NEPAL'S SIXTH NATIONAL REPORT TO THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY Government of Nepal Ministry of Forests and Environment (MoFE) Singha Durbar, Kathmandu, Nepal December 2018 NEPAL'S SIXTH NATIONAL REPORT TO THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY Government of Nepal Ministry of Forests and Environment (MoFE) Singha Durbar, Kathmandu, Nepal December 2018 NEPAL'S SIXTH NATIONAL REPORT TO THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY PREPARED & PUBLISHED BY: Government of Nepal Ministry of Forests and Environment Singha Durbar, Kathmandu, Nepal Telephone: +977-1-4211567 Toll Free Number: 16600101000 Fax : 977-1-4211868 Email : [email protected] THE NATIONAL REPORT PREPARATION COORDINATION TEAM 1. Yajna Nath Dahal, Environment and Biodiversity Division Chief, MoFE : Coordinator 2. Gopal Prasad Bhattarai, DDG, DNPWC : Member 3. Buddi Sagar Paudel, DDG Forest Research and Training Centre : Member 4. Rajendra KC, DDG Department of Forest and Soil Conservation : Member 5. Mohan Joshi, DDG, Department of Plant Resource : Member 6. Bidhya Pandey, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development : Member 7. Representative of Central Department of Environmental Science, TU : Member 8. Representative of Department of Environment, KU : Member 9. Chiranjivi Prasad Pokharel, NTNC : Member 10. Shailendra Giri, ZSL Nepal : Member 11. Representative of WWF Nepal : Member 12. Amit Poudel, IUCN Nepal : Member 13. Ishana Thapa, BCN : Member 14. Vijay Prasad Kesari UNDP Nepal : Member 15. Ramchandra Khatiwada, Biodiversity Section Chief, MoFE : Member Secretary and Contact person CONSULTANT TEAM Prof. Dr. Ram Prasad Chaudhary Dr. Shalu Adhikari The Ministry of Forests and Environment encourages the usage of this material for educational and non- profit purpose, with appreciate credit to the publisher. The Ministry appreciates receiving a copy of any publication that uses this report as a source. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder © Government of Nepal Ministry of Forests and Environment Singha Durbar, Kathmandu, Nepal Photographs: © Ram Prasad Chaudhary Design and Production by Masterpiece with Imagination (9851031259) Ministry of Forests and Environment 30 December 2018 Foreword Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was ratified by Nepalese parliament on November 23, 1993 and has been enforced since February 21, 1994. Nepal as a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is committed to conservation of biodiversity, sustainable use of its components, and fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the utilization of genetic resources.Nepal's Sixth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity assesses the status and potential of the actions Nepal has taken to achieve the commitments. The report was prepared in an iterative, inclusive, transformative, transparent and participatory approach. It is structured to provide a realistic appraisal of information on Aichi Biodiversity Targets (ABT) being pursued at the national level, implementation measures taken to achieve national targets set in the 5th National Report of the NBSAP, assessment of the progress towards each national target, and explanation of the national contribution to the ABT achievements at the national, regional and global level. Contribution of the ABT to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of Nepal, and Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) targets have been assessed as well as current state of knowledge of biodiversity is updated. The contribution of Indigenous Peoples’ and Local Communities (IPLCs) to biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services has also been highlighted. Nepal after preparation of National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) 2014-2020 entered into a new federal structure. The promulgation of new Constitution of Nepal in 2015 provided an opportunity to adequately pay an attention to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity that plays a crucial role in securing our current and future lives. Implementation of NBSAP has been effective in Nepal due to implementation of international treaties and agreements on biodiversity, strengthening of regional collaboration for the restoration of biodiversity across the trans-boundary scale, and national commitment to the conservation of biodiversity. Nepal uses an effective conservation planning of protected areas at landscape level to conserve biodiversity along north-south and east-west gradients. The report addresses vital concern of biodiversity conservation from Aichi Biodiversity Targets perspectives. Many of the sections provide concrete recommendations for action and they call attention to take measures that must be pursued with intensity. Nepal is also planning for the post-2020 strategy and will consider the 2050 Vision of "Living in Harmony with Nature" of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, other relevant international processes. The post-2020 biodiversity framework of Nepal would be built upon the achievements of the NBSAP 2014-2020. I am thankful to all actors who were involved in preparing this report. I also urge all stakeholders to work together with the Ministry of Forests and Environment to achieve objectives set by the CBD and the associated targets. Bishwa Nath Oli, PhD Secretary Ministry of Forests and Environment 30th December 2018 Acknowledgements Nepal as a contracting party to the Convention on Biological Diversity is obliged to fulfill all the three objectives of the CBD including the conservation of biological diversity, its sustainable use, and fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the utilization of genetic resources. As of the Article 26, as a Contracting Party to the Convention, submission of country report is obligatory in every four years, Therefore, after subsequent submission of the fourth in 2009 and the fifth in 2014, this sixth national report is largely prepared on the participatory and consultative process. In bringing out the report to this stage, many organizations and individuals have been involved directly or indirectly. First and foremost, on behalf of the Ministry of Forests and Environment, I would like to sincerely thank GEF through UNDP Nepal for understanding the need and providing the financial support for the 6th NR preparation. Similarly, I would like to thank the consultant team including Prof. Dr. Ram P. Chaudhary and Dr. Shalu Adhikari for their hard work and effort in documenting, writing, preparing and bringing out the report to the final stage. Nevertheless, Mr. Vijay Kesari, UNDP Nepal for supporting and working closely with our Ministry for the purpose. My Division members including Mr. R.C. Khatiwada and Mr. Gyanendra Kayastha deserve special thanks for supporting the consultant team and organizing all the necessities for the consultation workshop at all the seven states. Mr. Kiran Timilsina, Green Governance Nepal deserves appreciation for arranging all the consultations from center to the state level. I would also like to thank the members of the National Steering Committee for backstopping and proving inputs to the overall process for the preparation of 6th NR. All the secretaries of Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forests and Environment deserve special thanks for being cooperative and taking the lead in the consultation workshop in all the seven states. I would like to thanks the Protected Areas managers, the head of division forest offices, director generals of the departments under MoFE, community based organizations, members of indigenous community network, agriculture research center, conservation groups, academicians, and individuals/local communities dedicated for biodiversity conservation, for their active participation, cooperation and providing relevant information during the consultation workshop at all the states. I am also grateful to the reviewers for providing their valuable insight into the report. Dr. Buddhi Sagar Poudel has been so generous who critically provided inputs to value add the report. Lastly, I am sure that this 6th NR will be helpful to showcase Nepal's efforts in biodiversity conservation regionally and globally. Yajna Nath Dahal Joint Secretary, MoFE Chief, Environment and Biodiversity Division NEPAL’S SIXTH NATIONAL REPORT TO THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY VII Executive Summary Background: Nepal as a contracting party to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is committed for making a significant reduction in the rate of loss of biodiversity. The CBD was ratified by Nepalese parliament on November 23, 1993, and enforced in Nepal since February 21, 1994. The revised Nepal’s NBSAP for 2014-2020 is a comprehensive framework for translating the Aichi targets into national action and achieving the nation’s goals to conserve the biodiversity. As o f t h e Article 26 of the Convention, Nepal as a Contracting Parties is required to submit national reports to the C B D S e c r e t a r i a t on measures taken and the progress achieved since the adoption of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), and the effectiveness of those actions in meeting the Convention’s objectives since the 5th national report was submitted. The 6th NR is largely based on review of documents, and consultative and participatory process with relevant stakeholders. The main objective of this report is to document progress in-line to the Technical Review Framework (Version 2, April 2018)