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Ganges River Dolphin (GRD) is the indicator species of the freshwater ecosystem also recognized as flagship species. GRDs have been distributed across the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sanghu Rivers in India, Nepal and Bangladesh. GRDs are found on Floodplain Rivers of lowland Tarai region. In Nepal GRDs are supremely residents on Karnali, Gandaki and Koshi rivers. In the recent years, there have been some signs recorded as videos which indicate the occasional utilization of Bagmati River in Rautahat district by GRD which needs additional verification.

Ganges River Dolphin (GRD), a mammal of the freshwater ecosystem, is threatened both at national and international levels.  They are listed in endangered category of IUCN Red list and in Nepal they are listed as critically endangered species in latest assessment conducted in 2011. The species experiencing multitude of threats is waiting for proper conservation interventions, otherwise they would be limited to the folklore.

According to best estimates, the population of GRD is 52 individuals across the country. In the past, the species was reported from the Mahakali river, while the recent report suggest their extirpation from there and the cause of local extinction have been attributed to the construction of barrage on the migratory route of the species. In Koshi, considered the second most populated river, GRDs are found only on lowland regions below dams. In the past, Narayani used to be one of the prime habitats of Dolphin, however, after the Gandak dam was built, only one to two individuals have been sighted and in the recent year, only one individual has been sighted so far in the river. Furthermore, the species is facing tremendous pressure majorly due to anthropogenic activities like overfishing, electrofishing, poisoning across its distribution range, among others. This implies that the population of GRDs hs declined  across its range. In addition, the species is also facing challenges due to habitat fragmentation and loss mainly resulting from dam construction for hydropower and barrages for flood reduction.

The flow regulation of rivers can directly impact GRDs' habitat as they maintain their regular activities as per river's flow. The fluctuation in the river flow and the changing flow direction can adversely affect its life cycle. The construction of the dams without doing proper scientific study can destroy the aquatic habitat. This can cause river fragmentation in their habitat, distracting the movement of GRDs, which results in shrinkage in habitat of aquatic species. Those threats are also responsible for the decline of genetic variations in the aquatic species, which directly reduce the adaptive capacity of these species to a changing environment.

Water quality in the rivers is vital for the freshwater species. This is more significant to the species like GRDs, which require pure free flowing rivers. Both the decrease in quantity and quality of water in the river are detrimental to freshwater species. Agricultural and industrial runoff, including dumping pesticides, enhances the toxicity on water, thereby decreasing suitability of the river for the species. Similar pattern can be seen for the deviation in water quantity, particularly in dry season, when the waters are diverted for other purposes. The species like GRDs, which prefer deep water pools, cannot exist in such a scenario.  

Basically, humans need different ecosystem services to survive. Mother Nature has given equal rights to every species for their survival, but we are creating difficulties for innocent species out there by increasing demands and turning the environment anthropocentric.

Whenever the dolphins are occasionally observed, people mistreat them and kill them. Lack of awareness is also a formidable challenge that piles more pressure on the dolphins’ habitat. GRDs have an equal right to exist as we do. However, our activities such as excessive fishing and using destructive fishing methods are playing a part in threatening GRDs. This highlights the need to rethink the harvesting strategy and timing so that we can create a win-win situation for both humans and GRDs.

Some efforts have been made for the conservation of the species.  In the international level, regulation of the trade of species has been envisioned by listing the species in appendix I of CITES. While in Nepal, GRDs have been prioritized for the conservation indicated by preparation of a dolphin conservation action plan (2021-2025). However, efforts from the government to implement that action plan are not so promising. Some efforts have been made by national and international conservation organizations such as WWF Nepal, which is working to create positive impacts by collaborating with fishermen and to release entangled dolphins from their fishnets. These efforts are not sufficient.

