<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" >

	<channel>
		<title>Conservation news</title>
		<atom:link href="https://news.mongabay.com/feed/?location=nepal&#038;post_type=post" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
		<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/nepal/</link>
		<description>Environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Tue, 26 May 2026 20:52:57 +0000</lastBuildDate>
		<language>en-US</language>
		<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
		<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
		<generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4</generator>

<image>
	<url>https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/05/16160320/cropped-mongabay_icon-32x32.png</url>
	<title>Nepal environmental news</title>
	<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/nepal/</link>
	<width>32</width>
	<height>32</height>
</image> 
				<item>
					<title>Nepal’s rhododendron tourism sparks unchecked liquor trade concerns</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/nepals-rhododendron-tourism-sparks-unchecked-liquor-trade-concerns/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/nepals-rhododendron-tourism-sparks-unchecked-liquor-trade-concerns/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 May 2026 08:59:11 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mukesh Pokhrel]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/26085236/Dhaulagiri_and_Rhododendron-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=320077</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Consumption, Environment, Environmental Law, Flowers, Forests, Natural Resources, Overconsumption, Regulations, Tourism, Trees, Wildlife, Wildlife Conservation, and Wildlife consumption]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[TINJURE-MILKE-JALJALE, Nepal — Every April, Nima Sherpa’s family used to picnic in a rhododendron (lali guras in Nepali) forest about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from her home at Basantapur Bazaar in Tehrathum in the Tinjure-Milke-Jaljale (TMJ) region, which stretched across the eastern districts of Tehrathum, Taplejung and Sankhuwasabha. It has been five years since her [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[TINJURE-MILKE-JALJALE, Nepal — Every April, Nima Sherpa’s family used to picnic in a rhododendron (lali guras in Nepali) forest about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from her home at Basantapur Bazaar in Tehrathum in the Tinjure-Milke-Jaljale (TMJ) region, which stretched across the eastern districts of Tehrathum, Taplejung and Sankhuwasabha. It has been five years since her family has done so as they no longer have the time. Instead of enjoying their time in the forest, they said, they are busy running their hotel in Basantapur Bazaar, which sees a big surge in tourism for only a few weeks. This is when the hillsides get covered in crimson, pink and white blooms of at least 26 species of rhododendron (Rhododendron spp.), the national flower. All family members get busy welcoming guests with smiles and souvenirs. This year alone, local officials estimate that around 500,000 visitors entered the TMJ area between April 1-15. One of the “souvenirs” growing in popularity among visitors is the flower-based alcohol, bottled in reused containers with handwritten labels and openly displayed in shops across. But authorities remain unaware of where the flowers are harvested, whether extraction levels are sustainable, and of the safety of the unlabeled products. Rhododendron trees in Tinjure. Image by Nirmal Dulal via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). A trade hiding in plain ssight In April this year, Mongabay found bottles of rhododendron liquor displayed openly in shops catering to tourists in Basantapur Bazaar and nearby Gufa Pokhari, in Chainpur municipality, Sankhuwasabha district. Several shopkeepers&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/nepals-rhododendron-tourism-sparks-unchecked-liquor-trade-concerns/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/nepals-rhododendron-tourism-sparks-unchecked-liquor-trade-concerns/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Nepal prepares to hand over mega zoo project to conservation body</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/nepal-prepares-to-hand-over-mega-zoo-project-to-conservation-body/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/nepal-prepares-to-hand-over-mega-zoo-project-to-conservation-body/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 May 2026 14:47:51 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rajendra Pokherel]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/22143045/525526832_1203197115179532_493804333274095580_n_processed-scaled-e1779460279216-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=320002</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Captive Breeding, Conservation, Education, Ex-situ Conservation, Mammals, Megafauna, and Zoos]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — Nepali officials are preparing to hand over the government’s ambitious new zoo to the country&#8217;s leading wildlife conservation body. Whether that body is up to the task is up for debate. Discussions around the proposed zoo in Suryabinayak municipality in central Nepal, which would span 259 hectares (640 acres) of community-managed forests on [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — Nepali officials are preparing to hand over the government’s ambitious new zoo to the country&#8217;s leading wildlife conservation body. Whether that body is up to the task is up for debate. Discussions around the proposed zoo in Suryabinayak municipality in central Nepal, which would span 259 hectares (640 acres) of community-managed forests on the outskirts of Kathmandu, began in 2015. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in June 2016, attended by the then prime minister, K.P. Sharma Oli. After that, only limited preparatory work such as fencing and planning documents moved forward. The reason: lack of funds. Constructing and bringing it into operation is estimated to cost around 10 billion Nepali rupees($65.8 million). But the government has been allocating only around 15 million Nepali rupees ($98,700) a year towards it, mainly to pay for the staff’s salaries. A one-horned rhinoceros at the Central Zoo in Kathmandu. Image courtesy of NTNC. After the formation of the new government in March 2026, the then Ministry of Forests and Environment (now Ministry of Agriculture, Forest and Environment) assigned a committee to look for ways to start work on the new zoo. The committee recently recommended that the project be handed over to the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), a semi-governmental body that already oversees the management of Nepal&#8217;s Central Zoo, in Kathmandu. &#8220;The committee analyzed what would happen if the government ran it versus handing it to NTNC,&#8221; said Maheshwar Dhakal, joint secretary at Ministry of Agriculture, Forest and Environment who&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/nepal-prepares-to-hand-over-mega-zoo-project-to-conservation-body/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/nepal-prepares-to-hand-over-mega-zoo-project-to-conservation-body/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Rural women at increasing risk of human-wildlife conflict in Nepal</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/rural-women-at-increasing-risk-of-human-wildlife-conflict-in-nepal/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/rural-women-at-increasing-risk-of-human-wildlife-conflict-in-nepal/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 May 2026 04:16:50 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Naina Rao]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/21041540/women-under-a-tree-e1779336981974-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=319872</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Cats, Conflict, Conservation Solutions, Elephants, Environment, Gender and Conservation, Human Rights, human-elephant conflict, Human-wildlife Conflict, Tigers, Wildlife, and Wildlife Conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[While Nepal celebrates tripling its wild tiger population, rural women in forest-edge communities face escalating danger. A demographic shift driven by large-scale migration of men abroad has in part forced women to take on nearly all agricultural and household responsibilities. Described as the &#8220;feminization of agriculture,&#8221; the shift has pushed women into high-risk forest edges [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[While Nepal celebrates tripling its wild tiger population, rural women in forest-edge communities face escalating danger. A demographic shift driven by large-scale migration of men abroad has in part forced women to take on nearly all agricultural and household responsibilities. Described as the &#8220;feminization of agriculture,&#8221; the shift has pushed women into high-risk forest edges for daily subsistence work, such as collecting firewood and fodder, reports contributor Tulsi Rauniyar for Mongabay. Most fatal wildlife encounters occur during routine activities. Binita Pariyar, a 17-year-old from a marginalized Dalit family, was killed by a tiger in December 2025 while cutting grass in the forest for her livestock. Following her death, five more people were killed in forests around Bardiya National Park within four weeks. Recent research indicates that nearly one-third of fatal attacks happen while herding cattle, and another third occur during grass cutting. Forest department records also show the majority of those attacked while cutting grass from 2021-2025 have been women. The forests they go to are specifically designated for the collection of fodder, firewood and grazing materials. Data from 2024 show that 84% of recorded attacks in Bardiya district occurred within 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) of forest boundaries. Many recent deaths have taken place in and around the Khata Corridor, a stretch of forest connecting Bardiya National Park with Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary across the Indian border. “Wildlife movement in the corridor often peaks in the early morning and at dusk, along forest edges, trails and water sources,” said Rama Mishra,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/rural-women-at-increasing-risk-of-human-wildlife-conflict-in-nepal/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/rural-women-at-increasing-risk-of-human-wildlife-conflict-in-nepal/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Nepal proposes park for &#8216;problem&#8217; tigers amid rising conflicts</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/nepal-proposes-park-for-problem-tigers-amid-rising-conflicts/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/nepal-proposes-park-for-problem-tigers-amid-rising-conflicts/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 May 2026 04:03:43 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Naina Rao]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/21040311/Bengal_tiger_in_Sanjay_Dubri_Tiger_Reserve_December_2024_by_Tisha_Mukherjee_-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=319870</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Cats, Conflict, Conservation, Endangered Species, Environment, Environmental Law, Human-wildlife Conflict, Mammals, National Parks, Tigers, Wildlife, and Wildlife Conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Nepal government has proposed the creation of a park to house &#8220;problem&#8221; tigers – individuals involved in human fatalities. The big cats would be moved from current overcrowded holding centers to a 50-hectare (124-acre) facility, planned for the Durganar–Tikauli forest near Chitwan National Park, according to authorities, reports Mongabay’s Abhaya Raj Joshi and contributor [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Nepal government has proposed the creation of a park to house &#8220;problem&#8221; tigers – individuals involved in human fatalities. The big cats would be moved from current overcrowded holding centers to a 50-hectare (124-acre) facility, planned for the Durganar–Tikauli forest near Chitwan National Park, according to authorities, reports Mongabay’s Abhaya Raj Joshi and contributor Mukesh Pokhrel. Nepal’s tiger conservation has shown success, with the population of endangered Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris) growing from 121 in 2009 to 355 in 2022. However, as the tiger population rises, so do human-tiger conflicts. Between 2019 and 2023, government records show 38 people died in tiger attacks, and 15 tigers were subsequently captured by authorities and placed in temporary holding centers. “Currently, we need to spend around 1.5 million rupees [about $10,000] annually for each captive tiger even if we feed it minimally,” said Hari Bhadra Acharya, a senior ecologist