The main objectives of the Nepal National Mammal Red Data Book (RDB) were to provide comprehensive and up-to-date accounts of 212 mammal species recorded in Nepal, assess their status applying the IUCN Guidelines at Regional Levels, identify threats and recommend the most practical measures for their conservation. It is hoped that the Mammal RDB will help Nepal achieve the Convention on Biological Diversity target of preventing the extinction of known threatened species and improving their conservation status. Of the 212 mammal species assessed, 49 species (23%) were listed as nationally threatened. These comprise nine (18%) Critically Endangered species, 26 (53%) Endangered species and 14 (29%) Vulnerable species. One species was considered regionally Extinct. A total of seven species (3%) were considered Near Threatened and 83 species (39%) were Data Deficient. Over sixty percent of Nepal’s ungulates are threatened and almost half of Nepal’s carnivores face extinction (45% threatened). Bats and small mammals are the least known groups with 60 species being Data Deficient. Habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation are the most significant threats. Other significant threats include illegal hunting, small and fragmented populations, reduction of prey base, human wildlife conflict and persecution, climate change, invasive species, disease and inadequate knowledge and research. Adequate measures to address these threats are described. It was also concluded that re-assessments of the status of certain mammal groups be carried out every five years and the setting up of a national online species database and mapping system would also greatly help in land-use planning and policies.

The main objectives of the Nepal National Bird Red Data Book were to provide comprehensive and up-to-date accounts of all the bird species found in Nepal, assess their status applying the IUCN Guidelines at Regional Levels, identify threats to all bird species and recommend the most practical measures for their conservation. It is hoped that the Bird RDB will help Nepal achieve the Convention on Biological Diversity target of preventing the extinction of known threatened species and improving their conservation status. As population changes of Nepal’s birds have been studied for only a few species, assessments of species’ national status were mainly made by assessing changes in distribution. Species distribution maps were produced for all of Nepal’s bird species except vagrants and compared to maps that were produced in 1991 using the same mapping system. Of the 878 bird species recorded, 168 species (19%) were assessed as nationally threatened. These comprise 68 (40%) Critically Endangered species, 38 (23%) Endangered species and 62 (37%) Vulnerable species. A total of 62 species was considered Near Threatened and 22 species Data Deficient. Over 55% of the threatened birds are lowland grassland specialists, 25% are wetland birds and 24% tropical and sub-tropical broadleaved forest birds. Larger birds appear to be more threatened than smaller birds with 98 (25%) non-passerine species threatened and 67 (14%) passerine species. Habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation are the most important threats. Other threats include chemical poisoning, over-exploitation, climate change, hydropower, invasive species, intensification of agriculture, disturbance, and limited conservation measures and research. Measures to address these threats are described. It was also concluded that re-assessments of the status of certain bird groups carried out every five years and the setting up of a national online system for storing and reporting bird sightings would be useful.

We interviewed 48 people from communities around Bardia National Park in Nepal, including ex-hunters and protected area management professionals. The purpose of the interviews was to understand the motivations for, and the nature of, illegal hunting of prey species of iconic predators—tigers and leopards—in the northern section of the park. Participants reported that hunting of prey species occurs mostly in spring and autumn and is less common during the summer. In the past, hunting was primarily for the purposes of obtaining meat for household consumption. Since the introduction of a road network in the region, opportunities to sell wild meat at ad hoc “highway markets” have developed. The purported medicinal properties of wild meat was also cited as a driver for illegal hunting. Guns (mostly made locally, by hand) and dogs were reported to be commonly used. Protected area managers indicated that illegal hunting problems in the study area are associated with a lack of presence of park authorities, remoteness and underdevelopment and poverty of the community. Our study suggested that skills development training for local community members might reduce dependency of local people on wild meat, for both household consumption and for income, thereby reducing illegal hunting.

Context: People and wildlife are coming into greater contact worldwide because of the increasing human footprint. Although some species tolerate certain levels of human activities, others are vulnerable to human disturbance, potentially altering their spatial or temporal patterns of activity in response to disturbance by humans. Aims: We evaluated the influence of human activity on burrow activity of the Chinese pangolin, a Critically Endangered species that is heavily persecuted for subsistence and illegal trade. Methods: We deployed remotely triggered camera traps at pangolin burrows located at four sites with contrasting levels of human density and infrastructure in Nepal, and estimated burrow-activity patterns of pangolins by using a kernel-density estimator based on the time stamp of camera trap observations. Key results: Our findings did not suggest that anthropogenic disturbance affected pangolin burrow activity, but we acknowledge that these findings were based on a limited number of observations. Peak pangolin burrow activity was observed after midnight in three of the study sites, including those with highest and lowest levels of human activity. The fourth area, which had intermediate levels of human activity, had an earlier peak in burrow activity, possibly caused by prey deficiency owing to intense agriculture. Conclusions: We suggest that pangolins may tolerate human activity because of their strictly nocturnal temporal niche, but that this tolerance has made them vulnerable to poaching because it allows them to co-exist spatially with humans. Implications: Nocturnal species may be particularly prone to non-conflict-related persecution, because they may be easily accessible targets for illegal hunting activities.

We interviewed 48 people including local communities, ex hunters and protected area management professionals. The purpose of the interviews was to understand the motivations for, and the nature of, illegal hunting of prey species of iconic predators - tigers and leopards - in the northern section of Bardia National Park. Participants reported that hunting of prey species occurs mostly in spring and autumn and is less common during the summer. In the past, hunting was primarily for the purposes of obtaining meat for household consumption. Since the introduction of a road network in the region, opportunities to sell wild meat at ad-hoc ‘highway markets’ have developed. The purported medicinal properties of wild meat was also cited as a driver for illegal hunting. Mostly, locally hand-made guns are used for hunting and the use of dogs in hunting was often reported. Protected area managers informed that illegal hunting problems in the study area are associated with a lack of presence of park authorities, remoteness and underdevelopment and poverty of the community. Our study suggested that skills development training for local community members might reduce dependency on wild meat for household consumption and earning thereby reducing illegal hunting.

The dhole Cuon alpinus is a large canid that is categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List and at risk of global extinction. Information on the spatial distribution of suitable habitat is important for conservation planning but is largely unavailable. We quantified the spatial distribution of potential range as well as the relative probability of dhole occurrence across large parts of the species’ global range. We used the MaxEnt algorithm to produce a multi-scale environmental niche model based on 24 environmental variables and dhole occurrence data from 12 countries. We identified three regions where dhole conservation should be focused: western India, central India, and across the Himalayan foothills through Southeast Asia. Connectivity between suitable areas was poor, so coordinated action among these regions should be a priority. For instance, transboundary dhole conservation initiatives across the Himalayas from southern China, Myanmar, north-east India, Nepal and Bhutan need to be initiated. We also highlight the value of improving dhole population viability on unprotected land and increasing monitoring in the northern parts of its historic distribution, in particular in areas within mainland China.