As GRDs are charismatic species of the freshwater ecosystem, the flipping/jumping skills of those species is amazing that every tourist can enjoy. Local communities are unaware of these protected species’ ecological role, who can diversify their livelihood by investing in ecotourism for the tourist. Tourists may visit that specific place in greater numbers during the period when GRDs are most frequently spotted. They would definitely love to gain real information about GRDs, which might help to spread conservation messages as well.

We have to address livelihood concerns of locals, whose actions would directly or indirectly affect the dolphins. The livelihood of the locals should be diversified to reduce dependency on fishing activities. Conservation knowledge should be improved from the grassroots. Research should be conducted to collect scientific information about its habitat range, population status and behavior, etc. Relevant action plans can be implemented only if we have enough information about particular species. Furthermore, collaboration between the stakeholders is highly essential. Together, we can create a safe environment for the threatened dolphin species. 

It was a day in Falgun 2079 when goats returned to Acharya Agriculture Farm after grazing from the nearby jungle (Sundarnicha Jhoda community forest) at about 4 pm. After a couple of hours, they began showing symptoms such as loss of regurgitation, which was soon accompanied with swelling of the stomach. 

They then started to bleat and it seemed they were going through immense pain. After struggling for a few hours, goats on the animal farm belonging to Sushila Acharya and her family began dying one after another from 8 pm the same night. After a few hours of their death, a greenish frothy bloat was observed around their mouth. 

Within 24 hours, the farm lost 28 goats, including kids, wethers and she-goats. They did whatever was needed to protect the animals, heeding advice from other neighbors and local veterinarians. Dumbfounded as well as perplexed by the sudden and mysterious deaths, they took their dead livestock for post-mortems, which revealed that poisoning was the the cause of death. To be precise, the livestock had died after consuming “ultakande”, which is quite similar to commonly found “Lajjawati Jhar” (touch me not).

This revelation shocked the Acharyas and their neighbors, who had previously lost their livestock due to unknown causes, only to find later that the weed was the culprit. This realization prompted them to take a difficult decision to avoid grazing their goats freely in the forest. When unavoidable, they now securely peg their animals to prevent access to the weed. Despite several efforts to protect their livestock, local people have lost more than 50 of them till now, most of them due to the consumption of the weed at its young stage, says the owner of the farm, Prem Prasad Acharya. 

This is one of the tragic events that occurred in the small village of Garamani, approximately 16 km from Chandragadhi Airport in Jhapa. Sushila Acharya and her family have been struck by this devastating financial loss. The once-thriving livestock farm, which sustained them for years, has suffered significant economic losses due to an unexpected menace—Mimosa diplotricha, an invasive plant species—that came to the notice of the Acharyas and their neighbors approximately a decade ago. Initially, the weed seemed harmless and the locals were least bothered. However, its impact has now unfolded, leaving them to deal with its negative consequences.

Mimosa diplotricha is one of the invasive species, reported from Nepal in the year 2019 by Forest Action researchers along with invasive species expert Dr Bharat Babu Shrestha. Commonly known as “Aarakande”, “Ultakaanda” or “Lahare Lajjawati”, it is a leguminous thorny subshrub of neotropical origin that now has been invasive in more than 45 countries, including Nepal. Known to cause several negative impacts on agriculture, livestock, biodiversity and livelihoods in its introduced range, this species has been reported abundantly in Jhapa and Morang districts of south-eastern Nepal. 

For a family entirely dependent on the livestock farm, the loss of 28 goats in a single day had a significant impact on their income and sustainability. Since the economic effects have been quite severe, the Acharyas had to reconsider their farming methods and look for new strategies to protect their animals. Like the Acharyas, several other families from Jhapa and Morang districts have suffered the consequences of this weed, either knowingly or unknowingly, most of which are not reported. Local people, unaware as to how this species got introduced in this region, say it has been thriving in this area for about 30 years and has begun spreading in the vicinity as well through various means. 

Lending credence to the locals’ account, a research team from Forest Action Nepal has reported the presence of the weed in Sunsari district as well. 