with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation under the Ministry of Forests and Environment, who chairs the committee that’s exploring the plan. According to Acharya, the proposed park would be self-financed, using tourism revenue from ticket sales to the park to fund food and veterinary care. This would allow the tigers to live in environments where they can roam and hide in tall grass rather than being confined to “cramped cages,” he added. Research indicates that only a small fraction of Nepal’s tiger population come into conflict with people. A 2017 study led by Babu Ram Lamichhane found that fewer than&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/nepal-proposes-park-for-problem-tigers-amid-rising-conflicts/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/nepal-proposes-park-for-problem-tigers-amid-rising-conflicts/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Nepal’s plan to release blackbucks into tiger country raises red flags</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/nepals-plan-to-release-blackbucks-into-tiger-country-raises-red-flags/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/nepals-plan-to-release-blackbucks-into-tiger-country-raises-red-flags/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 May 2026 12:58:40 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bibek Bhandari]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Nandithachandraprakash]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/18120817/Blackbuck_in_Tal_Chhapar_Sanctuary_November_2025_by_Tisha_Mukherjee_07-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=319637</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Antelope, Biodiversity, Conservation, Endangered Species, Environment, Predators, Protected Areas, Wildlife, and Wildlife Conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — Nepal is preparing to relocate blackbucks from protected areas in the country’s west to the south-central lowlands, in an effort to expand the species’ population beyond its current range. But conservationists have raised questions about the suitability of the new site, including the increased risk of predation. Under the plan, the Department of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — Nepal is preparing to relocate blackbucks from protected areas in the country’s west to the south-central lowlands, in an effort to expand the species’ population beyond its current range. But conservationists have raised questions about the suitability of the new site, including the increased risk of predation. Under the plan, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) will release 18 blackbucks (Antilope cervicapra) in Tikauli, a corridor forest area near Chitwan National Park. The animals, six males and 12 females, will be translocated from Shuklaphanta National Park and Blackbuck Conservation Area, located in Nepal’s far-western and southwestern regions, respectively. “We will be translocating them as soon as possible,” said Haribhadra Acharya, senior ecologist at DNPWC who has planned the translocation for nearly five years now. “It will be a mix of young and subadult individuals. The main objective of this translocation is to revive the blackbuck population in a different geographic location and habitat area, so if they’re impacted by disease or disaster in one area, there will be an alternate secure population.” Blackbucks are an antelope species native to the Indian subcontinent, and were once widely distributed across the region. Today, India has the largest population of blackbucks, while the species occurs in small, fragmented pockets in Nepal, considered the northernmost extent of its range. Although the species as a whole isn’t considered in danger of extinction on the IUCN Red List, within Nepal it’s classified as critically endangered, and in Bangladesh and Pakistan has&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/nepals-plan-to-release-blackbucks-into-tiger-country-raises-red-flags/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/nepals-plan-to-release-blackbucks-into-tiger-country-raises-red-flags/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>In Nepal&#8217;s capital, invasive flora crowd out native species</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/in-nepals-capital-invasive-flora-crowd-out-native-species/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/in-nepals-capital-invasive-flora-crowd-out-native-species/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 May 2026 10:02:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Naina Rao]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/14100119/lantana-in-kathmandu-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=319424</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Biodiversity Crisis, Conservation, Ecosystems, Environment, Environmental Law, Habitat Degradation, Invasive Species, Plants, Research, urban ecology, Wildlife, and Wildlife Conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Native plants are rapidly declining in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, replaced by invasive species historically introduced for ornamental and urban greening purposes, reports Mongabay contributor Bibek Bhandari. Botanist Bharat Babu Shrestha said he has observed traditional medicinal plants like the Indian pennywort (Centella asiatica) slowly vanish from Kathmandu over the past decades, displaced by dense, flowering [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Native plants are rapidly declining in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, replaced by invasive species historically introduced for ornamental and urban greening purposes, reports Mongabay contributor Bibek Bhandari. Botanist Bharat Babu Shrestha said he has observed traditional medicinal plants like the Indian pennywort (Centella asiatica) slowly vanish from Kathmandu over the past decades, displaced by dense, flowering shrubs of Crofton weed (Ageratina adenophora), native to Central and South America. “There has been no qualitative assessment in Kathmandu, but our observations show that our native vegetation has been dominated and displaced by many invasive species,” said Shrestha, a botany professor at Tribhuvan University, Nepal. He added that research in Nepal’s national parks suggests these invasive species can reduce native species by nearly half, a trend being mirrored in the country’s capital. According to experts, dominant invasive species in the city include Crofton weed, common lantana (Lantana camara), Santa Maria feverfew (parthenium weed, Parthenium hysterophorus) and blue billy goat weed (Ageratum houstonianum). A 2024 study found that 48% of observed plant species in the Sanobharyang region, close to protected areas and community forests, were non-native. Similarly, researcher Ronish Pandey, who submitted his master’s thesis on Kathmandu’s plant species composition to Tribhuvan University last year, found that more than half of the 437 species he surveyed in the capital&#8217;s green spaces were exotic; 21% of those naturalized species categorized as invasive. Krishna Prasad Sharma, the 2024 study’s co-author and an assistant professor at Tribhuvan University, said that some non-native species are less harmful, such as&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/in-nepals-capital-invasive-flora-crowd-out-native-species/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/in-nepals-capital-invasive-flora-crowd-out-native-species/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>In Nepal’s plains, traditional bins help keep food safe from heat, floods</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/in-nepals-plains-traditional-bins-help-keep-food-safe-from-heat-floods/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/in-nepals-plains-traditional-bins-help-keep-food-safe-from-heat-floods/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 May 2026 17:22:32 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Tanka Dhakal]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/04115851/02_Dehari-kitchen-2--768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=318664</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Adaptation To Climate Change, Climate Change, Climate Change And Conservation, Climate Change And Extreme Weather, Conservation, Food, food security, Indigenous Communities, Indigenous Cultures, Indigenous Peoples, Temperatures, Traditional Knowledge, Traditional People, and Weather]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[DANG, Nepal — With the start of the summer season in Nepal, farmers are worried about keeping their grain safe from extreme heat and insect infestation. But at Chattrapati Yadav’s home in Dang in western Nepal, that is not a concern thanks to handmade earthen pots passed down from previous generations. The 70‑year‑old learned the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[DANG, Nepal — With the start of the summer season in Nepal, farmers are worried about keeping their grain safe from extreme heat and insect infestation. But at Chattrapati Yadav’s home in Dang in western Nepal, that is not a concern thanks to handmade earthen pots passed down from previous generations. The 70‑year‑old learned the craft of making the pots from her mother. She eventually taught it to her daughters and granddaughters. “My granddaughter made this one, and that one was made by my mother‑in‑law,” Yadav said, pointing to the cylindrical and rectangular storage vessels. Across Nepal’s Terai, members of Indigenous communities, including the Tharu and Yadav, keep their grains safe using the dehari (traditional seed storage bins) secured by ancestral craftsmanship and Indigenous knowledge honed over centuries. These continue to stand the test of time even amid climatic stresses. “We use locally available mud and husk with some dung; we don’t use anything that isn’t available here,” Yadav said. “It takes around a week to make and a month to dry them.” If protected from water, a dehari can even outlast its maker. Dehari, traditional food grain and seed storage earthen pots made out of clay soil and husk inside Chattrapati Yadav’s family home in Dang, Nepal. These pots have been used to store grains for generations by Indigenous and local communities, including Tharu and Yadav. Image by Tanka Dhakal. A Tharu village in Chitwan, Nepal. Image by tearsxintherain via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0). Climate-resilient storage In the Terai,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/in-nepals-plains-traditional-bins-help-keep-food-safe-from-heat-floods/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/in-nepals-plains-traditional-bins-help-keep-food-safe-from-heat-floods/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Experts caution Nepal’s plan to open doors to private zoos</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/experts-caution-nepals-plan-to-open-doors-to-private-zoos/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/experts-caution-nepals-plan-to-open-doors-to-private-zoos/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Apr 2026 15:17:21 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Deepak Adhikari]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/04/30145802/481768235_1086437106855534_3058871533111109011_n-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=318492</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Rescue, Animal Welfare, Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Controversial, Environment, Environmental Law, Governance, Private sector, Wildlife, Wildlife Conservation, and Zoos]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — Nepal has proposed legalizing private zoos, wildlife rescue centers and hospitals, but experts warn weak safeguards could fuel wildlife capture and undermine conservation efforts. Officials say the move could improve infrastructure and raise awareness, but critics warn it lacks clarity on oversight, enforcement and animal welfare standards. “There are so-called mini zoos in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — Nepal has proposed legalizing private zoos, wildlife rescue centers and hospitals, but experts warn weak safeguards could fuel wildlife capture and undermine conservation efforts. Officials say the move could improve infrastructure and raise awareness, but critics warn it lacks clarity on oversight, enforcement and animal welfare standards. “There are so-called mini zoos in Nepal, but many function more like killing centers,” said Dibya Raj Dahal, president of Kathmandu-based NGO Small Mammals Conservation and Research Foundation (SMCRF). “Small wild animals are captured from the wild and sold to these facilities under the guise of rescue. In reality, it is extraction,” he said, adding that many animals die in captivity. Nepal’s only federal government-recognized and functional zoo, the Central Zoo in Kathmandu, was established in 1932 as a private collection. The zoo, which opened its doors to the public in 1956, was managed by the government until 1995 when it was handed over to