Nepal's Rich Biodiversity: Achievements and Challenges

Nepal is known as the land of Sagarmatha, the birthplace of Buddha, a country of diverse art and culture, an open museum of ancient civilization, and so on. Indeed, the country is small but its identity is vast. Today, we will discuss aspects that are different from these identities that introduce Nepal to the world, but are equally interesting – various dimensions of biodiversity and related issues.

Although Nepal occupies about 0.1 percent of the land on the world map, its altitudinal variation is considered rare in the world. Within an average width of 193 kilometers, altitudes ranging from about 59 meters above sea level to the world's highest point are found in Nepal. This deep variation within such a short width has broadened the diversity of its climate and forests. Nepal, surrounded by various vegetation zones on all sides, is also centered by the Hindukush mountain range.

This mountain range is defined as a highly sensitive area, or 'biological hotspot', in terms of the existing state of biodiversity. These are the reasons why the availability of biodiversity is interesting. The biodiversity of Nepal can be seen as a reflection of its specific geographical location, wide altitudinal variation, and diverse climatic ecosystems.

Looking at the statistics, there are smaller countries than Nepal that are not ahead in terms of biodiversity, but our country is unique in terms of diversity per unit area. Nepal encompasses about 1.5 percent of the world's biodiversity. Based on this, Nepal ranks 49th in the world and 11th in Asia.

The diversity of species is found more in the mid-hill region, while the diversity of endemic species is more concentrated in the high-hill and mountainous regions.

The 118 types of ecosystems and 75 types of forests found in Nepal play an important role in maintaining the biodiversity here. Nepal's floral diversity accounts for about 1.9 percent of the world's total diversity. Among these, fern species represent 4.9 percent of the world's total diversity, mosses 5.6 percent, and liverworts 5.8 percent.

Similarly, about 1.3 percent of the world's total wildlife species are found in Nepal. Among these, 8 percent of bird species and 4 percent of butterfly species are found in Nepal. The presence of 324 species of flowering plants and 160 species of wildlife found only in Nepal confirms that its habitat is very conducive and specific for biodiversity.

The diversity of species is found more in the mid-hill region, while the diversity of endemic species is more concentrated in the high-hill and mountainous regions.

Wildlife such as the globally rare Bengal tiger, one-horned rhinoceros, pangolin, red panda, and snow leopard are 'flagship' species for Nepal. Their availability plays a role in identifying the ecological condition, habitat status, and environmental indicators. The availability of Yarsagumba in Nepal's mountainous region, which is found only in a limited geographical area and has high medicinal value, is a living proof of its unique geographical diversity and specific ecological condition.

Although the history of scientific conservation in Nepal is not very old, the 1970s can be considered an important period when biodiversity conservation was given policy priority. The conservation concept, which started with species conservation, has evolved through the expansion of protected areas and community-based conservation programs for conflict management to landscape-centered conservation concepts including the development of biological corridors.

The total forest cover has increased to 45.32 percent, which is storing 1.55 billion tons of carbon and is receiving the first installment of payment for forest-carbon trading.

This transformation is an excellent example of public participation, local ownership, and multi-stakeholder collaboration. It has made the possibilities of sustainable conservation broader and more effective. In particular, the community forestry program, developed as a successful practice of community-based forest management, has made a significant contribution to forest conservation, restoration, and local livelihoods. It is viewed as an exemplary model worldwide today.

Nepal has achieved remarkable success in this type of overall conservation effort. The total forest cover has increased to 45.32 percent, storing 1.55 billion tons of carbon and is receiving the first installment of payment for forest-carbon trading. The goal of doubling the tiger population by 2022 has been successfully achieved. Recent counts show an average increase of 16.6 percent in the rhinoceros population. Encouraging progress has been made in gharial conservation.

Good achievements have also been made in wildlife habitat restoration and development. The distribution area of red pandas has increased. Good progress is being made in vulture conservation. The population of Gaurigaai is gradually increasing. The Government of Nepal is actively engaged in conserving and promoting protected wildlife and important flora by formulating management action plans. All these facts show that Nepal is unique.

However, along with these achievements, challenges still remain in sustainable conservation and equitable distribution of resources. While talking about the abundance of biodiversity, we also face equally significant challenges for its conservation. The impact of global climate change, pressure from human activities, environmental pollution, and encroachment by invasive species are increasingly threatening the existence of natural, endemic, and endangered species.

In some cases, activities carried out at the state level are also affecting the degradation of biodiversity. In the name of compensatory afforestation, natural forests are being displaced and external pine species are being introduced, leading to the replacement of natural species, increased soil dryness, and acidity. Not only that, but this species has now reached an invasive stage.

A middle path between development and conservation has not been found from a single perspective, due to which conservation bodies are being portrayed as anti-development.

In the pursuit of quality timber production, species like Masalabot have been introduced, which are now negatively impacting the fertility of fertile lands and forest areas in the Terai and local biodiversity, affecting overall productivity. We have read and heard news and articles about the impact of problematic species like Rainbow Trout and Tilapia, which are aggressive and invasive fish species, being released into river systems.

Species introduced without study are seen to be pushing the natural environment towards degradation. The encroachment of invasive plants is severely affecting not only forests but also agricultural areas and aquatic ecosystems, making their mitigation and management a very challenging aspect. On the other hand, due to the lack of realistic assessment of the natural regeneration rate of vegetation and its status, the economic benefits that can be obtained from forest resources are not clear.

A middle path between development and conservation has not been found from a single perspective, due to which conservation bodies are being portrayed as anti-development. Some laws, policies, and regulations related to conservation are not time-relevant and suitable for the local context. Some international treaties and agreements are being used as a constraint on the equitable use of natural resources. Conservation-related laws are conflicting. The jurisdiction between federal, provincial, and local levels is unclear.

Due to the double and impractical procedures in various laws, including the Forest Act, Environment Protection Act, and Land Acquisition Act, development projects are being stalled for years. The process of obtaining permission for tree cutting for project construction is long and cumbersome. Excessive delays in obtaining Environmental Impact Assessment approvals and legal hurdles in forest land compensation are causing delays in work.

To advance conservation and development hand-in-hand, policy uniformity, inter-level coordination, and local collaboration are essential.

According to the Land Acquisition Act, 2034, the process of determining and distributing compensation is not scientific and practical. Local residents' disagreements and legal processes in land ownership transfer are increasing both the cost and time of projects. There is a lack of adequate policy in human-wildlife conflict management. The involvement of various ministries and agencies in the same project and the obligation to complete double procedures due to the separate laws of these agencies.

Budget allocation for biodiversity conservation is insufficient. Conservation activities are not effective due to weak implementation and monitoring. There is a lack of skilled technical manpower, especially at the local level. Furthermore, due to the lack of a strong link between research and policy-making, institutional structures are not proving to be effective.

Although the government has put forward bills to amend some laws to remove these obstacles, and the National Planning Commission and the Ministry of Finance have implemented various development project facilitation procedures to remove some procedural hassles, they have not been sufficient.

Therefore, to advance conservation and development hand-in-hand, policy uniformity, inter-level coordination, and local collaboration are essential. As a suggestion for this, it seems imperative to establish a separate National Environmental Conservation Authority and move forward. Under this, by creating a modality to implement various proposals through a planning formulation unit and regularly monitor them, it seems possible to advance development and conservation in a balanced and effective manner.