According to Lila Nath Sharma, a researcher at Forest Action Nepal, the weed introduced in Nepal in the mid-1990s has been spreading rapidly. Despite the Acharyas’ initiative to report the issue to the municipality, their plea for financial assistance has gone unheard. This disappointing response emphasizes the critical need for support mechanisms to aid farmers grappling with the devastating impact of the invasive plant. 

Experts warn that if immediate action is not taken, the future impact of Mimosa diplotricha could be catastrophic. As the plant continues to thrive, more livelihoods will be at risk, further jeopardizing the rural economy.

The Acharya family’s experience serves as a wake-up call for both farmers as well as policymakers. The implications go far beyond individual families, encompassing entire communities reliant on agriculture and livestock for sustenance. The battle against this destructive weed requires comprehensive awareness campaigns, agricultural guidance and collaboration between farmers as well as local authorities. Together with agricultural experts and community leaders, the local government must launch comprehensive awareness campaigns and allocate resources to mitigate the crisis. 

The Vibrant Gujarat is a flagship investment summit of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi which has drawn the regional leaders and leading countries demonstrating commitment and keenness to share the pie of economic growth opportunity that India offers.

Japan, Australia, the UK, the US, Norway and the Netherlands, among others, were actively seen to showcase their companies, strengths and collaboration projects at the summit where Who’s Who of India’s Business was present. At this perfect platform for networking and striking partnerships for the future, it was clear that countries wanted their share of success in Aatmanirbhar Bharat—Viksit Bharat 2047.

Days ahead leading to the summit, international diplomatic leaders could be seen highlighting their pavilion and promoting their capabilities. X and other social media platforms were full of posts from these countries on how they engaged with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he visited their pavilions. They were engaging with the media to showcase their partnership, the strengths of their collaborations and where they can make a difference in the future.

Nepal was one of the 35 partner states, who had the opportunity to host a pavilion. The Nepali delegation was led by the Finance Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat together with Ambassador Shankar Sharma. The Indian government website of communication of government policies and outcomes tweeted around seven minutes byte of address by Mahat. Other than that, half day into the first day, there were no signs of Nepali industry, pavilion and business persons. There was no coverage in Nepali media of what Nepal could bring to the summit and in which sector. Automotive, defense, precious stones, energy, industrial innovations, tourism and education were among the country’s presentations.

 For example, Australia’s presentation at Country Seminar is under the title “Australia–your destination for business, industry, study and tourism”. Saudi Arabia, the EU, Malaysia, Singapore, the UK, Germany, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Oman, the UAE, Ukraine, Korea, Mozambique, and many others presented at the Country Seminar. Nepal’s country presentation was also listed  in the queue of the Country Seminar.

But the big question for now is that does Nepal leverage enough when invited? When the G20 India Summit invited Bangladesh as a special guest, there was an outcry as to why Nepal was not important enough to be invited to G20 India Summit. Perhaps this calls for an assessment in light of Nepal’s participation at Vibrant Gujarat. Does Nepali leadership at PMO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Industry work in sync to make that difference and have a strategy to reverse the imbalance in the country with higher ODA than FDI? What preparations did they do ahead of “Vibrant Gujarat”?

Today the flagship business summit of India is being attended by world class industry leaders but Nepal’s Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Ramesh Rizal or Sushil Bhatta, CEO of Office of the Investment Board Nepal or president/leaders from Chambers of Commerce as FNCCI, NICCI, CNI or other leading businesspersons of Nepal are not visible. Interestingly, MoICS Minister Rizal attended the Nepal Country Pavilion at 6th CIIE held in Shanghai (China) toward the end of Nov 2023.  Wasn’t this an opportunity to engage with Indian and global leadership and other country leaders to showcase Nepal as a hub for tourism, service industry, mass manufacturing and winter sports. One of the most evident miss out is on Nepal’s reservoir of hydro energy and traditional medicines and herbs which contribute to green energy to better health.

