Millions being spent on red panda conservation

By Chandra Pandak,Taplejung, July 11: Millions of rupees are being spent on protecting the rare and endangered red panda (Habre). Each year, millions of rupees are dedicated to red panda conservation efforts within a single district – Taplejung – through various organisations.

In the district, the Himalayan Conservation Forum is actively working on red panda conservation. 

Through this organisation, millions of rupees are allocated solely for red panda conservation in the district. For the upcoming fiscal year, the Forum plans to allocate an additional budget of over Rs. 20 million for endangered red panda conservation activities.

According to Ramesh Rai, Coordinator of the Forum, the organisation aims to spend over Rs. 20 million on the programme for the upcoming fiscal year. 

As part of red panda conservation education, students will have the opportunity to visit the Habre Center in Deurali of Pathibhara region, and schools will conduct red panda orientation sessions.

Similarly, the working plan of the community forest users group within the area will be renewed, and the red panda conservation programme will be conducted in community forests. The establishment of a nursery for red panda food species and a sapling production programme will also take place. 

Other programmes such as allo (Himalayan giant nettle) processing and textile weaving, training for forest guardians on conservation and sustainable development, red panda treks baseline survey, regular monitoring for sustainable conservation of red pandas, and red panda habitat identification will be carried out using the allocated budget.

The Forum aims to implement several initiatives, including the development of a local curriculum on environmental protection and sustainability for students in 13 schools (grades 6 to 8) within the working area, the introduction of a red panda scholarship programme in 10 schools, and the establishment of a Himalayan Habre Center.

For the current fiscal year, the Forum allocated approximately Rs. 15 million for red panda conservation studies, monitoring, education and public awareness campaigns, sustainable livelihood projects, and tourism promotion, among other activities.

With the financial support of the Red Panda Network, the Forum has been engaged in the conservation of the endangered species for a significant period. The Forum operates in 13 wards of various local levels in Taplejung, identified as the area where red pandas can be found.

On the other hand, despite the substantial amount of money being spent on red panda conservation, stakeholders express dissatisfaction over the lack of current data regarding the population of red pandas.

Relevant authorities are demanding a study on the endangered animals and their population. The Red Panda Network conducted such a study to find out their statistics 10 years ago. 

Since then, although conservation activities have continued, no work has been done to gather current data. According to a study conducted in 2013, there were 77 to 134 red pandas in Taplejung.