Wildlife conservation efforts in Nepal has been directly affected by the 10-year-old conflict between the government and Maoists and the populations of one-horned rhinoceros and tigers have fallen sharply, revealed a survey.According to the survey conducted by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in the Bardia National Park last week, about 430 km west of the capital, the number of one-horned rhinos detected there was just three. The same number of tigers was traced.
According to the WWF, 70 one-horned rhinoceros were translocated from the Chitwan National Park to the Bardia National Park. But, only three of them were detected by the survey.
There were at least 13 tigers in the park until 2001, but the survey could find only three.
The Bardia National Park used to be protected by the Nepalese army, but with its involvement in the Maoist conflict since November 2001, most of the army security in national parks across the country was either drastically reduced or totally withdrawn.
The Bardia National Park was said to be under the control of the Maoists for two years and none could venture into the park except the poachers.
According to Mingma Sherpa of the WWF, "It became too dangerous to send staff to that area after Maoist insurgents detained and assaulted four members of a rhino monitoring team."
WWF said the present ceasefire between the Maoists and the government enabled them to enter the national park for the first time in two years to conduct the survey.
The organisation said efforts were on to coordinate with the government and the army to set up anti-poaching patrolling units.
The internal conflict in Nepal was reported to have had an adverse affect on the conservation efforts in other national parks as well.
The Chitwan National Park, located about 80 km south of the capital, was taken as a Nepalese success story. The national park that had less than 100 one-horned rhinos in the early 1970s boasted of more than 500 rhinos in 2004.
But even in the Chitwan National Park, poachers have killed at least 24 rhinos after the army reduced their strength in the park after 2002.
--DPA
(IANS)
