Posts in category: Up coming Project

SAVE THE FROGS! Day was marked on 28 April in Madhesh Province; jointly by Nepal Conservation and Research Center and Biodiversity Research and Conservation Society in support of Save The Frogs-an amphibian conservation organization to Bishal Prasad Neupane and Katie Adamson Conservation Fund, USA.

Online Photo/Video Contest:- Prior to celebrate the day; photo and video competition was held on social media herpsNEPAL Facebook group. We received total 30 submissions (28 photos and 02 videos) from different parts of Nepal. The idea of photo/video contest is to conduct social media campaign for frog conservation. All the contestants who participated the competition will receive a recently published “Lowland Frogs of Nepal Poster”.

One of the photos submitted by photo contestants; Minervarya nepalensis by Kismat Neupane.

The Save The Frogs Day (28 April 2024):- The day was celebrated in Simara Public school and Thanimai Community Forest with activities such as frog conservation importance sessions; frog face painting; herping and nature walk at Thanimai Community Forest.

The frogs of Nepal’s Himalayan region are under significant pressure from climate change, habitat loss and because they are hunted and eaten by local people.  In addition, the historical focus of conservation efforts in Nepal has been on large iconic mammalian species such as tiger, rhinoceros and elephant.  A clear conservation focus is required for Nepal’s frogs, particularly in the mountain areas, where the effects of climate change are most extreme.   This clear focus is prevented by a lack of understanding of the kinds of frogs present in the area, their relationships to one another and their relationships to groups outside of Nepal. It is likely that there are several species of frogs present in this region which have not yet been recognized.  Without knowing which species are present, or how they are related to other groups, it is difficult to establish meaningful conservation approaches for species.

The overarching goals of this project to understand and establish knowledge gaps on Himalayan frog species of Nepal. This project will use integrative approaches such genetics, morphomtrics and bio-acoustics to identify different species, to establish a clear understanding of the relationships among a particular group of frogs present across Nepal’s Himalayan region.  We will also explore hunting pressures on frog species.  

The Himalayan region is a biodiversity hotspot with a unique biogeography that has influenced the diversification of many taxa. Three endemic skinks (family: Scincidae) were discovered in central Nepal: Mahabharat skink (Ablepharus mahabharatus), Nepal skink (Ablepharus nepalensis) and large ground skink (Scincella capitanea). Information on their distribution, population abundance, habitat use and resource partitioning with sympatric species is lacking.

Reptiles are susceptible to environmental and anthropogenic changes and have limited dispersal capabilities. They are particularly sensitive to habitat modifications and climate change, both of which are occurring rapidly in the Himalayan and hilly regions of Nepal. No dedicated study on Nepalese endemic skinks has occurred. This project will fill a knowledge gap by conducting ecological assessments to provide details on current distribution, habitat use and micro habitat selection, population abundance and threats impacting the survival of these endemic skinks to inform conservation strategies.

Supported by: Nagao Natural Environment Foundation

Nepal is home to three species of sitana lizards, namely Shuklaphanta sitana (Sitana schleichi), Sivalik sitana (Sitana sivalensis) and the Dark sitana (Sitana fusca) belonging to family Agamidae. Among these three species, the Dark sitana is an endemic lizard listed as Critically Endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. In Nepal, Dark sitana is known only from Madhesh Province; and the type specimen was found in Bardibas, in Madhesh Province. The Bardibas area is growing rapidly as a transit point, connecting Madhesh province to Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal. The ongoing expansion and urban development of the Bardibas area is a major conservation challenge for the species. Moreover, ecological information (such as abundance, distribution, and threats) and the natural history of this lizard are poorly understood. Very few conservation organizations are working in the area and even fewer are aware of the existence of the species and its critical conservation status.

This project will generate ecological data including distribution, abundance, habitat characteristics and identification of key threats. This information will set a baseline for long term monitoring and inform the development of a conservation strategy. In addition, a conservation outreach component of the project will raise the profile of this species among key stakeholders and local communities, improving conservation outcomes for Dark sitana. Key outputs will include occurrence maps showing conservation sensitive zones and site-specific conservation measures. Conservation outreach activities will raise awareness of and develop support for Dark sitana conservation. This will drive behaviour change to reduce activities which impact Dark sitana, including the use of intentional fire in Dark sitana habitat.

Supported by : The Rufford Foundation, UK

Need for Human-Leopard Co-existence in and around Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal.

Project highlight

Principal investigator: Saurav Lamichhane

Location: Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal

Grant support: The Rufford Foundation

Team members: Tank Rawal, Kabita Das

Nepal’s mid-hill ecosystem includes a top predator, the leopard, and a significant source of human-wildlife conflict. To put successful conflict management strategies into practice, it is crucial to have every aspect of information about conflict species. This project is a continuation of previous Rufford work. Understanding the social, as well as ecological dimension of human-wildlife conflict is important for effective conflict management strategies. In the first Rufford grant, our study was entailed mainly to understand the social dimension of HLC along with conservation awareness activities in local community. In this project, our major focus will be identifying the ecological correlates such as occupancy and diet composition of conflict species.

The following objectives guide the project:

1. Information on common leopard occupancy and associated covariates will be obtained.
2. The diet composition of the common leopard will be understood, thereby the livestock contribution in the diet as well.
3. Knowledge of local herders on leopard conservation and HLC mitigation measures will be improved.
4. School children will be made aware on leopard conservation and conflict mitigation measures.
5. Findings of the project will be disseminated to the conservation authorities with far-reaching implications for the conservation of common leopards in the area.

The project’s findings are anticipated to contribute to more efficient efforts in reducing HLC and fostering coexistence between humans and leopards. Moreover, the conservation awareness program to the local herders and school children and knowledge gap addressed by this project will be crucial for better human-leopard co-existence in the area. To sum up, this research project will be crucial for the conservation of common leopards in the area. The data obtained will be crucial for conservation authorities to effectively plan conflict management strategies, and in particular to increase the knowledge and awareness among the local herders on leopard conservation while minimizing the conflict.

Project link :