In a major boost to cross-border wildlife conservation, India and Nepal have joined hands to secure the key Boom-Brahmadev corridor connecting the Haldwani forest division in Uttarakhand and the Kanchapur forest division in Nepal. The corridor is significant as a critical passage for tigers, elephants and rhinos across the two countries.
The joint initiatives come in the wake of a recent meeting in Uttarakhand between the authorities of the two countries that decided to restore the functionality of the corridor by working with local communities to minimise incidents of human-wildlife conflicts in the area.
The Indian side was represented by Rajesh Kumar Srivastav, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Terai east forest division, and Dr Harish Guleria Head, Terai Arc landscape, Uttarakhand, WWF-India. From Nepal, Pashupati Nath Koirala, DFO, Kanchanpur, Bed Kumar Dhakal, Chief Warden, Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve, were present.
According to Harish Guleria, restoring the corridor would immensely benefit wildlife by linking the critical wildlife habitats of the Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttarakhand to Churia hills in Nepal. Further, the initiative would also significantly reduce man-animal conflicts in the region.
With the expansion of human settlements around the Kanchapur forest division in Nepal since 2004-2005, there has been an escalation of incidents of human-wildlife conflicts in nearby villages such as Thawal Khera and Uchouli Goth on the Indian side of the corridor.
Both sides will accordingly prepare a joint document to identify patterns of wildlife movement, record threat analysis and provide possible routes for the restoration of this corridor.
The Indian and Nepalese officials would involve local communities of Khall village in Kanchapur forests in Nepal and Thawal Khera village on the Indian side for grass root analysis and implementation of these strategies, said the sources.
Vital information will also be exchanged on various ecological, socio-economic, besides tracing of traditional routes by elephants from Kilpura-Khatima forests in Nandhaur valley to Melaghat and Chandni Dhaudhra forests across the borders.
Besides the Boom-Brahmadev corridor, Khata corridor, connecting Bardia National Park in Nepal with Katerniaghat Sanctuary in UP, is another such trans-boundary initiatives that has boosted wildlife conservation with the help of local communities.