February 10, 2010

Three skin traders nabbed along with tiger skin

With the marking of 2010 as the year of Tiger, conservationists have keenly developing strategies on protecting the last living tigers. Mr. Prasanna Yonzon, CEO of WCN says that we should work together to protect these charismatic animals in the wild. In this regard, Nepal Police, working on the information provided by WCN field operatives arrested three tiger skin traders; Hari Tamang, Sher Bahadur Tamang and a woman along with a 6ft long tiger skin at Dhangadi Bazaar of Kailali district on February 10, 2010. The traders are residents of Kanchanpur district.

Source: WCN

December 6, 2009

Tiger bones and skin seized

November 16, 2009

Study on Red Panda in 10 districts

Study on Red Panda, an endangered species, has commenced in 10 districts of the country. The research is one of the biggest of its kind in the country. Red Panda Network Nepal (RPNN) has taken the initiative with financial support from the World Wildlife Fund.Locally known as Habre, Red Panda is found in ten districts of Nepal.Sunil Shakya, coordinator RPNN informed that their effort aimed at preserving the endangered species. He said,'' We have started the study in various conservation areas spread over Panchthar, Taplejung, Shankhuwasabha, Solukhumbhu, Ramechhap, Ilam, Dolakha, Sindhupalchowk, Rasuwa and Khotang districts.

A team headed by Pravat Pal has started the study in Makalu Barun National Park and Conservation Area The Pandas are found at a height of 1500-3000 metre.Pal said,'' We have started the study to find out the numbers and situation of the Pandas.''  Meanwhile coordinator Shakya said that they had started the study for the preservation of the endangered species.

Source: The Himalayan Times

November 5, 2009

Rare wildlife spotted in Makalu Barun Park

Golden cat, a rare wildlife, has been spotted for the first time inside Makalu Barun National Park, for the first time. The park spreads over Solukhumbu and Sankhuwasabha districts. Earlier, the reports by International Union for Nature Conservation (IUCN) in 2001 had mentioned that the ‘golden cat’ would not be found at the park. But it has been spotted in Maghantar forest, in the park recently.

Challenging the claims of IUCN, Friends of Nature, had begun its search. Yadav Ghimire and Prabhat Pal of the organisation claim that they have spotted the cat. After searching for five months, the duo announced their findings at a programme here on Tuesday. According to Ghimire, the cat was spotted at 2,517 meters. They spotted the cat with the help of a camera installed in the forest, said Pal. Meanwhile, Gopal Bhattarai, conservation officer at the park, said that the habitat, food and the climate of the park was suitable for the cat. The golden cat, a developed species of cats, is of golden colour and weighs 8 to 12 kilograms.

Source: The Himalayan Times

November 5, 2009

One-third species face extinction: IUCN   

The latest update of the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species shows that 17,291 species out of the 47,677 assessed are under threat of extinction.This means one-third (36%) of the species in the List are currently facing danger. The results reveal that 21% of all known mammals, 30% of amphibians, 12% of birds, 28% of reptiles, 37% of freshwater fishes, 70% of plants, and 35% of invertebrates assessed so far are under threat. The assessment had a special focus on freshwater species, which are being hit hard by pollution, loss of wetlands and water diversions. The planet´s amphibians are the most threatened of all species with 1,895 out of the 6,285 species assessed included the Red List. The List ranks species according to their population status and threat levels. It shows the effects that habitat loss and degradation, over-exploitation, pollutants and climate change are having on the world´s species.

In Lake Dianchi in China, the assessment found all seven freshwater snails and 12 out of the 13 freshwater fish species new to the List were threatened by over-harvesting, pollution and introduced fish species.Reacting to the IUCN report, the WWF on Wednesday issued a statement pointing to the nation´s “failure” in the conservation area. The statement said that the IUCN update, on the eve of major international events in biodiversity planned for next year, “underlines how the world´s nations have fallen short of the global commitment” to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010. The symbol of the failure, WWF suggests, could be the tiger, with just an estimated 3,200 in the wild in a rapidly contracting fraction of their former range.

The statement quoted Amanda Nickson, Director of the WWF International Species Program, as saying, “As crucial climate talks in Copenhagen draw near and with the International Year of Biodiversity around the corner, this is a wake-up call for world leaders.”Through its global initiatives, WWF is pursuing major efforts to arrest biodiversity decline in some of the most spectacular and highly diverse places on the planet, and to recover populations of some of the most endangered species, such as tigers.

Significant international meetings next year to address biodiversity loss and the threats to planetary life support systems include major conferences of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Nickson noted that the CBD´s 2010 target had probably underestimated the growing impact of climate change, which is “now being increasingly recognized as an additional threat.”However, in a rare ray of hope in the new assessment, one freshwater fish, the Australian Grayling, has been moved from the Vulnerable to the Near Threatened list as a result of conservation efforts which included putting in fish ladders at dams, improving streamside vegetation and policing anglers.

Global figures for 2009 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Total species assessed = 47,677
Total Extinct or Extinct in the Wild = 875 (2%) [Extinct 809; Extinct in the Wild = 66]
Total threatened = 17,291 (36%) [Critically Endangered = 3,325; Endangered = 4,891; Vulnerable = 9,075]
Total Near Threatened = 3,650 (8%)
Total Lower Risk/conservation dependent = 281 (<1%)

Source: Republica