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Govt bungles blackbuck conservation
BARDIYA, APR 07 -
Government effort to protect the endangered blackbuck (Antelope cervicapra cervicapra) is marred by poor management of the Blackbuck Conservation Area (BCA) in Bardiya district.
A year after the government declared the conservation area, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation under the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation is yet to depute staff for the management of the endangered species, locally known as Krishnashar, in the conservation area spread in 60.5 sq. km. “We have not been able to fence the conservation area because freed bonded labourers, squatters and some local communities have encroached upon it,” says Arjun Bhusal, assistant chief warden of the Bardiya National Park (BNP). BNP has employed three staff to manage the area.
Unabated encroachment and poaching coupled with the absence of effective plans to manage the conservation area have threatened the population of the endangered antelopes, according to Bhusal.
Last year, eight blackbucks died of foot and mouth disease contracted from the cattle outside the protected area, while four fell prey to poachers in the vicinity, according to officials. Attacks from squirrels, wolves and hyenas have also taken their toll on the antelopes whose current population is 217 — 78 male, 120 female and 19 fawns.
When water dries up and green pastures become scarce during the pre-monsoon season, the animals venture to the nearby communities in search of food and water. This movement exposes them to poaching and communicable diseases.
“The blackbuck habitat should be fenced with barbed wires and adequate amount of water needs to be ensured at the pasture in order to mitigate threats on them,” says Bhusal. “Unless the area is fenced and the squatters and local families are relocated, blackbuck conservation efforts will not pay off,” he concludes.
Posted on: 2010-04-08 07:57
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