Wild ideas

The most effective way to minimise human-animal conflict is to involve locals in conservation and animal-control efforts.

Nepal is internationally lauded for its success in increasing forest cover and its achievement in wildlife conservation. According to the 2018 study of the Department of Forest Research and Survey, forest covers 44.74 percent of Nepal’s total area. With the expansion of forest area, the number of wild animals has also seen a sharp rise. As per the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, there were 121 tigers in Nepal in 2009. The number has almost tripled to 355, according to the tiger census 2022. Similarly, the rhino population has increased significantly. The national rhino census 2021 shows Nepal is home to 752 one-horned rhinos, with Chitwan National Park alone hosting 694 of them. The country’s rhino population stood at 645 in 2015, with 605 rhinos counted in Chitwan alone. This has significantly helped Nepal’s wildlife tourism and environmental protection.