The Status of Nepal’s Mammals

Posted on Oct 5, 2015 Country updates, Guest blogs, News | Comments Off on The Status of Nepal’s Mammals

 

This landmark publication gives us, for the first time, a comprehensive and detailed understanding of the national conservation status of the 208 species of Nepalese mammals. Almost a quarter of Nepal’s mammals are threatened with extinction (23%). However, the true percentage of threatened mammals will probably be much worse than this, because 38% of the species are Data Deficient, and many of these will almost certainly be found to be threatened once they have been properly studied.

The most threatened group of mammals in the country is the ungulates, of which 57% are threatened. Species such as the Barasingha Rucervus duvaucelii, the Hog Deer Axis porcinus and the Himalayan Musk Deer Moschus leucogaster have globally important populations in Nepal, as do the South Asian River Dolphin Platanista gangetica, Greater One-horned Rhinoceros Rhinoceros unicornis and the Hispid Hare Caprolagus hispidus. The most poorly known groups in Nepal are the small mammals (bats, shrews, rodents), of which 48% are Data Deficient.

The Status of Nepal’s Mammals has been an invaluable project which was only possible due to the contribution of many committed scientists and conservationists, and the close collaboration between: the Government of Nepal, Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation, Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation; the National Trust for Nature Conservation; the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN); and the Zoological Society of London. Long-term commitment is needed to continue producing national red lists in the region, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and flowering plants. Nepal was one of 183 governments that are parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity that adopted the following target at the Nagoya conference in October 2010: By 2020 the extinction of known threatened species has been prevented and their conservation status, particularly of those most in decline, has been improved and sustained. This book provides an excellent basis for measuring whether or not Nepal can achieve this important target for mammals.

This publication will have the following outputs for conservation:

1) It provides a baseline for further assessments, monitoring changes in mammal status by calculating the National Mammal Red List Index for Nepal and also measuring the success of conservation projects that have already been implemented.

2) It can influence the implementation of national legislation and policies, and international conventions in Nepal.

3) Because The Status of Nepal’s Mammals enhances global knowledge on species, it contributes to the growth and updating of the global IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

You can see the full publication of the Nepal Red List of Mammals here.