Nepal will soon host its third International Summit, “Nepal Investment Summit” (NIS2024) in April 2024 and preparations are underway. This was a unique opportunity to promote NIS 2024, what it entails at the Nepal pavilion during VGGS2024. Senior leaders from Chambers of Commerce such as FNCCI, CNI and NICCI should have accompanied Mahat and engaged with international leaders on the margins of VGGS2024. With discussions on “Workforce for Future: Development of Skills for Industry 4.0”, Nepal could have showcased the diverse skill set and plans of Nepal Young Entrepreneurs’ Forum.

Prime Minister Modi visited many pavilions but did his visit to the Nepal Pavilion materialize or not? There were no photos, commentaries, or effort at any level to use as a pre-event marketing material and how it leads to NIS 2024. This shortcoming was evident. At a time when Nepal’s FDI performance in 2022 was bleak with mere $65m and recent exits of International Corporations as Malaysia’s Axiata and Pakistan’s Habib Bank from Nepali market and high level corruption cases have potentially dented the confidence of an international investor, is Nepal not keen to grow FDI and wants to be a donor’s ODA dependent country?

Who is to be held accountable? Did such a lapse occur for the first time? Previously, on many such occasions the business community did not take interest to participate and showcase their vision. Is it merely a political transition problem or to be blamed only on bureaucratic hurdles but the fact remains that there is a lack of sync between leadership in the political and business sectors.

The Nepali Mission led by Ambassador Sharma has made great inroads across industry and sectors. In my discussions from time to time, it appears that stakeholders from Nepal are not enthusiastic or more busy in domestic politics, that they do not prioritize international visibility, dialogue and partnerships. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Nepali leaders have not leveraged the hard work and network of Ambassador Sharma and his team.

None of the above can happen till the time country leadership takes the reins of growth and the roadmap that leads to it. Vibrant Gujarat is led by Prime Minister Modi and CM Bhupendra Patel. Prime Minister Modi over the last 10 years has worked on the ground and around the world in working out partnerships for the private and public sector to implement. Even if Nepali political leadership succeeds in securing a stage to showcase and get an international commitment of investment, it is for the bureaucratic and business arm to make it happen. This is where investment summits/conferences under the GoN or chambers of commerce become more “check in the box” without actual conversions.

 The ownership, collective leadership and the will at all levels is self-defeating. Today, a Nepali is only concerned with watching his/her own interest and Nepal has been turned into an orphaned state with highest ODA in South Asia or made out as one by inaction and lackadaisical approach where more interpretation and analysis can be seen than action. Nepal had huge potential of high productivity but it has now been reduced as a trading country and treasury full of remittances, where both strategies will drive the workforce to foreign lands in search of work. It is easier said than done that foreign countries erode the richness of Nepal when its own leaders are responsible for the state of affairs. 

The author is a financial, geopolitical and security analyst

One day, back in 2014, at the Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, 19 aspiring wildlife biologists, who had taken Wildlife Conservation and Management as a major, were discussing the human influence on biodiversity, wildlife species in particular. The late Man Kumar Dhamala, who was moderating the class as a faculty, gave an example of a species—Bengal Fox. According to him, the species, which was quite common a few decades earlier, is experiencing tremendous pressure and is declining rapidly despite having a wide dietary niche. Among the 19 folks, only one person, Narayan Niraula, who also hailed from Jhapa like the late Dhamala, said he knew about the species while others had no idea. Later on, Narayan Niraula went on to conduct his Masters dissertation to explore the conservation ecology of Bengal Fox in West Jhapa. As far as I know, thus far, this is the only dissertation written in Nepal with Bengal Fox as primary subject. This highlights the attention that this species has received from wildlife biologists in the country.

