Asiatic Wild Dog conservation through improved conservation measures in Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal

Asiatic wild dog (Cuon alpinus), a globally Endangered species, is recorded only from 7 out of 77 districts in Nepal. Once freely wandering in mid-hills, the species faced multiple threats including retaliatory killings, habitat loss and fragmentation, prey base depletion due to accelerated hunting for bush meat, and carcass poisoning, which led to the regional extinction from their historic habitat ranges. Recent studies have shown that Dholes are recolonizing the areas once extirpated from. This is both challenge and opportunity. The underlying challenges arising from ‘Human – Dhole Conflicts’ could be minimized with interventions like generating awareness among forest dependent communities, their capacity development for alternative sustenance and mobilizing younger generation for its conservation. For this, Friends of Nature Nepal is working together with local communities and stakeholders of Madi Rural Municipality, Kaski District Central Nepal, with the aim of sensitizing them and encouraging the local government to develop their conservation plans in the future.

The designed project activities will help to sensitize local stakeholders and in turn reduce ‘Human – Dhole Conflict’ by instigating conservation awareness and by providing direct income generation support through capacity building. To ensure the species’ long-term survival in the area, the first few recolonizing individuals must be protected. This effort directly affects other significant species and general environmental conservation while working on the conservation of one of the top carnivores in the mid-hills of the country.