Overview of WWF's conservation work in Nepal
TERAI ARC LANDSCAPE
Where we work in Nepal
- Terai Arc Landscape Project (TAL)
Conservation.
Currently, the Corridors and Bottlenecks Restoration Project (CBRP), and Protected Area and Buffer zone (PABZ)project are being implemented under this program.
The TAL program is an exemplary model in conservation marking a shift from site-based conservation to a landscape-based one. TAL was conceived as a system of corridors and protected areas for landscape-scale conservation of tigers, rhinos and elephants. In order to attain this goal of connecting the core areas, the TAL program focuses on restoring the corridors and bottlenecks between important protected areas of Nepal and India using the primary strategy of community forestry. Over time, the TAL programme has grown to serve the dual purpose of restoring habitat that facilitates wildlife movement.
SACRED HIMALAYAN LANDSCAPE
• Sacred Himalayan Landscape (SHL)
Following the initiation of landscape level conservation in Nepal with the TAL program, the Sacred Himalayan Landscape (SHL) program was initiated in 2006 in partnership with ICIMOD, IUCN and The Mountain Institute (TMI). The SHL program works with the vision of creating a Himalayan landscape where the biological and cultural treasures of the world’s highest sacred mountains and deepest valleys are safeguarded while people’s rights over resources are ensured and livelihoods are enhanced and sustained.
With climate change posing a major impact on the landscape, WWF Nepal focuses on maintaining the contiguity of protected area systems in the landscape and on establishing the vertical linkages through freshwater and related resources under its integrated river basin management approach.
Currently, the SHL program operates in Kangchenjunga Conservation Area, Sagarmatha National Park and Buffer Zone, Langtang National Park and Buffer Zone, and the two sub-basins (Dudh Koshi and Indrawati) of the Koshi River basin. In these areas, the SHL program works towards protecting the snow leopard and red panda, forest/grassland restoration and habitat management, integrated water resources management (IWRM), and building ecosystem and community resilience to climate change impacts.
Following the initiation of landscape level conservation in Nepal with the TAL program, the Sacred Himalayan Landscape (SHL) program was initiated in 2006 in partnership with ICIMOD, IUCN and The Mountain Institute (TMI). The SHL program works with the vision of creating a Himalayan landscape where the biological and cultural treasures of the world’s highest sacred mountains and deepest valleys are safeguarded while people’s rights over resources are ensured and livelihoods are enhanced and sustained.
With climate change posing a major impact on the landscape, WWF Nepal focuses on maintaining the contiguity of protected area systems in the landscape and on establishing the vertical linkages through freshwater and related resources under its integrated river basin management approach.
Currently, the SHL program operates in Kangchenjunga Conservation Area, Sagarmatha National Park and Buffer Zone, Langtang National Park and Buffer Zone, and the two sub-basins (Dudh Koshi and Indrawati) of the Koshi River basin. In these areas, the SHL program works towards protecting the snow leopard and red panda, forest/grassland restoration and habitat management, integrated water resources management (IWRM), and building ecosystem and community resilience to climate change impacts.
Chitwan Annapurna Landscape
• Chitwan Annapurna Landscape (CHAL)
The Chitwan-Annapurna Landscape (CHAL) falls partly within the Sacred Himalayan Landscape (SHL) that stretches from Bhutan in the east to Nepal’s Kali Gandaki River in the west. CHAL itself is bounded by the Gandaki river basin. It exhibits much scenic beauty, ranging from the rain shadow of the trans-Himalayan area and the snowcapped mountains of Annapurna, Manaslu and Langtang in the north, descending southwards through diverse topography to the mid-hills, Churia range and the flat lowlands of the Terai. It contains seven major sub-river basins: Trishuli, Marsyandi, Seti, Kali Gandaki, Budi Gandaki, Rapti and Narayani.
CHAL has high biodiversity value and rich natural and cultural heritage. It is an important transit route for migratory birds and is home to endangered species like snow leopard, red panda and Himalayan black bear. CHAL has a human population of over four million people, many of whom live in very isolated places with poor access to markets, and who are very dependent on forest resources and ecosystem services for their livelihoods and wellbeing. Tourism is a major economic activity in the region.