Fishing cats misunderstood, misidentified in Nepal’s Kapilvastu
KAPILVASTU, Nepal — At his fish pond near his home in Krishnanagar Municipality in western Nepal’s Kapilvastu, Imtehaj Khan closely watches a large TV screen mounted on a wall. For…
Nepal News
Nepal announces its snow leopard population after first-of-its-kind assessment
KATHMANDU — Following decades of speculation, skepticism and lack of consensus, Nepal’s government has announced the country’s first-ever consolidated national estimate of snow leopards (Panther uncia): 397 individuals. The figure,…
Photos: The volunteers standing guard at one of Nepal’s human-wildlife frontiers
BARDIYA, Nepal — Ram Raj Dhakal, 22, jolts awake to an alert on his phone. A wild elephant has strayed into a village near Thakurdwara, on the fringes of Bardiya…
How cultural and religious beliefs combine for snow leopard conservation (commentary)
In November 2023, at 4 a.m., four snow leopards made their way into Mingmar Gurung’s livestock corral in Dhakmar village, Mustang district, Nepal. Hearing the goats’ commotion so early in…
Nepal collaborates with neighbors to gain wildlife crime intel but struggles with enforcement
KATHMANDU — In February this year, Indian media reported the rising number of cases involving tiger bone glue — an illicit sap-like substance made by pressure-cooking tiger bones and sold…
Three new gecko species described in Nepal: Interview with herpetologist Santosh Bhattarai
As Nepal’s reptiles are one of the least studied among the country’s diverse flora and fauna, researchers have long been saying that it could be home to numerous species waiting…
Fishing cat home range far bigger than previously thought, Nepal study suggests
The home range of fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus), found in parts of South and Southeast Asia, could be more expansive than previously thought, a recent GPS-collaring study focusing in and…
Chitwan city using Indo-Nepal wildlife corridor for waste dump
CHITWAN, Nepal — One of Nepal’s biggest cities on the northwestern fringes of Chitwan National Park has been dumping its municipal waste in a forest that serves as an international…
Farmers in Nepal and India see red as blue bulls raid their crops
LUMBINI, Nepal — Three years ago, Ram Chandra Kurmi, a farmer from the village of Gaidahawa in south-western Nepal, abandoned his small vegetable plot . The 39-year-old, who once supported…
In Nepal, a eucalyptus boom became an ecological cautionary tale
SARLAHI, Nepal — In 1984, Bharat Kumar Pokhrel was a young forester with a mission to turn theory into practice. Fresh out of forestry school, he joined Nepal’s Sagarnath Forest…
As elephant conflict shifts, Nepal’s border village offers clues for coexistence
SUNDAR HARAICHA, Nepal — A bundle of firewood lay abandoned on the path, a silent witness to tragedy. Nearby, a red shawl, once wrapped around Chandra Kumari Limbu, remained. The…
More cable car controversy surfaces in Nepal’s western mountains
KATHMANDU — A brewing controversy over private cable car projects in Nepal’s hills has taken a new turn after the country’s planning commission quietly gave "national priority" status to a…
In Nepal’s Chitwan, elephant’s shooting, death raises eyebrows
KATHMANDU — On the morning of Feb. 5, a soldier deployed at the Chitwan National Park shot a wild elephant (Elephas maximus) after it allegedly attacked an elephant patrol attempting…
World’s smallest otter makes comeback in Nepal after 185 years
KATHMANDU — Scientists have for the first time in 185 years confirmed the presence of the Asian small-clawed otter in Nepal, thrilling conservationists and researchers looking for clues to its…
Military-backed conservation ‘without firing a single shot’: Interview with Nepal’s Babu Krishna Karki
KATHMANDU — In the 1970s, Nepal’s government faced major challenges conserving the fertile flood plains of the country’s south. The region is the natural habitat of the iconic greater one-horned…
How a Nepali border village learned to live with migratory wild elephants
BAHUNDANGI, Nepal – The heavy thud against the glass window sent Krishna Bahadur Rasaili’s heart racing. Stepping outside, he saw his granary lay in ruins, and an elephant was feasting…
Introducing wildlife crime to Nepal’s law enforcement: Interview with Prasanna Yonzon
KATHMANDU, Nepal — Wildlife crime continues to plague Nepal, even as the law enforcement strives at the forefront. The country functions both as a source and transit hub for wildlife…
Helicopters slash the trek to Earth’s highest peak, but leave Sherpas grounded
KATHMANDU — When Pasang Nuru Sherpa recalls his childhood in the quiet village of Pangboche, in the foothills of Sagarmatha, the Nepali name for Everest, his memories take him back…
The paradox of balancing conservation efforts for Himalayan wolves and snow leopards (commentary)
The Himalayan wolf (Canis lupus chanco) and snow leopard (Panthera uncia) are apex predators in alpine ecosystems. By controlling the numbers of meso-predators and herbivores, these top predators can have…
Nepal’s top court strikes down law allowing development in protected areas
KATHMANDU — In a historic move, Nepal’s highest court has struck down controversial measures to open up protected areas like national parks to infrastructure development such as hydropower plants, hotels…
Nepal PM sums up 2024 shift away from conservation: ‘Fewer tigers, less forest’
KATHMANDU — Nepal has too many tigers and too much forest, according to the country’s leader. The offhand remarks by Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli at a Dec. 26 event…
Still no sweet spot in 2024 for Nepal in balancing conservation & development