the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), a semi-governmental nonprofit. Although different “mini zoos” have been set up in different parts of the country, their legal status has been dubious and their treatment of animals criticized by conservationists. In response, the government had been saying it plans to introduce new guidelines for the establishment and running of different categories of zoos across the country. Dahal said that despite its gaps, the draft was an improvement on the current regulatory vacuum. “It is a positive step, but the draft remains incomplete.” The guidelines also come as the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/experts-caution-nepals-plan-to-open-doors-to-private-zoos/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/experts-caution-nepals-plan-to-open-doors-to-private-zoos/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Nepal plans park for ‘problem’ tigers as attacks raise concerns</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/nepal-plans-park-for-problem-tigers-as-attacks-raise-concerns/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/nepal-plans-park-for-problem-tigers-as-attacks-raise-concerns/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Apr 2026 01:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj JoshiMukesh Pokhrel]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/04/23161619/tiger-in-bardiya-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=318052</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Cats, Conflict, Conservation, Endangered Species, Environment, Environmental Law, Human-wildlife Conflict, Mammals, National Parks, Tigers, Wildlife, and Wildlife Conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[BARDIYA, Nepal — The Nepali government recently proposed establishing a tiger park for the big cats that come into conflict with humans, as the country continues to grapple with an unintended consequence of its hugely successful conservation efforts. Authorities say the proposed 50-hectare (124-acre) park in the Durganar–Tikauli forest near Chitwan National Park will take [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[BARDIYA, Nepal — The Nepali government recently proposed establishing a tiger park for the big cats that come into conflict with humans, as the country continues to grapple with an unintended consequence of its hugely successful conservation efforts. Authorities say the proposed 50-hectare (124-acre) park in the Durganar–Tikauli forest near Chitwan National Park will take in “problem” tigers (involved in killing and eating one or more humans) from overcrowded holding centers, though several questions related to the plan remain unanswered. “Currently, we need to spend around 1.5 million rupees [about $10,000] annually for each captive tiger even if we feed it minimally,” said Hari Bhadra Acharya, a senior ecologist with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation under the Ministry of Forests and Environment, who chairs the committee that’s exploring the plan. “Similarly, many tourists visit national parks to see tigers, but only a few are lucky to do so.” According to Acharya, the park would feature a fenced habitat designed to hold tigers that have attacked humans. Instead of living in tiny, cramped cages in holding centers, each tiger would get outdoor space to roam, hide in tall grass, and live more naturally. The park would sell tickets for viewing the tigers, and the revenue generated would cover the costs of the tigers&#8217; food and veterinary care. Nepal, which had 121 tigers (Panthera tigris) in 2009, is now home to 355 of the endangered big cats, spread across major habitats such as Chitwan, Bardiya and Shuklaphanta national parks,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/nepal-plans-park-for-problem-tigers-as-attacks-raise-concerns/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/nepal-plans-park-for-problem-tigers-as-attacks-raise-concerns/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>In Nepal, controversial dam threatens endangered pangolins: Study</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/in-nepal-controversial-dam-threatens-endangered-pangolins-study/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/in-nepal-controversial-dam-threatens-endangered-pangolins-study/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Apr 2026 08:10:54 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bibek Bhandari]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/04/23090420/29054818144_90d7ea0d1c_o-768x512-1.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=317904</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Dams, Endangered Species, Environment, Habitat Destruction, Infrastructure, Pangolins, Pollution, Rivers, Water Pollution, Wildlife, and Wildlife Conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — A proposed dam in Kathmandu’s northeastern ridge promises to revive the sewage-choked sacred Bagmati River that runs past revered Hindu temples and ease the valley’s chronic water shortage. But conservationists warn that the project could exact a high ecological cost, even potentially impacting critically endangered wildlife within the Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park, where [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — A proposed dam in Kathmandu’s northeastern ridge promises to revive the sewage-choked sacred Bagmati River that runs past revered Hindu temples and ease the valley’s chronic water shortage. But conservationists warn that the project could exact a high ecological cost, even potentially impacting critically endangered wildlife within the Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park, where the dam is set to rise. A new study in Ecology and Evolution journal states that the Nagmati Dam will inundate large parts of potential prime pangolin habitat and foraging areas, noting that the project’s environmental impact assessment (EIA) “overlooks this threat” and fails to recognize the impacts on the species. The national park is home to the critically endangered Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla), protected under Nepal’s conservation law. “Pangolins have a small home range and specific habitat needs, so the impact on almost 100 hectares [247 acres] of area because of the dam will have big consequences for them,” said Kumar Paudel, a pangolin specialist from the nonprofit Greenhood Nepal and co-author of the study. “We need to be extremely careful about the impacts on biodiversity while developing infrastructure projects. This is not just about pangolins but other species, too,” he said. The proposed site of the Nagmati Dam is said to be on the base of the hills that surround Mulkharka. Image by Bibek Bhandari. The planned Nagmati Dam — a 95-meter (311-foot) barrier with a capacity to store more than 8 billion liters (2.1 billion gallons) of water — aims to capture monsoon&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/in-nepal-controversial-dam-threatens-endangered-pangolins-study/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/in-nepal-controversial-dam-threatens-endangered-pangolins-study/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Invasives take over native plant spaces in Nepal’s cities</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/invasives-take-over-native-plant-spaces-in-nepals-cities/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/invasives-take-over-native-plant-spaces-in-nepals-cities/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Apr 2026 13:25:04 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bibek Bhandari]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/04/09131111/Ageratum_houstonianum_-_Humber_Arboretum-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=317276</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Biodiversity Crisis, Conservation, Ecosystems, Environment, Environmental Law, Habitat Degradation, Invasive Species, Plants, Research, urban ecology, Wildlife, and Wildlife Conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — Until a few decades ago, botanist Bharat Babu Shrestha observed abundant growth of Indian pennywort (Centella asiatica) across large areas of Kathmandu. But the low-growing herb, distinguished by its kidney-shaped leaves and medicinal properties in the traditional Ayurveda, is now gradually vanishing from Nepal’s capital. Its disappearance has been attributed to shrinking open [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — Until a few decades ago, botanist Bharat Babu Shrestha observed abundant growth of Indian pennywort (Centella asiatica) across large areas of Kathmandu. But the low-growing herb, distinguished by its kidney-shaped leaves and medicinal properties in the traditional Ayurveda, is now gradually vanishing from Nepal’s capital. Its disappearance has been attributed to shrinking open spaces, and largely due to the spread of another plant species creeping across Kathmandu: Crofton weed (Ageratina adenophora), locally known as kaalo banmara. The various species within the family of banmara — meaning “forest destroyer” in Nepali — the dense shrub with multi-colored flowers, with roots in Central and South America, is displacing many native species. “There has been no qualitative assessment in Kathmandu, but our observations show that our native vegetation has been dominated and displaced by many invasive species,” said Shrestha, a botany professor at Tribhuvan University, Nepal. “Our research in Nepal’s Parsa and Shuklaphanta national parks have concluded that invasive species have reduced almost half of the native species in those regions, indicating similar impacts in Kathmandu.” In Kathmandu, Crofton weed; the common lantana (Lantana camara), locally called kaade banmara; Santa Maria feverfew (parthenium weed, Parthenium hysterophorus), known as pati jhaar in Nepali; and blue billy goat weed (Ageratum houstonianum), locally called neelo gandhe, are said to be the dominant invasive species, according to experts. Shrestha said that species such as the common lantana or the polka dot plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya), which is native to Madagascar, have become popular ornamental plants in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/invasives-take-over-native-plant-spaces-in-nepals-cities/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/invasives-take-over-native-plant-spaces-in-nepals-cities/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Climate change tests Nepal’s wild and domesticated yaks </title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/climate-change-tests-nepals-wild-and-domesticated-yaks/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/climate-change-tests-nepals-wild-and-domesticated-yaks/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Mar 2026 09:11:51 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sonam Lama Hyolmo]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/03/27070859/IMG_9939-e1774595484405-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=316414</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Cattle, Climate Change, Climate Change And Biodiversity, Climate Change And Conservation, Environment, Habitat Degradation, Indigenous Communities, Indigenous Peoples, Pasture, Traditional Knowledge, Wildlife, and Wildlife Conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — In the rugged mountains of the Dolpo region in western Nepal, Youngdung Jhama Lama spent her childhood herding nagton (domesticated yaks) across the vast alpine pastures. Two decades on, mobile herding has greatly changed. “We only have four yaks left now,” said the 24-year-old resident of Vijer (Tra) village in Nepal’s largest and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — In the rugged mountains of the Dolpo region in western Nepal, Youngdung Jhama Lama spent her childhood herding nagton (domesticated yaks) across the vast alpine pastures. Two decades on, mobile herding has greatly changed. “We only have four yaks left now,” said the 24-year-old resident of Vijer (Tra) village in Nepal’s largest and remotest district, Dolpa. For traditional herders such as Lama, rearing yaks (Bos grunniens), valued for transport, meat and wool, is becoming challenging due to rising costs, climate change, lack of local markets for yak produce, frequent spread of diseases and other socioeconomic pressures. This has not only increased challenges for domesticated yaks, but also for their wild cousins (Bos mutus). “My family sold dozens of them in the neighboring Mustang district last fall because it was more labor-intensive and costly to rear them, and we had limited kharka (pastureland/rangeland) to graze them,” Lama said. Many young people across the Himalayan rangelands are leaving for better opportunities in big cities or abroad, creating a shortage of labor. According to the National Population and Housing Census 2021 Internal Migration in Nepal report, in the country’s mountains, in-migration increased from 9,698 (2.2%) in 1971 to 75,542 (2.4%) in 2021, but excess out-migration resulted in a negative net migration of -543,966 by 2021. According to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), climate change is affecting Himalayan high-altitude ecosystems used for grazing. It is altering how water circulates in these landscapes, changing the timing and availability of moisture.