Tigers multiply, so do challenges to manage them

Kathmandu, July 31:The number of wild tigers in Nepal has reached 355 from 121 in 2010, becoming the first country to achieve the target of doubling the population as per its global commitment made in 2010.

Prime Minister and Chairperson of the National Tiger Conservation Committee, Sher Bahadur Deuba unveiled the long-awaited results of the National Tiger Census on Friday amid a programme in Kathmandu. The massive efforts in conservation make the country a success among the 13 tiger range countries that made the same commitment of doubling the population of the wild cat at the same time in St Petersburg, Russia, an international tiger conservation forum. It was not only a success but more than a success as the country almost tripled the tiger’s population from 121 in the last 12 years, conservationists said.

The tiger range countries are Bhutan, Nepal, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Russia, Bangladesh, India, Thailand and Laos.  

The latest tiger census report shows that there are 128 tigers in Chitwan National Park (CNP), 125 in Bardiya National Park (BNP), 41 in Parsa National Park (PNP), 36 in Shuklaphanta National Park (SNP) and 25 in Banke National Park (BaNP).

According to Dr. Ram Chandra Kandel, Director General at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), the success was due to a joint effort by the government, all conservation partners and local communities. "However, there is still a need to work further on effective habitat management, promoting human-tiger co-existence, maintaining the tiger number, minimising the impact of large linear infrastructure, and research and monitoring,” he said.

Nepal started its fourth tiger survey in December 2021 under the DNPWC and the Department of Forests and Soil Conservation (DoFSC) of the Ministry of Forests and Environment. Out of the six species of tiger remaining in the world, Nepal is home to only one: Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris). 

Talking to The Rising Nepal, Dr. Shant Raj Jnawali, Senior Advisor at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), said with the increase in their number, tigers need good prey-based habitat. 

“People living nearby the national park and buffer zone area need to be more cautious and they should be aware of the locations of the tigers,” he said, adding, “And the victims should be compensated immediately.”  

The local governments should take the conservation programme as their priority and school students nearby should be provided with special provisions to carry them to school as they might be victimised by the tiger while going to school, he added.

Dr. Pem Narayan Kandel, Secretary, Ministry of Forests and Environment, said this success was possible due to the unwavering political will of the government of Nepal, contributions of many stakeholders, including enforcement agencies and conservation partners, but mostly of all the communities that live alongside tigers. 

What's next?

With success in almost tripling the tiger population, challenges ahead abound. The wild cat now needs more space as they need to expand their habitat. 

Recently the government has decided to set up the ‘Prime Minister Human Wildlife Rescue and Relief Fund’ of Rs. 1 billion aiming to conserve the wild cat and reduce human-wildlife conflicts in buffer zones of national parks and forest areas. The funds can be utilised for programmes related to anti-poaching, habitat management, expansion of prey species and forest planning, said Dr. Ram Chandra Kandel.

With this, the government has other plans to minimise human-tiger conflict. It has also a plan to bring Wildlife Habitat Management Action Plan to ease the conflict.

Similarly, it has also been planning to amend the Wildlife Damage Relief Guidelines related to the Wildlife Crime Control Action Plan, which has already been presented to the government and also plans to expand wildlife rescue centres to various areas, Dr. Ram Chandra Kandel said.

The government is also planning to increase prey species in the national parks, construct the zoological park, provide easy and early compensation to victims, manage grassland on a manual basis, and construct an overpass over or an underpass while constructing a new structure. He said that wildlife-friendly infrastructure will have to feature more strongly across planning, construction and development works.

According to Hari Bhadra Acharya, chief conservation officer at the CNP, 80 per cent of the landless people are staying in the buffer zone areas and 90 per cent of conflict happened inside the park. Most incidents occurred when people went into the national park or the buffer zones to graze cattle or collect fruit, mushrooms and wood, he said.

“Some 4000 hectares of land related to the national park buffer zone have been encroached and the government should work to bring programmes for alternative settlements to address those populations,” Acharya said.

In Bardiya, female tigers outnumber males, so there will be an increase in the population in the coming days, so management of the habitat is urgently needed to make people safe. 

According to the WWF, Nepal has proven that with political will, community leadership, and the right conservation measures, doubling tiger numbers is possible. But the work isn’t over and progress remains fragile. 

Nepal has evidence as to why we need robust and measurable goals focused on living with tigers and range expansion to ensure the future of this iconic big cat.

The latest report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) also revealed that the population of wild cats increased to 40 per cent globally. The main threats to tigers include poaching for trade in body parts used in traditional medicines, habitat loss and fragmentation, and retaliatory killing after attacks on people and livestock, according to the IUCN. 

There are currently between 3,726 and 5,578 tigers in the wild worldwide, according to the latest figures by the IUCN.