Border talks India - Nepal ... A Study It documents the movement of tigers between forests in India and Nepal. Predominant protected area within the study area includes Chitwan and Bardia NationalParks in Nepal and Dudhwa and Valmiki Tiger reserves in India. According to the study, site-specific minimum tiger numbers varied from 3 in Banke National Park in Nepal to 78 in Chitwan National Park, also in Nepal. Tiger numbers and/or abundance in other sites within the trans-boundary landscape were estimated to lie within this range, with notably large populations in Bardia National Park and Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, and smaller populations in Dudhwa National Park, and Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary and Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve. The study has shown that while habitat connectivity has severely been compromised in this landscape, tigers exist as one wholly-connected population in the protected areas of Chitwan National Park, Nepal and Valmiki Tiger Reserve, India as well as in Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve, Nepal and the Lagga-Bagga Block of Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, India. Other than these sites movement of tigers were photo-documented between Nepal and India along the Khata corridor (between Bardia National Park and Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary) and Shuklaphanta-Tatarjanj-Pilibhit Corridor. The study also failed to document tiger migration in four other corridors viz Boom-Brahmadev, Laljhadi, Basanta, and Kamdi. Forest connectivity has severely been compromised in these corridors by land use change, the study noted. The survey has recommended that corridors be recognised as areas of conservation importance and give them the status of no-development zones. It has called for strong administrative support at all levels to evict illegal settlements from forest lands and prevent further encroachment in areas that forest departments have jurisdiction over. Instant enquiry is recommended for any illegal movements, and action should be taken immediately. It has advocated against development of roads and other infrastructure in key wildlife habitats or corridor areas and to minimise impacts of developments upstream such as hydropower and irrigation works.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 20:28:47 +0000
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