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/climate-change-tests-nepals-wild-and-domesticated-yaks/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/climate-change-tests-nepals-wild-and-domesticated-yaks/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>In Nepal, calls for reform grow louder in buffer zones</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/in-nepal-calls-for-reform-grow-louder-in-buffer-zones/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/in-nepal-calls-for-reform-grow-louder-in-buffer-zones/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Mar 2026 08:51:39 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mukesh Pokhrel]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/03/27083832/collecting-firewood-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=316416</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Community Development, Community Forests, Conservation, Environment, Environmental Law, Forests, Governance, Human-wildlife Conflict, National Parks, Protected Areas, Wildlife, and Wildlife Conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[BARDIYA, Nepal — Mewa Lal Pulami, along with  other residents from his village on the fringes of Banke National Park in western Nepal, abstained from voting in the recent parliamentary elections held on March 5, 2026. “How can we vote when no one is paying attention to our suffering from wild animals such as tigers?” [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[BARDIYA, Nepal — Mewa Lal Pulami, along with  other residents from his village on the fringes of Banke National Park in western Nepal, abstained from voting in the recent parliamentary elections held on March 5, 2026. “How can we vote when no one is paying attention to our suffering from wild animals such as tigers?” Pulami said to Mongabay over the phone as the mass abstention made headlines across the country. Nepalis such as Pulami live in the ‘buffer zone’ — a designated ‘protective layer’ for national parks where local people’s collection and use of natural resources are governed by separate laws and regulations. The villagers are demanding an urgent overhaul of the program to address human-wildlife conflict, access to resources, excessive bureaucratic power of park wardens, chronic infrastructure deprivation, and growing economic injustice. When it was rolled out in 1996, the buffer zone program aimed to increase community participation and ownership in conservation of iconic species such as tigers (Panthera tigris) and rhinos (Rhinoceros unicornis) in the plains and snow leopards (Panther uncia) in the mountains. However, 30 years on, the buffer zones, covering 5,602 square kilometers (2,163 square miles) and 1.2 million people, aren’t as popular among some residents in the plains who say it’s time to revisit or even scrap the whole program. Around 380 kilometers (236 miles) east of Bardiya, for 52-year-old Laxmi Dhakal from one of the communities living around Nepal’s oldest national park, Chitwan, the iconic one-horned rhinoceros has become a symbol of suffering.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/in-nepal-calls-for-reform-grow-louder-in-buffer-zones/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/in-nepal-calls-for-reform-grow-louder-in-buffer-zones/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Nepal&#8217;s rural women at increasing risk of human-wildlife conflict</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/nepals-rural-women-at-increasing-risk-of-human-wildlife-conflict/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/nepals-rural-women-at-increasing-risk-of-human-wildlife-conflict/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Mar 2026 15:16:24 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Tulsi Rauniyar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/03/18143556/woman-with-goat-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=315860</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Cats, Conflict, Conservation Solutions, Elephants, Environment, Gender and Conservation, Human Rights, human-elephant conflict, Human-wildlife Conflict, Tigers, Wildlife, and Wildlife Conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[BARDIYA, Nepal — On the morning of Feb. 6, the road leading to the Bardiya District Administration Office in western Nepal was filled with people moving as one. Dust rose from their footsteps. Voices layered over each other, murmurs turned into chants and anger hardened into demands that echoed off the building&#8217;s walls. Dozens pushed [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[BARDIYA, Nepal — On the morning of Feb. 6, the road leading to the Bardiya District Administration Office in western Nepal was filled with people moving as one. Dust rose from their footsteps. Voices layered over each other, murmurs turned into chants and anger hardened into demands that echoed off the building&#8217;s walls. Dozens pushed through the main gate, some carrying hastily painted banners, others empty-handed but resolute. Their three demands: fair compensation for families, death to leopards that attacked villagers and protection for people who should have been there all along. As Nepal celebrates major conservation gains, rural women in forest-edge communities like Bardiya are increasingly exposed to human–wildlife conflict because migration-driven labor shifts and daily subsistence work push them into the same forest corridors where wildlife movement and deadly encounters are most likely. The previous day, in the span of a few hours, a man and a woman had been killed by leopards, one while cutting grass in the community forest, the other while working in her own field. Women in the buffer zone in Bardiya head home after collecting grass. Image by Tulsi Rauniyar for Mongabay. A winter of fatal encounters The protest marked the breaking point of a winter shaped by repeated wildlife attacks — a pattern many residents trace to December 2025, in Madhuwan, a settlement along the outer edge of Bardiya National Park, home to 125 of Nepal’s 355 tigers. Weeks before the protest reached Bardiya’s administrative offices, mornings in Madhuwan began much the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/nepals-rural-women-at-increasing-risk-of-human-wildlife-conflict/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/nepals-rural-women-at-increasing-risk-of-human-wildlife-conflict/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Nepal signs major carbon deal but community access remains challenging</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/nepal-signs-major-carbon-deal-but-community-access-remains-challenging/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/nepal-signs-major-carbon-deal-but-community-access-remains-challenging/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Feb 2026 02:01:14 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sonam Lama Hyolmo]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/11/05094237/B54E1753-A43D-4A54-905D-88D38E384200-e1772009616560-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=314741</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon Finance, carbon markets, climate finance, Community Forests, Forest Carbon, Indigenous Communities, Redd, and Redd And Communities]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — Nepal signed an agreement with the LEAF Coalition on Jan. 23, becoming the first country in Asia to secure a deal expected to potentially deliver $55 million in carbon finance to support forest-dependent communities. However, carbon trade experts and forest group members say that ensuring the money reaches communities remains a challenge, as [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — Nepal signed an agreement with the LEAF Coalition on Jan. 23, becoming the first country in Asia to secure a deal expected to potentially deliver $55 million in carbon finance to support forest-dependent communities. However, carbon trade experts and forest group members say that ensuring the money reaches communities remains a challenge, as this is relatively uncharted territory for Nepal. Also, the agreement’s impact will depend on how transparently the funding is utilized, how strong the safeguards are and how meaningful the inclusion of Indigenous and forest-dependent communities is in decision-making and benefits sharing. “The achievement truly demands a transparent process for communities to access the money and participation of forest communities at the decision-making level,” Buddha Gharti Bhujel, senior vice chair and REDD focal person at the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN), told Mongabay. As part of the agreement with LEAF — a public-private initiative involving the governments of Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States and the Republic of Korea, along with more than 30 companies — Nepal aims to reduce emissions from potential deforestation across Gandaki, Bagmati and Lumbini provinces. “Through the agreement, we are working to ensure forest-dependent communities are paid for their significant roles in forest protection ensured for the period of 2022-2026,” said Nabaraj Pudasaini, joint secretary and chief of the REDD Implementation Center (REDD IC), the agency leading Nepal’s jurisdictional REDD+ program. Forest cover now accounts for more than 44% of Nepal’s land area. Pudasaini said his office is planning&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/nepal-signs-major-carbon-deal-but-community-access-remains-challenging/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/nepal-signs-major-carbon-deal-but-community-access-remains-challenging/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>In Nepal polls, political parties root for mega infrastructure</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/in-nepal-polls-political-parties-root-for-mega-infrastructure/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/in-nepal-polls-political-parties-root-for-mega-infrastructure/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Feb 2026 01:56:23 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rajendra Pokherel]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/02/25181613/nepal-election-prep-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=314806</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate, Climate Change, Climate Change And Conservation, Climate Change Denial, Climate Change Negotiations, Climate Change Policy, Climate Change Politics, Conservation, Environment, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Governance, Government, Impact Of Climate Change, and Politics]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — Bigger hydropower plants, wider roads and more transmission lines: These are the promises major political parties in Nepal are presenting to win votes in the country’s general elections, scheduled for March 5, a quick scan of the cover illustrations used in their manifestos suggest. The images show that despite rising climate risks across [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — Bigger hydropower plants, wider roads and more transmission lines: These are the promises major political parties in Nepal are presenting to win votes in the country’s general elections, scheduled for March 5, a quick scan of the cover illustrations used in their manifestos suggest. The images show that despite rising climate risks across the country, major political parties continue to prioritize economic growth and mega infrastructure expansion, with climate and environmental issues receiving limited space even in their imagination, experts say. “The manifestos seem to reflect a dominant view that Nepal needs to focus on roads, bridges, industries, hospitals and educational institutions,” said researcher Ambarish Pokhrel of the Chubu Institute for Advanced Studies, Japan. “They also view environmental and climate issues as not urgent,” even as impacts are already affecting communities at the grassroots level “and they only slow down development,” he added. The manisfestos of the major parties. Globally, Nepal is one of the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. It ranked sixth on the list of countries most impacted by climate change in 2024, according to the Germanwatch Climate Risk Index. Rising global temperatures have changed monsoon characteristics and prolonged winter droughts. In the Himalayan areas, glacial melting and glacial lake outburst risks are rising; in the hill regions, landslides are becoming more frequent and in the Tarai-Madhesh, floods and inundation are intensifying. These changes are already affecting agricultural productivity, energy production, tourism and daily life. Mega infrastructure projects also have borne