Expert meet on rhino conservation kicks off

By Saligram Nepal,Chitwan, Feb. 4: A three-day conference of experts from five Asian Rhino Range countries began at Patihani in Chitwan on Friday. The conference will prepare a strategy for the protection of protected animals including the one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinocerotidae). The 3rd Asian Rhino Range Countries Meeting will be concluded on February 5, 2023.

Government delegates from the Asian Rhino Range countries – Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Nepal – rhino experts, community leaders, NGOs, representatives of law enforcement agencies and representatives of conservation partners are participating in the meeting.

'Rhino protection serious issue'

During the conference, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ gave a video message saying the one-horned rhinoceros is a priceless asset for Nepal, so the government of Nepal is sensitive to its protection.

Wishing for the success of the conference, he said that the habitat challenge for the protection of rhinoceros was becoming more and more serious. 

“The government will come up with a plan to protect these animals based on the suggestions of experts in the field, the Prime Minister said.

Prime Minister Prachanda further said that foreigners come to Nepal because of its natural resources, animals, one-horned rhinoceros and other wild animals, and this has helped in the economic development of Nepal.

Prime Minister Prachanda said that by protecting the animals, the ecological system would be protected. He promised to work effectively in the protection of such animals, informing that protected animals would be sheltered with the help and participation of local people.

Prime Minister Prachanda said that due to the environmental impact in the world, the challenge in animal protection is increasing.

The conference will formulate a common agenda

The conference plans to prepare a common agenda by discussing the challenges faced in the conservation of the endangered one-horned rhinoceros. 

The second conference was held in New Delhi, India and this is the first time Nepal organising such a conference, said Dr. Ganesh Pant, the Information Officer of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC).

The meeting is hosted by the Government of Nepal, facilitated by the IUCN Species Survival Commission’s Asian Rhino Specialist Group (AsRSG) and supported by the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) Nepal, WWF Nepal, ZSL Nepal, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Rhino Recovery Fund, Aaranyak and International Rhino Foundation.

The delegates will discuss various topics related to Asian Rhino conservation such as reducing threats of poaching and illegal wildlife trade, preventing habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation, biological population management, human-rhino conflict mitigation, wildlife health, strengthening transboundary cooperation and climate adversities.

This gathering also aims to strengthen networking among the Asian Rhino Range countries, identify conservation challenges, share best practices and lessons learned, knowledge and experiences to conserve Asian Rhinos across their range and raise awareness about Asian Rhinos.

The first Asian Rhino Range Countries meeting was held in Indonesia in 2013 and the second meeting was held in India in 2019. This meeting will review the “New Delhi Declaration on Asian Rhinos 2019” and conclude with a Launching of “The Chitwan Declaration for Asian Rhino Conservation 2023” on February 5, 2023. According to the latest count, there are 752 one-horned rhinos in Nepal, of which 694 are in Chitwan National Park.