One Horned Rhino >> Mitigation Measures

Possible Mitigation Measures

Poverty Reduction

Income generating skills and opportunities can be conducted. Alternative way for livelihood can be provided to the ethnic communities, e.g. goat, pig rearing, bee keeping, small cottage industries etc.

Promote Awareness Level

Awareness level of bufferzone people can be raised through community and school conservation education program. Basically they should be apprised on why rhino conservation is indispensable and how it directly links with their livelihood, economy and environment. This message has been instrumental to educate the locals about the fruits of successful conservation. Community should also be made aware on prevailing act, rules, regulations, guidelines about bufferzone, park and poaching to avert them from illegal activities.

Discourage Poaching

National and international poaching trade should be discouraged through strengthening intelligence network. DNPWC has to augment the capacity and institutionalize the network of the existing anti-poaching unit. Formation and activation of local anti-poaching group, youth campaign against rhino poaching and involvement of local organizations would be critical against poaching.

Habitat Protection and Management

The floodplain south of Rapti River that comprises riverine forest, grasslands and the marshes supports the majority of rhino population. Only less than 50% habitat of Chitwan National Park is suitable for rhino. It can support 500 individuals. Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve is identified as potential new protected habitat that could support additional 100 rhinos. The protection of additional habitat for translocation will avoid all eggs in one basket. The mature grasses of Chitwan are coarse and not palatable for rhinos. Creation of wetlands and waterhole will provide wallows. This management technique if applied will encourage the rhino to stay inside the protected area and minimize crop depredation.

Policy and Political Influence

Advocacy, lobbying and media leverage is essential to prioritize the conservation issues as a political agenda. Advocacy, discussions, debate and discourse should be done at political and policy level to revise the policy, to redress the situation and to drag the attention towards problems of conservation.

Proper compensation system

The timeline for compensation process should be shorten so as to provide immediate relief to the victims. Compensation amount should be increased to at least 75% of the crop and livestock loss. Nepotism and favoritism while compensating the victims should be checked. The dependent family members of dead or injured individuals from rhinos should be provided regular allowances, jobs and ultimately livelihood security.

Development of tourism management plan

To reduce tourism impact on rhino conservation, the state of complete void of tourism management plan and tourism code of ethics in the national parks should be end. For the sustainable conservation, tourism promotion and research in the parks, the areas should be divided into several zones such as tourism zone, facility zone, core zone etc. The policy should be made so that tourism factor would not hamper conservation in any aspect prominently habitat destruction.

Increase Investment

Except from the park revenue, investment on conservation should be increased to retain the intelligence work, involvement of grass root CBOs on conservation, conservation education program etc. Investment on community should be profoundly increased.

Increase scientific research and activity

Year round research on the rhino ecology, population dynamics and conservation constraints is a must. Research on wildlife trade and poaching trend should be carried out on a periodic basis. A deep research on how to distract the rhino from the farm by alarm sound, plantation of bitter taste plants etc should be experimented.

The interval between rhino count should be diminished. Five years gap is too long to know the real situation of endangered rhino. Research on habitat status, carrying capacity, human- wildlife conflict assessment should be increased. There is dire need in Nepal to increase veterinary facilities of rhinos and other wildlifes in terms of human resources, equipments and medicines.

Establish Captive Population

Captive population of rhino is required to ensure that there is an additional gene pool, whether it is for captive breeding, reintroduction, exchange for research or for education process. Establishment of rhino captive breeding center in Chitwan or other parts to the Terai for the orphan rhinos would be instrumental to increase rhino numbers.