Bengal Fox

Bengal Fox, a member of the Canid family, is a medium-sized carnivore species known to occur in Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan and is endemic to South Asia. The range of the species is reported up to an elevation of 1,500m, however, the claim is still debated. There is a report claiming the record of the species from Lamtang National Park, however, as the species has not been recorded in mid-hills and the Himalayan Range, the case could be one of misidentification.

Bengal Fox mostly live in the interface of agricultural fields and forests and they usually avoid heavily forested areas. They are an omnivorous species with a wide dietary niche, consuming arthropods, rodents, reptiles, fruits and birds. This dietary niche means, Bengal Fox can have wider adaptability and significant impact to balance the ecosystem.   

Threats to Bengal Fox

In a recent assessment conducted in 2016, the global population of Bengal Fox was listed as least concerned species in IUCN Red List. However, the species is facing diverse forms of threats. As the species has not been studied well, we do not have ample evidence to prove the threats facing it. However, there are incidental records of Bengal Fox killed in road accidents and some records of poaching. Furthermore, the species prefers the small scrubs or short grassland; nowadays they usually build dens in the Agricultural field, escalating the threats to the species.

Back in 2016, when I was at Sundarpur area of Udayapur district for my dissertation, I noticed a den of Bengal Fox in the middle of the paddy field. One person was nearby and I had a conservation with him, who admitted that the species is causing the damage to the field and people usually damage the den and try to kill the species. 

Furthermore, the species is widely hunted in parts of Nepal for food. According to Narayan Niraula, some indigenous groups like Satar regularly hunt and consume the species in Jhapa. Given its status in Nepal. “Status of Nepal’s Mammals: The National Red List Series” has listed the species as vulnerable (VU).  

In Nepal and elsewhere, hunting on localized scale for trade of skin, tail, teeth and claws for medicinal and charm purposes is rampant. Furthermore, they undergo population fluctuations due to prey population cycles and disease outbreaks. In some cases, they may undergo local extirpation.

Local extirpation

On 2 July 2022, I was chitchatting in Tanahun with one of my relatives in his early 60s. We were discussing how the environmental factors, especially wildlife and their distribution, have changed. He recalled his childhood and teen years when the animal called “Khyak” that looked like a jackal but was smaller than them was common in Khairanitar of Tanahun district.  Back then, the Kumal community, an indigenous group known for their clay pot making skills, used to set the animals’ den afire and kill them. 

The species is extinct now, according to him. Based on his description, I thought the species could be Bengal Fox. When I wrote a post on social media, especially Facebook, stressing the need for conversation of the species, I received many comments. Narayan Niraula said that the species is known with different names in local dialects such as Khirkhire, Khek Shyal and Khekri. Sagar Dahal, a wildlife biologist, who works on research and conservation of small mammals, informed that Kanchan Parajuli from Hetaunda, Makwanpur district, had once spotted the species in Khairenitar (Kaski district) and taken its pictures. The elevation range of Khairenitar is nearly 600m, meaning the climatic condition was suitable for the species. 

According to Shashank Sharma, who was doing a PhD on Common Leopard, in the survey of nearly 600 sq km across Tanahun, Lamjung and Kaski, he had found no trace of the Bengal Fox. He adds, even the Asiatic Golden Jackal were also missing. This highlights the fate of wild canids as a whole.

Conservation measures

Owing to threats resulting from international trade in the species, India has kept the population of Bengal Fox in their country in Appendix III of Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). However, the Bengal Fox Population in Nepal has not seen any such measures. 

Way forward

As we lack information about the species in Nepal, it is essential to establish a baseline. Thus, the first initiatives should be exploring the distribution of the species and the threats facing them in those areas. Furthermore, based on the baseline, we need to plan and implement tailored conservation measures. Drawing from the concluding lines of the late Dhamala’s lectures, I reiterate here that all conservation biologists should aim to keep common species common. We all have to work together to keep Bengal Fox common.

The author is an assistant professor at the Department of Environmental Science, Padma Kanya Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University