the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/in-nepal-polls-political-parties-root-for-mega-infrastructure/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/in-nepal-polls-political-parties-root-for-mega-infrastructure/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>As Nepal votes, climate change is an elephant in the room for Sherpa community</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/as-nepal-votes-climate-change-is-an-elephant-in-the-room-for-sherpa-community/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/as-nepal-votes-climate-change-is-an-elephant-in-the-room-for-sherpa-community/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Feb 2026 14:13:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shashwat Pant]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/02/24134520/sherpa-nepal-2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=314676</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Himalayas, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Conservation, Environment, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Governance, Government, Impact Of Climate Change, Indigenous Communities, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Mountains, and Politics]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — As Nepal gears up for parliamentary elections on March 5, 2026, the remote high-altitude villages of Khumbu, home to the Indigenous Sherpa people, Sagarmatha (Everest) and some of the world’s most iconic trekking trails remain largely untouched by the political frenzy sweeping towns and cities across the country. While posters, rallies and door-to-door [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — As Nepal gears up for parliamentary elections on March 5, 2026, the remote high-altitude villages of Khumbu, home to the Indigenous Sherpa people, Sagarmatha (Everest) and some of the world’s most iconic trekking trails remain largely untouched by the political frenzy sweeping towns and cities across the country. While posters, rallies and door-to-door campaigns dominate the lowlands, harsh winter conditions coupled with mass seasonal migration have left villages such as Namche Bazaar, Lukla and Pangboche in the Sagarmatha region eerily quiet. “With most residents having moved to Kathmandu [Nepal’s capital], the candidates will arrive here only at the last minute as campaigning [for the Khumbu constituency] goes on in Kathmandu itself,” Sonam Sherpa, a resident of Lukla, told Mongabay by phone. In high-altitude communities beneath Sagarmatha, worsening climate impacts such as retreating Himalayan glaciers and frequent avalanches are growing risks, yet election debates still focus mainly on immediate infrastructure needs such as roads, electricity and drinking water rather than long-term environmental resilience, residents say. “We only talk about climate change among ourselves,” Sonam Sherpa said. The candidates, meanwhile, talk about issues related to infrastructure such as roads and electricity, he adds. Villages wear a deserted look in the Khumbu region in Nepal. Image by Shashwat Pant. Since the first ascent of Everest by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953, the Sherpa people, known for their ability to thrive at high altitudes, gained global visibility and mobility. Second-generation Sherpas often pursue higher education and professional careers abroad. Third-generation&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/as-nepal-votes-climate-change-is-an-elephant-in-the-room-for-sherpa-community/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/as-nepal-votes-climate-change-is-an-elephant-in-the-room-for-sherpa-community/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Nepal’s community forests sit on unsold timber</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/nepals-community-forests-sit-on-unsold-timber/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/nepals-community-forests-sit-on-unsold-timber/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Feb 2026 11:28:43 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mukesh Pokhrel]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/02/10111217/Dolakha-central-Nepal-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=314009</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Community Forestry, Community Forests, Conservation, Deforestation, Environment, Governance, Government, Logging, Protected Areas, Sustainable Forest Management, and Timber]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — The Khorthali Community Forest User Group in Dolakha, central Nepal, produced 1,189 cubic meters (42,000 cubic feet) of timber in 2025 — roughly 18 standard 40-foot shipping containers in volume. However, the group could not sell all of it. About 340 m3 (12,000 ft3) of wood still lies on the roadside. “Community members [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — The Khorthali Community Forest User Group in Dolakha, central Nepal, produced 1,189 cubic meters (42,000 cubic feet) of timber in 2025 — roughly 18 standard 40-foot shipping containers in volume. However, the group could not sell all of it. About 340 m3 (12,000 ft3) of wood still lies on the roadside. “Community members have asked us to help sell the timber, but potential buyers are not interested,” said Anil Regmi, an official at the district forest office in Dolakha. Across Nepal, other districts face similar challenges. In Bara, the district forest office has 2,605 m3 (92,000 ft3) of unsold timber, while in Nawalpur, the figure reaches 1,100 m3 (40,000 ft3), despite repeated attempts to sell it. According to ForestAction Nepal, 60,000 m3 (2.1 million ft3) of timber remains unsold in Lumbini province alone. The estimate represents timber accumulated across multiple storage locations and years, rather than unsold stock from a single harvesting season. Nepal’s community forests are producing large volumes of timber that remain unsold due to high government taxes and competition from private and imported wood, leaving local user groups without funds to implement sustainable forest management while politicians blame strict conservation laws for not facilitating large-scale infrastructure development. “The government set tax rate for timber is very high compared to the prevailing market rate,” said Nabaraj Pudasaini, joint secretary at the Ministry of Forests and Environment. “When you add collection costs and other charges, the prices get further inflated,” he told Mongabay. Nepal is considered a&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/nepals-community-forests-sit-on-unsold-timber/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/nepals-community-forests-sit-on-unsold-timber/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>A dam threatens Nepal’s Indigenous community; they want it on the ballot</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/a-dam-threatens-nepals-indigenous-community-they-want-it-on-the-ballot/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/a-dam-threatens-nepals-indigenous-community-they-want-it-on-the-ballot/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Feb 2026 20:17:12 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bibek Bhandari]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/02/04171911/6-Mulkharka-residents-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=313732</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Dams, Deforestation, Environment, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Forest Loss, Governance, Indigenous Communities, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Land Rights, Logging, and Politics]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[MULKHARKA, Nepal — Ashok Tamang’s first glimpse of his community’s future flickered on a projector screen inside a local monastery. It was July 2023, and a few dozen people had gathered at the Sonam Choeling Monastery in Mulkharka, a small settlement tucked within Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park on the northern edge of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[MULKHARKA, Nepal — Ashok Tamang’s first glimpse of his community’s future flickered on a projector screen inside a local monastery. It was July 2023, and a few dozen people had gathered at the Sonam Choeling Monastery in Mulkharka, a small settlement tucked within Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park on the northern edge of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. As the slides shifted, so did the mood among a few attendees as they saw plans of a dam that would soon be constructed near their settlement. For many in that room, including Tamang, it was the first time they had heard of the Nagmati Dam, as officials spoke of its height and capacity. They promised progress would come along. “They only told us about the benefits of the dam — we would have better roads, better business and better income,” says Tamang, sitting outside his house overlooking the hazy Kathmandu Valley. “They never told us about the risks. Now that we know, we wholeheartedly oppose this project.” The idea for the dam took shape in the early 2010s, with plans to construct the 95-meter (311-foot) barrier — as tall as the Statue of Liberty in New York — on the Nagmati stream to collect monsoon runoff and release it during the dry season. Officials say the dam, spread over 50.7 hectares (125 acres) of land — the size of as many as 72 soccer fields — would help revive the holy Bagmati River that runs past the Hindu temples of Pashupatinath, Guheshwori and Gokarneshwor Mahadev&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/a-dam-threatens-nepals-indigenous-community-they-want-it-on-the-ballot/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/a-dam-threatens-nepals-indigenous-community-they-want-it-on-the-ballot/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Viral hyena incident reveals Nepal’s growing online information disorder</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/viral-hyena-incident-reveals-nepals-growing-online-information-disorder/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/viral-hyena-incident-reveals-nepals-growing-online-information-disorder/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>31 Jan 2026 08:16:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sonam Lama Hyolmo]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2018/11/05193312/tz_2395a-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=313579</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Artificial Intelligence, Biodiversity, Conservation, Environment, Law, Law Enforcement, Media, Social Media, Technology, Wildlife, and Wildlife Conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — On Nov. 8, 2025, a sense of anxiety swept through Rangeli municipality in eastern Nepal. Social media photos appeared to show a cackle of spotted hyenas entering the town from the nearby India-Nepal border. As the images went viral and were picked up by national media, the District Forest Office deployed a team [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — On Nov. 8, 2025, a sense of anxiety swept through Rangeli municipality in eastern Nepal. Social media photos appeared to show a cackle of spotted hyenas entering the town from the nearby India-Nepal border. As the images went viral and were picked up by national media, the District Forest Office deployed a team to capture the animals, but to no avail. “No one could confirm the sighting, and we later found the information to be false,” said district forest officer Utsav Thapa. The hyenas in the image (Crocuta crocuta), found in Africa, are also not native to Nepal, it was later revealed. The incident shows how online misinformation is increasingly shaping public perception in the country, including in the wildlife and conservation sector. Such false reports often create confusion and fear, leading to negative views of wild animals, said Gobinda Pokharel, a researcher and conservation officer at the National Trust for Nature Conservation Nepal. “When it comes to wildlife, even many mainstream media publish unverified reports that help spread false information,” Pokharel told Mongabay. “Such instances not only incite fear and confusion but also affect people’s perception of animals, their behavior and, eventually, their conservation.” The hyena incident is not a single isolated case. As internet and smartphone use become pervasive, various forms of misinformation ranging from fake wildlife sightings to protest-related falsehood, are spreading rapidly across social and mainstream media. The trend has fueled public fear while intensifying debates over regulation, digital literacy and freedom of expression.