An Assessment of Crops Damage by Wild Animals in The Southern Parts of Shivapuri National Park

Abstract

Crops damage by wildlife in surrounding villages was the main problem in conservation and management of the protected areas. Research conducted in two adjoining village development committees (VDCs) such as Kabresthali and Sangla of the Shivapuri National Park (ShNP) during December 2007- August 2008 to investigate causes and consequences generated by establishment of park particularly focusing on wildlife occurrences, reasons of land abandonment, quantity of crops loss due to wildlife, local people’s attitude towards wildlife conservation and the minimizing techniques of crops depredation. Both direct and indirect methods were used including identification of feces, pugmarks, scratches to explore the wild mammals’ occurrences and field surveys and set questionnaire were asked for collection of socio-economic data. Barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak), rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) and jungle cat (Felis chaus) were occurred at altitudinal ranges between 1612-1924m in the Schima, Myrica and Pinus species of trees dominated habitat in high human interference areas (Shannon’s index value=1.023). Various reasons caused a total 106 ropanis of private agricultural land abandonment laid in marginal area and prominent reason of 11% of land abandonment among the total land were due to extensive crop depredation by single animal, wild boar. In study area, wild boar, monkeys, porcupines and barking deer were main trouble giving wild animals to local people and raided crops during mature growing stage and caused a total 16234 kg of crops loss per annum. Maize was found most affected crops with a total 8928.5 kg loss and followed by paddy (2955 kg), wheat (2859.5 kg) and millet (1491 kg). The loss was concentrated near the boundary wall in all case except wheat loss (r=0.36) in Sangla which were also in farther distance. However, wildlife were principal caused of crops loss, other causes such as natural and man induced reasons were also responsible for certain percentage of loss. Similarly, quantity of crops loss in two study areas were insignificantly difference except wheat loss (Z=1.96). Human impacted on wildlife and their habitats were high which was reflected through the almost 32% respondents dependent on forest for their extra income generation and 84% of local people collected firewood, foliage and fodder for domestic used, although around 35% of them had negative attitude towards wildlife conservation. Nearly 45% of the local people were resorted various conventional means to stop crop depredation by wild boar. Such techniques were less detrimental to wildlife but partially effective and time consuming.