Roxb., commonly known as rosewood, is one of the highly valuable tropical timber species of Nepal. The tree species was widely distributed in the past, however, over-exploitation of natural habitat, deforestation, forest conversion for agriculture, illegal logging and the invasion of alien species resulted in the classification of this species as vulnerable by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) category. So, the prediction of habitat suitability and potential distribution of the species is required to develop restoration mechanisms and conservation interventions. In this study, we modelled the suitable habitat of over the entire possible range of Nepal using a Maxent model. We compiled 23 environmental variables (19 bioclimatic, 3 topographic and a vegetative layer), however, only 12 least correlated variables along with 43 spatially representative presence locations were retained for model prediction. We used a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to assess the model’s performance and a Jackknife procedure to evaluate the relative importance of predictor variables. The model was statistically significant with an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.969. The internal Jackknife test indicated that elevation was the most important variable for the model prediction with 71.3% contribution followed by mean temperature of driest quarter (9.8%). The most (>0.6) suitable habitat for the was 235 484 hectares with large sections of area in two provinces whereas, the western most provinces were not suitable for as per Maxent model. The information presented here can provide a framework for nature conservation planning, monitoring and habitat management of this rare and endangered species.Dalbergia latifolia D. latifolia D. latifolia D. latifolia

Human–wildlife conflict is a challenging issue that requires the attention of conservationists worldwide. Habitat fragmentation and encroachment reduce the abundance of prey species, and an increase in the number of predators leads to a higher risk of conflict with large cats such as leopards, jeopardizing conservation efforts. This study explored the spatio-temporal pattern of the human–leopard conflict in Bardia National Park, Nepal, from 2000 to 2020. To analyze the conflict with leopards, we used data (compensation cases filed in the park) from the buffer zone management office, the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), and the Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC). Leopard attacks on livestock are increasing exponentially, with 3335 livestock killed in 2652 attacks occurring during the study period. Although livestock depredation by leopards occurred all over the park, the southern cluster has most documented livestock damage (64.01%). The eastern and northern clusters reported fluctuating and dispersed predation events, respectively. Our spatial analysis indicated no effect of topography (slope) on livestock depredation by leopards. We recorded the highest number of leopard attacks and predation during the dry winter season when the nights are longer and livestock remain in their sheds. This carnivore mostly limited its prey to small-sized livestock (95.77%) such as goats, sheep, and pigs, whereas attacks on large-sized (cow and buffalo) livestock were least frequent. Among small-sized livestock, goats are the most predated (66.92%), followed by pigs (20.30%), in all seasons. The escalating human–leopard conflict in BNP is thus a severe threat to conservation efforts as the park has already invested a substantial amount of money (approx. USD 80,000) compensating for livestock lost in leopard attacks over the last two decades. Improving habitat conditions to reduce competition inside the park, developing an insurance scheme for livestock and humans, providing support for upgraded sheds, and the development of practical and feasible strategies that focus on specific animals and clusters of the national park are needed to reduce conflicts to maintain the co-existence between wildlife and human beings.

Climate change is the global concern of our sustainable development whose impact is of great concern to humanity. In Nepal, we are already starting to become aware of recent changes and developing the mechanism to adapt. A study was carried out in Bramha Thakur Community Forest User Group of Makawanpur district with an objective of assessing and prioritizing adaptation options by local community using soil and water conservation measures on climate change. Primary data were collected from direct observation, focus group discussion, key informant interview, preference ranking and transect walk. Meteorological data on temperature and rainfall of 30 years was collected from government sources and climatic trend was analyzed. Prioritization of adaptation options was done using Index of Usefulness of Practices to Adaptation (IUPA) tool developed by Debels et al. (2010). Monthly maximum value of daily maximum temperature and minimum temperature has increased by 0.0461°C and 0.12°C respectively. Numbers of warm days are increasing. Annual precipitation has increased steadily whereas maximum five days and monthly precipitation trend is increasing at high rate, alarming to hazards induced by climate change. Local people were found very resourceful in using various adaptation practices to deal with impacts of climate change. IUPA scoring provided important rankings on the adaptation options. Conservation pond was highly prioritized for drought management. To adapt with flood, engineering structures with or without vegetation were highly used as adaptation option. Bamboo plantation was highly preferred by local community to reduce the impacts of landslide and to prevent its occurrence. Bioengineering structures are highly recommended for long term stability in flooded and landslide affected areas. Further studies on adaptation options and their prioritization in more areas are recommended for comprehensive database and generalization. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jowe.v6i0.6997 J Wet Eco 2012 (6): 44-51

Observers with different experience levels are involved in the measurement of large number of sample plots during forest inventories, particularly in national forest inventories. However, limited information exist on the quality of data produced by different observers in forest inventory after certain levels of training. This study tries to evaluate the measurement error in forest inventory associated with observers' experience after initial and field-based training for measuring the most fundamental variables- DBH (cm), total tree height (m), and horizontal distance (m) together with bearing (azimuth) to tree from the plot-centre. On completing the second level of training, the mean of the differences in DBH measurement decreased for both the ‘experienced’ and ‘inexperienced’ groups. The mean of the differences in height measurement in the case of the experienced observers was very low as compared to the inexperienced ones. However, the mean of the differences in azimuth measurement showed that the experienced groups were overestimating by at least 1 degree. There was no trend in deviation of measurement for all four variables regardless of tree size. The decrease in the mean and error of differences in measurements after second training showed that field-based training with supervision and training on the use of instruments at laboratories were required for inexperienced surveyors whereas update in working and measurement procedure would be sufficient for the experienced ones.

Environmental gradients affect vegetation structure and ecosystem productivity. Along the northern Australia tropical transect (NATT), which transitions from tropical moist conditions in the north to arid conditions in the south, vegetation composition and structure are closely tied to rainfall patterns. We hypothesise that biotic competition and abiotic stress exhibit opposing patterns along the NATT rainfall gradient and aim to disentangle these effects on vegetation structure and productivity. Using a trait-based dynamic vegetation model, we simulated vegetation responses to varying competition and stress along the NATT. The model successfully simulated spatial variations and temporal patterns in carbon and water fluxes, where evapotranspiration and gross primary productivity decrease with rainfall along the gradient. Simulation results showed that taller and medium-sized Eucalyptus had higher carbon mass, leaf area index, and foliar projective cover at the wet end of the gradient. In contrast, Acacia and grasses were dominant at the dry end. Crown coverage shows spatial and temporal variability with rainfall, with higher variability in tree plant functional types (PFTs) crown cover in the north and more uniform in the south, while grasses have maximum coverage during the wet season in the dry end of the gradient. These patterns suggest a shift in the importance of biotic versus abiotic factors, with competition playing a more significant role in the wet region and stress becoming more influential as aridity increases in the south. Overall, our study underscores water availability as a primary driver of vegetation structure and highlights the role of competition and stress in modulating ecosystem structure, composition, and productivity along the rainfall gradient.