Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

Biodiversity conservation in Nepal takes a participatory approach at landscape level, with inter- agency and transboundary collaboration [ ] 166 An active partner in action for biodiversity Biodiversity provides various types of direct and indirect ecosystem services. These range from habitat conservation to essential materi- als for livelihoods of peoples and economic development. Nepal has demonstrated its concern for biodi- versity conservation by complying with various multilateral and bilater- al environmental agreements and has formally implemented these through legislative measures. Biodiversity conservation takes a participatory approach at landscape level, with inter-agency and trans- boundary collaboration. Inadequate resources to effectively control poaching for trade motives is one of the greatest challenges, but coop- eration is the pride of the country’s conservation modality and this has guided a comprehensive strategy to achieve significant milestones. Nepal has demonstrated dedication towards biodiversity conservation through enforcement of legislative measures over time. All periodic national development plans have integrated biodiversity conserva- tion activities and the biodiversity conservation provisions are also clearly spelled out in the country’s constitution (2015). In keeping with the essence of CBD and the Millen- nium Development Goals, Nepal formulated its Biodiversity Strategy in 2002, followed by the Biodiversity Strategy Implementation Plan in 2004. Furthermore, several species conservation action plans have been formulated, focusing on specific wildlife species that are on the verge of extinction Nepal has also set standards for zero poaching of rhino and has un- dertaken rigorous efforts in combat- ing wildlife crime. The government destroyed stockpiles of wildlife parts confiscated from illegal traders on the occasion of International Biodiversi- ty Day in May 2017. In this way, the country clearly conveyed the message to the world that it regards wildlife as having absolutely no economic value after death. This was possible due to the long-standing adoption of partici- patory, landscape and transboundary approaches. A lthough Nepal has a large variety of faunal and floral species, its status as one of the least developed countries means that it faces challenges in harmonizing nature and people in the course of economic development. However, the country has shown noteworthy performance in biodiversity conservation. Nepal entered into the conservation era with the promulgation of the National Park and Wildlife Conservation Act in 1973. This led to the declaration of 20 protected areas within the administrative boundary of the country, Chitwan National Park being the first of these. Internationally, Nepal is signatory to a number of multilateral and bilateral environmental agreements, including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). In compliance with the CBD, Nepal has developed its own National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2014–2020. Swayambhunath Temple is home to a large population of monkeys living among human infrastructure Ben Pauer Nepal