Exploring unprotected mid-hills forest to generate knowledge about biodiversity.
Funded by:
Project Overview
The mid-hill forest surrounding Dudhpokhari in Nepal serves as a critical corridor between the Annapurna Conservation Area and Manaslu Conservation Area. However, this forest remains unprotected and neglected, mainly due to limited knowledge about its biodiversity. Our team aims to conduct a rapid assessment of the area’s mammals, birds, herpetofauna, and butterflies using various survey methods such as transect surveys, interviews, camera trapping, and audio recordings. We will disseminate our findings to local governments, schools, and communities to raise awareness about the importance of preserving the biodiversity in their region.
The mid-hills of Nepal hold immense biodiversity potential, yet they have received little exploration and protection. Within this context, the forest surrounding Dudhpokhari, which connects the Annapurna and Manaslu Conservation Areas, remains largely unexplored. This presents a critical gap in understanding and conserving the biodiversity of this highly diverse landscape. Our project aims to rapidly assess the biodiversity of this mid-hill forest, benefiting conservationists, professionals, scientists, government agencies, trekkers, local communities, and the global conservation community.
The specific objectives of our project include:
- conducting a rapid assessment of mammals, birds, herpetofauna, and butterflies, and
- disseminating the assessment findings to local government and national conservationists.
Despite the limited literature on the biodiversity of the Dudhpokhari forest periphery, our recent work in the nearby Annapurna Conservation Area indicates a rich biodiversity. With intact forests and a more remote location, we anticipate remarkable findings from our rapid assessment.
Using a cost-effective and reliable approach, we will select multiple study sites within the forest and spend at least seven days at each site for intensive field surveys. Following the assessment, we will engage in local dissemination through workshops in wards/municipalities and schools, where we will present our findings and emphasize the conservation importance of the recorded species. At the national level, we will publish popular articles highlighting our project, results, and the significance of our findings for conservation. Additionally, if sufficient footage is captured, we plan to create a video documenting the project, similar to the team leader’s previous work.