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/viral-hyena-incident-reveals-nepals-growing-online-information-disorder/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/viral-hyena-incident-reveals-nepals-growing-online-information-disorder/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>World Bank watchdog looks into Nepal cable car project amid Indigenous outcry</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/world-bank-watchdog-looks-into-nepal-cable-car-project-amid-indigenous-outcry/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/world-bank-watchdog-looks-into-nepal-cable-car-project-amid-indigenous-outcry/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Jan 2026 05:35:44 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sonam Lama Hyolmo]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/07/31141245/Plantation_PotoBy_Prabin-Seling-Sendow-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=313239</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Community Forests, Conservation, Deforestation, Development, Environment, Environmental Activism, FPIC, Governance, Indigenous Communities, Indigenous Cultures, Indigenous Rights, Infrastructure, and Transparency]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — A cable car line is being built to serve the mountaintop temple of Pathibhara Devi, a popular pilgrimage destination for Hindus in eastern Nepal. But the area is also revered by the region’s Indigenous Yakthung (or Limbu) people, many of whom have objected to the clearing of trees that they say will weaken [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — A cable car line is being built to serve the mountaintop temple of Pathibhara Devi, a popular pilgrimage destination for Hindus in eastern Nepal. But the area is also revered by the region’s Indigenous Yakthung (or Limbu) people, many of whom have objected to the clearing of trees that they say will weaken the spiritual power that the site holds according to their beliefs. The World Bank Group’s Compliance Advisor/Ombudsman (CAO) says it is looking into a complaint filed by the Yakthung people against the International Finance Corporation (IFC) — the private sector investment arm of the World Bank Group — for providing advisory support to a controversial cable car project in their ancestral land. The CAO recently confirmed to Mongabay that it had received the complaint filed in August 2025 and it meets the ombudsman’s criteria for formal registration. “As the Nepal cable car complaint met these criteria, it is now in the assessment phase of the CAO process,” Emily Horgan, communications and outreach lead at CAO, told Mongabay via email referring to the ombudsman’s policy of accepting a complaint if it concerns an IFC or MIGA (Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency) project. Horgan said that the Pathibhara issue also falls within the CAO’s mandate to address potential environmental and social impacts of projects. The CAO’s registry states that the complaint was accepted for review on Dec. 12, 2025. Project developer Pathibhara Devi Darshan Cable Car Pvt. Ltd., part of the IME Group led by prominent Nepali tycoon&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/world-bank-watchdog-looks-into-nepal-cable-car-project-amid-indigenous-outcry/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/world-bank-watchdog-looks-into-nepal-cable-car-project-amid-indigenous-outcry/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Is South Asia becoming inhospitable for migratory birds?</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/is-south-asia-becoming-inhospitable-for-migratory-birds/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/is-south-asia-becoming-inhospitable-for-migratory-birds/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Jan 2026 10:19:21 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sadiqur Rahman]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abu Siddique]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/01/21095547/birds-fisherman-bangladesh-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=313163</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, South Asia, and Sri Lanka]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Birds, Conservation, Environment, Habitat, Habitat Degradation, Habitat Loss, Land Use Change, Migration, Wildlife, and Wildlife Conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Every winter, millions of birds fly thousands of kilometers via the Central Asian Flyway (CAF) and East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF), from the frozen expanses of Siberia and Central Asia to the warmer South Asia and beyond. The birds’ migration depends on a chain of intact ecosystems: primarily wetlands, riverine forests and coastal mangroves, which serve [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Every winter, millions of birds fly thousands of kilometers via the Central Asian Flyway (CAF) and East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF), from the frozen expanses of Siberia and Central Asia to the warmer South Asia and beyond. The birds’ migration depends on a chain of intact ecosystems: primarily wetlands, riverine forests and coastal mangroves, which serve as their crucial stopover sites for rest and refueling. However, today, many of these habitats and food sources are disappearing. Researchers from Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, India, the Maldives, Bhutan and Sri Lanka have assessed that wetland conversion amid agricultural expansion and rapid urbanization, unplanned fishing and pollution are degrading the wetlands, mudflats and river systems across South Asia. Bangladeshi ornithologist Sayam U. Chowdhury, a researcher at the Conservation Research Institute (CRI) under the University of Cambridge, explains how rapid urbanization and the loss of natural wetlands pose a serious threat to migratory waterbirds. Although many people associate waterbirds with fish, most migratory species — including ducks, geese and shorebirds — rely on shallow wetlands, mudflats and nearby agricultural lands. They primarily feed on aquatic vegetation, seeds and invertebrates rather than fish. “When waterbodies are drained, polluted or heavily altered, it destroys the habitats and food resources these birds depend on during their non-breeding season,” Chowdhury tells Mongabay. Bangladesh lies within both the Central Asian and the East Asian-Australian flyways and provides habitat for around 310 migratory bird species, according to Bangladesh’s National Report of COP13’s Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/is-south-asia-becoming-inhospitable-for-migratory-birds/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/is-south-asia-becoming-inhospitable-for-migratory-birds/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>‘Holy river’ carries industrial waste &#038; sewage from Nepal to India</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/holy-river-carries-industrial-waste-sewage-from-nepal-to-india/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/holy-river-carries-industrial-waste-sewage-from-nepal-to-india/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Jan 2026 10:01:40 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Suresh Bidari]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/01/21101217/IMG_20251220_075902-photoaidcom-2x-ai-zoom-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=313153</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, India, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Fish, Freshwater, India-conservation, Industry, Pollution, Rivers, Waste, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[BIRGUNJ, Nepal — When 38-year-old Pradeep Kumar Bishwokarma was growing up in Ramgadhawa, a neighborhood in southern Nepal’s industrial town of Birgunj, he would jump into the Sirsiya River to beat the summer heat as his mother washed clothes and residents drew drinking water from it. Today, Bishwokarma and his fellow residents of the border [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[BIRGUNJ, Nepal — When 38-year-old Pradeep Kumar Bishwokarma was growing up in Ramgadhawa, a neighborhood in southern Nepal’s industrial town of Birgunj, he would jump into the Sirsiya River to beat the summer heat as his mother washed clothes and residents drew drinking water from it. Today, Bishwokarma and his fellow residents of the border town cover their noses with a handkerchief whenever they pass by the river that was once their village’s lifeline. The flowing liquid no longer resembles a river. It is thick and black as if a truckload of oil had been dumped into it. The air around the river feels heavy with the stench of sulfur and rotting organic matter. “This is no longer a river,” Bishwokarma said, pointing toward it. “It has become an open drain for factories, and we haven’t just lost a river, we’ve lost our self-respect,” he added. The river, which was once a crucial part of daily life, religion and agriculture in Bara and Parsa districts, is one of the 6,000-odd rivers and rivulets flowing into India from Nepal. It begins its journey from the Ramban Jhadi( forest) of Bara district farther north and passes through Nepal’s largest industrial zone, the Bara-Parsa corridor. Map of factories along the Sirsiya River. Source: Feasibility Study for Effluent Treatment Plant for Discharges from Industries in the Birgunj-Pathlaiya section. (Image not in scale) Today, ineffective environmental regulation and poor coordination among government agencies have allowed factories to dump untreated industrial waste and sewage into the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/holy-river-carries-industrial-waste-sewage-from-nepal-to-india/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/holy-river-carries-industrial-waste-sewage-from-nepal-to-india/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Fights against development projects marks 2025 for Nepal’s Indigenous people</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/fights-against-development-projects-marks-2025-for-nepals-indigenous-people/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/fights-against-development-projects-marks-2025-for-nepals-indigenous-people/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Dec 2025 10:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sonam Lama Hyolmo]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/08/21145030/VI-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=312172</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Community-based Conservation, Conservation, Development, Environment, environmental justice, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Governance, Indigenous Communities, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Infrastructure, and Land Rights]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[As Indigenous peoples and local communities globally struggle to safeguard their rights over their land and forests, Nepal hasn’t been an exception. In the face of socioeconomic and environmental threats, from infrastructure development projects including hydropower, cable car and mining, Nepal’s communities protested and took corporations to court to uphold their rights. At COP30 in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[As Indigenous peoples and local communities globally struggle to safeguard their rights over their land and forests, Nepal hasn’t been an exception. In the face of socioeconomic and environmental threats, from infrastructure development projects including hydropower, cable car and mining, Nepal’s communities protested and took corporations to court to uphold their rights. At COP30 in Belém this year, although Nepal’s Indigenous participation was minimal, the country’s delegation pushed for negotiations on climate finance for adaptation and secured inclusion of language surrounding mountain ecosystems in the Global Mutirão, the main outcome document of COP30. Indigenous peoples (IPs) and local communities (LCs) in Nepal faced realities of infrastructure development and energy transition with growing cable car and hydropower projects that manifested in environmental harm, displacement, loss of ancestral lands and disturbance to sacred ties with nature. Here are some of the stories from the communities that Mongabay covered in 2025. Nepal Indigenous leaders refile writ petition against hydropower project Indigenous Bhote-Lhomi Singsa people refiled a writ petition in November at Nepal’s highest court against a hydropower project that has allegedly submitted a flawed EIA. Community leaders initially filed a lawsuit in 2024 against the project which, according to the EIA, would directly impact Indigenous lands and communities in Chyamtang, Ridak and Thudam villages that depend on subsistence agriculture, yak herding and herbal medicine trade for their livelihoods. While the hydropower company has continued the construction work since the project started in 2021, felling more trees than cited in the EIA, communities revisited&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/fights-against-development-projects-marks-2025-for-nepals-indigenous-people/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/fights-against-development-projects-marks-2025-for-nepals-indigenous-people/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>A ‘national pride’ highway meets Indigenous resistance in ancient Nepali