Assessment of the Effectiveness of Human-Snow Leopard Conflict Mitigation Measures in Ghunsa and Yangma Valley of Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, Nepal
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Department of Environmental Science
Abstract
The Human-Snow Leopard conflict has recently become one of the fundamental aspects
of wildlife management as it represents the most widespread and complex challenge,
currently livestock predation appears to be the single most important cause that has
brought Snow leopards into direct conflict with human populations. This Dissertation was
carried out to asses the effectiveness of adopted Human-Snow Leopard conflict
mitigation measures and degree of tolerance towards the Snow Leopard considering
livestock depredation in the Ghunsa and Yangma valley of Kangchenjunga Conservation
Area (KCA).
Purposively, the study was carried out in two areas namely Ghunsa and Yangma of KCA.
All together 34 household was taken for the study through a combination of social survey
methods involving participatory techniques, structured questionnaire surveys of
households and key informant interviews. The study assessment of the human-snow
leopard conflict was the most serious issue in the high mountains of Nepal’s Himalaya.
Animal husbandry was one of the most important economic enterprises in Ghunsa and
Yangma of KCA. But these livestock were depredated by Snow Leopard which results
serious conflict between the community and the wild predators. Thus, guarding livestock
was the best practice to minimize the depredation. For the effectiveness of adopted
mitigation measures there should be the provision of predator proof corrals during the
night time and herders should be monitored for their guarding practice during the grazing
and day time. A community based livestock Insurance program was initiated in
Kangchenjunga Conservation Area in 2005 by WWF-Nepal in collaboration with locals
so as to reduce retaliatory killing and conflicts and create communal effort for Snow
Leopard Conservation.
It is strongly recommended for the KCA to improve guarding system during day and
night time in pastures and pens. Similarly, the number of predator proof corrals should be
increased on required sites to reduce depredation rate of livestock.