joshi, 2008). community member in forest stewardship. The project area covers 17 village development Red panda Ailurus fulgens is a rare and elusive committees (VDCs) in Ilam, Panchthar and mammalian species endemic to the Eastern Taplejung districts covering an area of 780 km2. Himalayas with a known distribution confined to These VDCs host approximately 398 km2 of forest only 5 countries – Nepal, India, Bhutan, China area potentially suitable to Red panda, which also and Myanmar (Glatston, 1994). Despite being a provides refuge to other endangered species such member of the order Carnivora, Red panda is a as Clouded leopard Neofelis nebulosa, Himalayan specialized herbivore with a low nutrient diet. More black bear Selenarctos thibetanus, Himalayan than 86% of its diet is ringal bamboo (Pradhan et serow Naemorhedus sumatraensis, Musk deer al., 2001; Yonzon & Hunter, 1991). Further, Red Moschus chrysogaster, Leopard cat Felis pandas are habitat-specialized with narrow bengalensis, and Assamese macaque Macaca ecological requirements (Yonzon & Hunter, 1991), assamensis and wide array of avifaunal diversity. which makes it sensitive and hence vulnerable to However, these forests are highly fragmented by smaller environmental changes. Because of the various anthropogenic factors as a result of the specialized diet and narrow range of habitat, Red growing human population. These 17 VDCs in total panda has been considered an indicator species of are populated by approximately 64,000 people ecosystem health in eastern Himalayan (CBS, 2001). Community-based monitoring and conservation program for Red Panda in Eastern Nepal Community-based monitoring and conservation program | Table 1. Human population (source: CBS 2001) and potential area (in km2) available to Red panda (highly suitable area in parenthesis) in three districts in RPN's project area. Red panda Human Districts Total area habitat population Ilam 234 102 (21.3) 24,495 Panchthar 380 191.8 (92.7) 33,571 Taplejung 165 104.2 (51.2)) 5,680 Total 779 398 (165.2) 63,746 Community-based Red panda monitoring Later, in 2008, with support from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), the In 2006, RPN initiated an innovative approach to community-based monitoring was extended to 6 monitor Red panda in the community forests and additional forests, totaling 12 forests in 9 VDCs in adjoining national forests in Ilam, Panchthar and two districts (Fig. 1, Table 2). The main objectives Taplejung. The project began with 6 forests in 4 are to estimate the relative abundance of Red panda VDCs – Maimajhuwa and Mabu in Ilam district in different forests and to monitor the Red panda and Prangbung and Siddin in Panchthar district. population trend over a period of time. 2 Vol. 38: No. 1 January-March 2011 | Community-based monitoring and conservation program for Red Panda in Eastern Nepal program Community-based monitoring and conservation | Figure 1. Total Red panda habitat in eastern Nepal. (Shaded area denotes the areas where RPN is currently active, rest green areas are to be covered soon) 33 Vol. 38: No. 1 January-March 2011 | In October 2006, consultations were carried out Preliminary outcomes (Relative abundance of to identify potential Red panda forests. Members Red panda in various forests) (or leaders) from the local community, local partners and local forest authorities were The relative abundance of Red panda was estimated interviewed to collect information on previous Red by recording the number of Red panda signs (fecal panda records. Their opinions were verified by deposits) as