settlements</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/a-national-pride-highway-meets-indigenous-resistance-in-ancient-nepali-town/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/a-national-pride-highway-meets-indigenous-resistance-in-ancient-nepali-town/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Dec 2025 11:53:16 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bibek Bhandari]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/12/28091547/nepal-expressway-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=312117</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Conservation, Indigenous Peoples, Infrastructure, Roads, and UNESCO World Heritage Site]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[KHOKANA — For generations, Manhera Shrestha’s family has cultivated the same ancestral land in Khokana, an ancient settlement perched on the southern edge of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. Life here has long been rooted in the land and its harvest. But in 2016, a land acquisition notice issued by the government carried an ominous warning: a [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[KHOKANA — For generations, Manhera Shrestha’s family has cultivated the same ancestral land in Khokana, an ancient settlement perched on the southern edge of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. Life here has long been rooted in the land and its harvest. But in 2016, a land acquisition notice issued by the government carried an ominous warning: a highway would cut through their fields. Under the plan, Shrestha’s family would lose about 0.3 hectares (0.75 acres) of their land to the road. The fertile land that sustains the household of 12 and anchors their livelihood would be lost, threatening their livelihood, home and a way of life rooted in the soil. “We will lose everything,” Shrestha says, standing outside her house under a balmy winter sun. “It’s not only about our land and house. Once the highway comes, it will not just change the settlement but also our culture and traditions. Khokana will not remain Khokana anymore. We will lose our identity.” Kathmandu&#8217;s urban sprawl with the town of Khoknaa to its south-west. The Kathmandu Valley and the town of Nijgadh to its south. The proposed expressway connects Kathmandu with Nijgadh via Khokana. The quiet, agrarian settlements of Khokana and neighboring Bungamati — homes to the Indigenous Newa people and centuries-old traditions and vibrant festivals — have become flashpoints in the controversy surrounding the Kathmandu–Terai Fast Track highway. The Nepali government has promoted the project as a “national pride” initiative, promising it will shorten travel times between Kathmandu and Nijgadh in the southern&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/a-national-pride-highway-meets-indigenous-resistance-in-ancient-nepali-town/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/a-national-pride-highway-meets-indigenous-resistance-in-ancient-nepali-town/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Grassroots forest protection succeeds where planting drives fail in Nepal</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/grassroots-forest-protection-succeeds-where-planting-drives-fail-in-nepal/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/grassroots-forest-protection-succeeds-where-planting-drives-fail-in-nepal/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Dec 2025 01:17:41 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mukesh Pokhrel]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/12/23002241/Planting-Trees-at-Jyotipunj-Community-Forest-at-Kawasoti-57-scaled-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=311929</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Himalayas, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Community Forestry, Community-based Conservation, Conservation, Forest Destruction, Freshwater, Mountains, Plantations, and Reforestation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[NAWALPUR, Nepal — At 75, Hasta Bahadur Sathighare Magar says he still remembers the time when the slopes above his village in the rural municipality of Rupsekot, in central Nepal, looked dead. Dust blew freely as cattle marauded the barren land. That view has since changed. The barren slopes have given way to native trees [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[NAWALPUR, Nepal — At 75, Hasta Bahadur Sathighare Magar says he still remembers the time when the slopes above his village in the rural municipality of Rupsekot, in central Nepal, looked dead. Dust blew freely as cattle marauded the barren land. That view has since changed. The barren slopes have given way to native trees like sal(Shorea robusta), sisau (Dalbergia sissoo), jamun (Syzygium cumini) and bakaino(Melia azedarach), which cast a shade with their canopy. “When I’m in the jungle, I feel as if I gain energy from the plants. Many people like me come here to walk and enjoy nature,” Magar says. Hasta Bahadur Sathighare Magar at the Muse Danda forest. Image by Mukesh Pokhrel The barren hill in Muse Danda is now filled wth trees. Image by Mukesh Pokhrel. The recovery of the Muse Danda Community Forest wasn’t funded by large-scale tree-planting campaigns. Instead, it was driven by small local changes. Community members simply protected the land, and the forest grew back. As the government struggles to restore degraded land across Nepal’s Chure foothills through large-scale tree-planting programs, the success of low-cast, community-led efforts signals that natural regeneration could happen if communities protect the land. The Chure range is Nepal’s green spine: fragile, vital, and now fighting to survive. It covers about 13% of the country’s total area and stretches east to west along the southern foothills of the Himalayas. This biologically rich landscape supports a wide range of species — from tigers (Panthera tigris) and sloth bears (Melursus&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/grassroots-forest-protection-succeeds-where-planting-drives-fail-in-nepal/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/grassroots-forest-protection-succeeds-where-planting-drives-fail-in-nepal/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>In Nepal, the world’s smallest otter continues to elude researchers</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/in-nepal-the-worlds-smallest-otter-continues-to-elude-researchers/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/in-nepal-the-worlds-smallest-otter-continues-to-elude-researchers/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Dec 2025 05:34:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cryptic Species]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Freshwater]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Freshwater Animals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Freshwater Ecosystems]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Freshwater Fish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mammals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pollution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rivers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Species Discovery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[species identification]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/12/22045750/Z50_7454-min-scaled-e1766379564645-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=311840</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Carnivores, Conservation, Cryptic Species, Fish, Freshwater, Mammals, New Discovery, Rediscovered Species, Rivers, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — A year ago, the appearance of the Asian small-clawed otter in Nepal created a buzz, given that the species hadn’t been seen in the country in 185 years. Since then, however, it’s disappeared once again, with no confirmed sightings in the past year, leaving researchers flummoxed on the question of whether it’s still [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — A year ago, the appearance of the Asian small-clawed otter in Nepal created a buzz, given that the species hadn’t been seen in the country in 185 years. Since then, however, it’s disappeared once again, with no confirmed sightings in the past year, leaving researchers flummoxed on the question of whether it’s still found in the country. The November 2024 discovery of a juvenile Asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus) in Dadeldhura district, on Nepal’s western border with India, left researchers hopeful of more sightings would follow. However, limited funding and difficulties in DNA analysis have left them relying on scattered clues rather than certainty, even as the species is formally incorporated into the country’s conservation plans. “Despite multiple reports of suspected signs, such as scats recovered from different river systems, there hasn’t been a second verified sighting of the Asian small-clawed otter anywhere in the country,” Mohan Bikram Shrestha, a leading otter researcher, told Mongabay. “We firmly believe that the animal is present in the eastern river systems as well.” The lone confirmed record from 2024 was remarkable not only for being the first recorded sighting since 1839, but also for raising the possibility that overlooked populations of the world’s smallest otter species might still roam Nepal’s rivers and wetlands. A rescued Asian small-clawed otter with its distinct webbed feet in Dadeldhura, Nepal. Image by Rajeev Chaudhary. Since then, however, there’s only been indirect evidence of a possible otter presence. Community members and researchers have collected suspected otter&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/in-nepal-the-worlds-smallest-otter-continues-to-elude-researchers/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/in-nepal-the-worlds-smallest-otter-continues-to-elude-researchers/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Nepal Indigenous leaders refile writ petition against hydropower project</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/nepal-indigenous-leaders-refile-writ-petition-against-hydropower-project/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/nepal-indigenous-leaders-refile-writ-petition-against-hydropower-project/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Dec 2025 19:55:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sonam Lama Hyolmo]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/12/12182421/Lungasamba-pass.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=311246</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Biodiversity And Medicine, Biodiversity Hotspots, Clean Energy, Conservation, Crime, Development, Energy, Energy Efficiency, Environment, Environmental Law, Environmental Policy, Governance, Hydroelectric Power, Hydropower, Indigenous Communities, Indigenous Cultures, Indigenous Rights, Infrastructure, Lakes, Land Rights, Politics, Pollution, Protected Areas, Renewable Energy, and Rivers]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Amid rounds of court hearings and the decision pending on a 2024 writ petition, Indigenous Bhote-Lhomi Singsa community leaders of the Lungbasamba region in northeastern Nepal have filed another writ petition at the country’s Supreme Court. Community members from Ridak, one of the affected villages, say they filed the petition demanding the cancellation of the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Amid rounds of court hearings and the decision pending on a 2024 writ petition, Indigenous Bhote-Lhomi Singsa community leaders of the Lungbasamba region in northeastern Nepal have filed another writ petition at the country’s Supreme Court. Community members from Ridak, one of the affected villages, say they filed the petition demanding the cancellation of the Chhujung River Hydropower Project (63 MW), declaring the environmental impact assessment (EIA) void and issuing an interim order to halt construction activities until the court’s final decision. “The second writ petition was timely, given the increasing impacts from construction work on the community people, their lands and livelihoods,” says Dhenduk Dhoma Bhote, one of the writ petitioners and a community leader from Ridak village. Thudam village in Lungbasamba area. Image by Chyamtang-Kathmandu Welfare Society. Chyamtang Village in Lungbasamba area. Image by Chyamtang-Kathmandu Welfare Society. “We demand the project’s cancellation and halt construction activities that have operated under a flawed EIA,” Bhote says. “Villagers are worried and fear being displaced from their ancestral lands and forests, which they have long depended on for their livelihoods,” he says. Sources say that not only about 81 households in Ridak, but also about 22 households in Thudam and 125 in Chyamtang are among the most affected by the project. While people in Chyamtang completely depend on agriculture, and those in Thudam on yak (Bos grunniens) herding, Bhote says people in Ridak rely on both herding and trading medicinal herbs for their livelihoods. “Our ancestors have not known any