KATHMANDU: Nepal is soon going to launch the Himalayan musk deer captive breeding project, which is slated to begin in Manang, inside the Annapurna Conservation Area.

National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) initiated this new enterprise - the only one of its kind in Nepal, Dr. Siddhartha Bajracharya, Director, NTNC said here Saturday.

"Breeding is considered a success in China and India and conservation efforts are on. It benefits the local community too, economically", he said.

Musk deer is widely distributed in the forest of Nepal and the mountains ranging from 2,200m to 4,400 m but its population is scanty, Bajracharya said. He further said that Manang is very suitable for the captive breeding as there are already the required number of animals".

NTNC is planning to farm musk deer in the semi-natural habitat with the objective to provide economic benefit to the local population by way of conservation. "We are trying to create a breeding center as a field research station," he added.

The species is in the endangered list and the trade of animal or its body parts is prohibited in Nepal.

Bajracharya opined that an amendment to the 'wildlife farming and breeding policy 2003' is essential to provide the permission for the trade of musk.

"We have not initiated any concrete steps towards that end, but if the government decides, we may have to rethink", said Gopal Upadhaya, Director General at the Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation.

Total cost of the five-year-long farming project is estimated at Rs.86 million. "China has shown considerable interest in farming and a meeting to that end has just been concluded at the Embassy of China here,"said Juddha Bahadur Gurung , Member Secretary of NTNC.

The musk of deer has a very high market value. It is estimated that a musk of the Himalayan deer cost about $45,000 per kg in international market and is widely used as medicines in China, said Bajracharya.

The Annapurna Conservation Area Management Committee is likely to take over the responsibility of managing the project. While the NTNC is to funnel in financial and technical support. Khangsar, Chongkor and Kasturi dada of Manang are the proposed sites for captive breeding, which together cover 89 hectares of land.