Landslides present remarkable hazards in the Himalayan region, particularly in areas with young and fragile topography. Mitigating vulnerability requires assessing susceptibility, which relies heavily on the accuracy of susceptibility maps generated through various approaches that consider different conditioning factors at various resolutions. This study, conducted in Jajarkot District within the Karnali Province of Nepal and covering 2230 km2, aims to identify suitable conditioning factors at appropriate resolutions. Sixteen factors, encompassing topography, hydrology, geology, and anthropogenic activities, were analyzed alongside a landslide inventory of 159 occurrences compiled from satellite imagery, the literature, and field surveys. A genetic algorithm (GA) was employed to determine the optimal set of conditioning factors, while Maximum Entropy (Maxent) modeling produced landslide susceptibility maps (LSM) at spatial resolutions ranging between 12.5 and 200 m. Resolution selection was guided by Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve and Area Under the Curve (AUC) analyses. Multicollinearity testing identified 15 influential factors, with land use ranking highest at 22.7%, followed by stream power index (SPI), drainage density, and aspect. The GA consistently highlighted land use and slope as effective factors across subset sizes. The results indicated resolutions finer than one hundred meters enhanced discrimination between landslide and non-landslide areas, emphasizing the need to balance resolution with computational resources and data availability. This study emphasizes the intricate interplay of conditioning factors, the GA’s efficacy in subset selection, and the crucial role of resolution in the improvement of susceptibility models. The findings provide practical insights for policymakers and disaster management authorities, aiding evidence-based decision making in the mitigation of landslide risk in Jajarkot and similar regions.

This case documents envenomation by a Green pit viper (Cryptelytrops sp.), a species found in South and Southeast Asia that causes the majority of venomous snakebites among Southeast Asian pit vipers. The proven life-threatening cases described in published literature, however, are sparse. We report a case of noticeable envenomation due to confirmed Green pit viper, Cryptelytrops sp. bite in Jajarkot. This is the first known reported case of such a bite from Jajarkot in Nepal. This case highlights the urgent need to improve diagnosis, monitoring, and supportive care for snakebite victims in Nepal.

The endangered red panda (Ailurus fulgens) is endemic to the Himalayas, including Jajarkot. Forest-dependent agro-pastoralists in Jajarkot rely on natural resources for their livelihoods in prime red panda habitats. This paper describes how agro-pastoralists perceive prevailing climate change threats and how they together with endangered red panda are sustaining in spite of these threats based on personal interviews, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and observation methods. The results of the study revealed that the perceptions of the agro-pastoralists correspond with the increasing trend of temperature and the changing (both increasing and decreasing) trends of precipitation. Moreover, the agro-pastoralists have perceived the decrease in snowfall and reported the appearance of new forage and pasture species in the red panda habitat. The findings will be useful to understand the impact of climate change in the red panda range and devising adaptation strategies in these areas.

Two individuals of one live female and one live male Large-toothed Ferret Badger were spotted at an altitude of 2,196 masl in Phedi, Kepilashgadi Rural Municipality, Khotang on 13 June 2020 and at an altitude of 1885 masl in Roksim Bhanjyang of Khotehang Rural Municipality on February 3, 2022 respectively. The record at Phedi is the global highest elevational record of the species which is 579 meters higher than the previous record.

Information on a globally ‘Least Concern’ and nationally ‘Endangered’ spotted linsang Prionodon pardicolor via camera trap image offers hope to address Wallacean shortfall outside the Protected Area in its range. The present paper reports the first verified record of its occurrence outside the Protected Areas in Khotang and Bhojpur districts, east Nepal.

Camera traps placed in Nalgaad Municipality, Kuse Rural Municipality, and Barekot Rural Municipality of Jajarkot District, Karnali Province, Nepal showed a new distributional information for Siberian weasel Mustela sibirica. This finding helps fill gaps in our knowledge about the species' distribution, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of the species' range.