other&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/nepal-indigenous-leaders-refile-writ-petition-against-hydropower-project/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/nepal-indigenous-leaders-refile-writ-petition-against-hydropower-project/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Nepal&#8217;s cities must plan for resilience and inclusion for the future &#038; nature (commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/nepals-cities-must-plan-for-resilience-and-inclusion-for-the-future-nature-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/nepals-cities-must-plan-for-resilience-and-inclusion-for-the-future-nature-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Dec 2025 14:48:50 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Hitesh Raj Pant]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Erik Hoffner]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/10/31124832/1280px-Locus3-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=311078</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Commentary, Community Development, Conservation, Development, Gender and Conservation, Government, Green, Infrastructure, Sustainable Development, urban ecology, Urban Planning, and Urbanization]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The transformation of Nepal&#8217;s urban landscape has brought us to a pivotal moment. Having observed this evolution as an environmental engineer, I believe its current growth trajectory is unsustainable, despite its potential. Although Nepal contributes a negligible 0.1% to global greenhouse gas emissions, the country still disproportionately suffers the increasing impact of climate change and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The transformation of Nepal&#8217;s urban landscape has brought us to a pivotal moment. Having observed this evolution as an environmental engineer, I believe its current growth trajectory is unsustainable, despite its potential. Although Nepal contributes a negligible 0.1% to global greenhouse gas emissions, the country still disproportionately suffers the increasing impact of climate change and is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries worldwide. It is evident in the average annual maximum temperature in Nepal, which has been increasing at a rate of 0.056° Celsius (0.1008° Fahrenheit) per year between 1971 and 2014. Unpredictable weather, extreme events, and threats to agricultural productivity define our daily reality as one of the most climate-vulnerable nations. Moreover, our domestic actions are dangerously exacerbating this vulnerability. A rapid, largely unplanned urban population increase from 17% to more than 27% between 2011 and 2021 has fueled this issue. This is not just due to organic migration, but was instigated by the 2017 restructuring and reclassification of local administrative boundaries under the federal system. This restructuring converted 58 existing municipalities and numerous village development committees (VDCs) into a total of 293 municipalities. Table 1: Nepal Urbanization Trajectory and Administrative Reclassification (2011-2021). This chaotic growth places immense, unbearable pressure on existing urban infrastructure and compromises our environmental quality. Water and sanitation shortages threaten public health and social stability in densely populated areas. The most severe consequence of this unplanned expansion is the breakdown of the natural/urban interface. Haphazard development encroaches on agricultural lands, which are vital for national&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/nepals-cities-must-plan-for-resilience-and-inclusion-for-the-future-nature-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/nepals-cities-must-plan-for-resilience-and-inclusion-for-the-future-nature-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Changing weather patterns threaten time-tested houses in Nepal village</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/changing-weather-patterns-threaten-time-tested-houses-in-nepal-village/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/changing-weather-patterns-threaten-time-tested-houses-in-nepal-village/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Nov 2025 14:59:21 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Tanka Dhakal]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/11/29134221/IMG_2131-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=310360</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Himalayas, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Adaptation To Climate Change, Climate Change, Conservation, Disaster, Extreme Weather, History, Indigenous Peoples, and Traditional Knowledge]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[MUSTANG, Nepal — Sudip Thakali now plans to change the roof of his family house from mud to blended cement concrete (BCC) to avoid water leakage during the rains. This is not the first time the 37-year-old is trying to make his ancestral home in the Trans-Himalayan village of Thini in Mustang district livable while [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[MUSTANG, Nepal — Sudip Thakali now plans to change the roof of his family house from mud to blended cement concrete (BCC) to avoid water leakage during the rains. This is not the first time the 37-year-old is trying to make his ancestral home in the Trans-Himalayan village of Thini in Mustang district livable while preserving the traditional essence of the house. Three years ago, he plastered the outer layer of the walls up to 1.2 meters (4 feet) from the ground with thin layers of cement concrete to prevent rainwater from seeping into the mud-gravel mixed walls. Rooftop view of Thini village in Mustang, Nepal. Almost all houses have mud roofs and mud-stone walls. Image by tanka dhakal. “The wall seems to be doing fine because of the cemented outer layer, but water leakage from the roof is becoming a headache now,” Sudip said. “It rained for more than 48 hours [in the last week of October] and the roof was leaking. I am thinking about replacing it with a very thin BCC ceiling.” In Nepal’s Trans-Himalayan region, houses have traditionally been built using locally available materials such as clay, mud, sand, gravel, stone and wood. These houses are renowned for their natural insulation properties. However, changing weather patterns and intense rainfall, whether over short periods or continuously for days as happened in late October, have created new problems, including water seepage through roofs and the weakening of mud-stone walls, forcing local communities to consider alternatives to their traditional&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/changing-weather-patterns-threaten-time-tested-houses-in-nepal-village/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/changing-weather-patterns-threaten-time-tested-houses-in-nepal-village/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>New riverside lake in Nepal wins hearts, but faces government opposition</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/new-riverside-lake-in-nepal-wins-hearts-but-faces-government-opposition/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/new-riverside-lake-in-nepal-wins-hearts-but-faces-government-opposition/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Nov 2025 16:26:30 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Suresh Bidari]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/11/28152601/IMG_9578-2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=310313</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Corruption, Dams, Drought, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Freshwater, Governance, Government, Lakes, Land Use Change, Politics, Rivers, Urbanization, Water Crisis, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[SARLAHI, Nepal — Nepali social media influencer Ishtu Karki recently posted photos and videos enjoying a motorboat ride on the Bagmati Lake, popularly known as Bharat Taal, in Sarlahi district in the country’s southern plains. “We have such a wonderful pond here in Sarlahi … You don’t need to go to Bangkok or Phuket now,” [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[SARLAHI, Nepal — Nepali social media influencer Ishtu Karki recently posted photos and videos enjoying a motorboat ride on the Bagmati Lake, popularly known as Bharat Taal, in Sarlahi district in the country’s southern plains. “We have such a wonderful pond here in Sarlahi … You don’t need to go to Bangkok or Phuket now,” she said about the lake adjoining Bagmati River. The 33.8-hectare (83.54-acre) lake, commissioned by Bagmati municipality mayor Bharat Bahadur Thapa — hence the name — and built in 2021, attracts visitors not just from Nepal, but also from across the border in India in large numbers. On a recent November afternoon, Mongabay saw seven Nepali tourists pay 300 rupees ($2.1) each for a boat ride. A young Indian couple paid 100 rupees (70 cents) for a short horse ride on the bank and 50 rupees (35 cents) more for a video clip. “We have limited drinking water supplies here, but I like to come here to see the lake,” said Satendra Kumar, who visits the lake occasionally from his home in neighboring Bihar state, India. Tourists from India and Nepal visit Bharat Taal in Nepal. Image by Nakul Sah. But the next time visitors such as Karki and Kumar return to the lake, it may not be there. Since its construction, the lake has shot up as a popular cross-border attraction with economic, groundwater recharge and biodiversity benefits, but ongoing legal cases, lack of long-term environmental and biodiversity safeguards, inadequate waste management, and unclear jurisdiction&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/new-riverside-lake-in-nepal-wins-hearts-but-faces-government-opposition/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/new-riverside-lake-in-nepal-wins-hearts-but-faces-government-opposition/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Bird diversity drops in human-dominated habitats, Nepal study suggests</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/bird-diversity-drops-in-human-dominated-habitats-nepal-study-suggests/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/bird-diversity-drops-in-human-dominated-habitats-nepal-study-suggests/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Nov 2025 13:55:54 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sonam Lama Hyolmo]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/11/26131636/3-2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=310196</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Biodiversity Hotspots, Birds, Conservation, Corridors, Deforestation, Drinking Water, Environmental Policy, Habitat, Habitat Degradation, Habitat Loss, Land Use Change, Landscape Restoration, Rivers, Species, Water, Water Crisis, Water Scarcity, and Wildlife Corridors]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — Birds prefer to live in a mix of forests, fields and wetlands, but human activities such as logging, hunting and sand and gravel mining are taking a toll on such mosaics in Nepal’s southern plains, a recent study shows. The research, published in the Journal of Environmental Management, suggests such a mosaic of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — Birds prefer to live in a mix of forests, fields and wetlands, but human activities such as logging, hunting and sand and gravel mining are taking a toll on such mosaics in Nepal’s southern plains, a recent study shows. The research, published in the Journal of Environmental Management, suggests such a mosaic of connected habitats coupled with a reduction of disturbances from human activities such as extraction may help boost not only the numbers of birds, but species as well. “We found that while birds seek heterogeneity in their habitats, human activities are increasingly homogenizing the landscapes at the cost of bird habitats,” said Hem Bahadur Katuwal, assistant professor at Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences. As part of the study, researchers studied the diversity, ecological traits and functions (habitat, diet, mobility and body size) and ancestry of 238 randomly selected bird species in an anthropogenic (farmland and settlement) and a natural (forest and riverine) habitat within the Parsa-Koshi Complex (PKC) in southern Nepal for more than a year. “We chose the study area because it is not only rich in natural habitat, but it also has the highest population density in Nepal,” Katuwal said. Grey Heron spotted in the study area. Image courtesy of Hem Bahadur Katuwal. Katuwal and his team then used computer models to compare this data with the level of human activity and landscape patterns in the same area, aiming to see if human activities acted like a &#8220;filter&#8221; that only allowed&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/bird-diversity-drops-in-human-dominated-habitats-nepal-study-suggests/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/bird-diversity-drops-in-human-dominated-habitats-nepal-study-suggests/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
			</channel>
</rss>