Faunal assessment to be conducted in Chure range

Kathmandu, August 17

The President Chure-Tarai Madhes Conservation Development Board is preparing to conduct a faunal biodiversity assessment in Chure range in collaboration with National Trust for Nature Conservation.

According to Dr Annapurna Nanda Das, member secretary at President Chure-Tarai Madhes Conservation Development Board, the assessment is needed to identify biodiversity pocket areas and to assess current disturbance regimes and threats to biodiversity.

“After assessment we will prepare a comprehensive faunal data,” he said at a workshop on faunal biodiversity assessment in Chure Range of Nepal. He said the faunal data was important to formulate policy for their conservation.

For the purpose of assessment, the Churiya range has been divided into four blocks. Eastern block comprises areas from Mechi to the Bagmati River, central from Bagmati River to Tinau Khola, western from Tinau to the Karnali River and far-western from Karnali to the Mahakali River covering 4,786 square km, 5,624 square km, 6,401 square km and 2,172 square km respectively.

According to Dr Naresh Subedi, senior conservation officer at NTNC, the assessment will be completed by the end of 2017 and report will be submitted to the PCTMCDB by mid-2018. “We are going to start assessment from far western region from the last week of August,” he said.

Occupancy data analysis, avifauna survey, herpeto-fauna survey, fish survey, butterfly and insects survey among others will be conducted during the assessment period.

The estimated cost of assessment is Rs 29,158,313. Of the total budget, Rs 24,403,313 has been provided by the President Chure-Tarai Madhes Conservation programme and Rs 4,755,000 by NTNC.