KATHMANDU — Nepal has long faced the challenge of balancing the development of infrastructure such as roads, railways and hydropower stations with the conservation of its rich biodiversity, forests and…
Nepal’s forest-protecting communities may miss out on World Bank carbon funds
KATHMANDU — Nepal is set to receive $45 million under a World Bank program rewarding it for protecting its forests, but the communities on the frontlines of that effort could…
Nepal created a forest fund to do everything; five years on it’s done nothing
KATHMANDU — In October 2019, Nepal’s government introduced a new Forest Act. The law laid the basis for the establishment of the Forest Development Fund (FDF) with an extensive mandate…
In 2024, Nepal faced old & new challenges after tripling its tiger population
KATHMANDU — The year 2024 marked two years since Nepal announced the near tripling of its wild Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) population as part of the 2010 global initiative…
In 2024, Nepal’s elusive snow leopards pounce into spotlight
KATHMANDU — The elusive snow leopard (Panthera uncia), often described as the "ghost of the mountains," has captivated the imagination of researchers, the general public and mountain communities for centuries.…
Nepal’s rhino translocations to continue amid concerns over effectiveness
KATHMANDU — Authorities in Nepal say they’ll continue a translocation program to even out the distribution of rhinos in the popular Chitwan National Park, despite protests from tourism operators and…
Nepal’s top court to rule next month on law allowing development in protected areas
KATHMANDU — Nepal’s Supreme Court has concluded hearings in a petition filed against controversial measures to open up protected areas to development. A ruling in the case, dubbed as one…
‘Scratching the surface’ of Nepal butterfly research: Interview with Sanej Suwal
KATHMANDU — Nepal is home to a diversity of butterfly species, with 692 identified. More than two dozen species and subspecies have been found to be endemic to Nepal. Despite…
New brown bear ‘stronghold’ in Nepal redraws species’ range map
KATHMANDU — Researchers have discovered brown bears in a part of Nepal not previously known to host the species, prompting a call to protect this area as a bear “stronghold.”…
As Nepal counts its snow leopards, even the best estimate is still a guess
KATHMANDU — Scientists and government officials have embarked on the uphill task of coming up with a number, or even just a range, for the population of snow leopards in…
Local reps should lead Nepal’s conservation education: Interview with Anil Adhikari
KATHMANDU — When discussing conservation in Nepal — home to iconic species such as the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), snow leopard (Panthera uncia) and red panda (Ailurus fulgens) —awareness-raising…
Special series
Forest Trackers
- Narco airstrips beset Indigenous communities in Peruvian Amazon
- 15 illegal narco-trafficking airstrips found near Peru Indigenous communities
- Satellite data show bursts of deforestation continue in Indonesian national park
- Fires rip through Indigenous territories in Brazilian Amazon
Oceans
- Peruvian fishers sue for additional compensation after big December oil spill
- Smuggling networks exploit migrant debt to fuel tiger poaching in Malaysia, study shows
- Community-based conservation cuts thresher shark fishing by 91% in Indonesia: Study
- With climate change, cryosphere melt scales up as a threat to planetary health
Amazon Conservation
- ‘World’s largest’ carbon credit deal in the Amazon faces bumpy road ahead
- New conservation model calls for protecting Amazon for its archaeological riches
- Brazil dredges Amazon rivers to ease drought isolation, raising environmental concerns
- ‘We need white men on our side to save the Amazon from destruction,’ 92-year-old Indigenous Chief Raoni says
Land rights and extractives
- Should mining companies consider no-go zones where isolated Indigenous peoples live? (Commentary)
- Brazil sets a date to remove illegal miners from Munduruku land, more details await
- Peruvian logger loses FSC label after latest clash with isolated Mashco Piro
- A national park and its rangers in Bolivia endure persisting road construction, illegal mining
Endangered Environmentalists
- Environmental & rights activists flee and hide as M23 captures DRC’s cities
- Environmental journalist in Cambodia shot and killed by suspected logger
- Vietnam sentences yet another energy expert over renewables research
- Mother Nature Cambodia activists sentenced to prison — again
Indonesia's Forest Guardians
- On a Borneo mountainside, Indigenous Dayak women hold fire and defend forest
- Fenced in by Sulawesi national park, Indigenous women make forestry breakout
- In Borneo, the ‘Power of Mama’ fight Indonesia’s wildfires with all-woman crew
- Pioneer agroforester Ermi, 73, rolls back the years in Indonesia’s Gorontalo
Conservation Effectiveness
- How effective is the EU’s marquee policy to reduce the illegal timber trade?
- How sharing and learning from failures can transform conservation (commentary)
- Is planting trees as good for the Earth as everyone says?
- Failure in conservation projects: Everyone experiences it, few record it
Southeast Asian infrastructure
- An ‘ocean grab’ for a property megaproject leaves Jakarta fishers grounded
- Study: Indonesia’s new capital city threatens stable proboscis monkey population
- Indonesia’s new capital ‘won’t sacrifice the environment’: Q&A with Nusantara’s Myrna Asnawati Safitri
- Small farmers in limbo as Cambodia wavers on Tonle Sap conservation rules
