Owl conservation: From anti-poaching training to artificial nesting

Conservation activists recently conducted a training session focused on the conservation of owls, which play a vital role in protecting farmers’ crops by preying on rodents.

The training was attended by 20 individuals, including security personnel, staff from the Forest Ministry, and employees of the Kaski Division Forest Office in Pokhara, among others. These participants are crucial in the efforts to protect owls from poaching and illegal trade, according to the organizers.

The training covered a wide range of issues ranging from the importance of owls in our environment to the dynamics of their illegal trade.

Organized by an organization named Friends of Nature, the training also provided insights into the international demand for live owls, highlighting the countries where this demand is particularly high and where Nepali owls are often exported illegally.

Raju Acharya, Executive Director of Friends of Nature, along with Deepa Gurung, conducted the training. Acharya explained that the illegal trade of owls is often driven by various superstitions. Citing recent studies, Acharya revealed that approximately 1,500 owls are illegally exported from Nepal each year.

The training also explored the reasons behind owl poaching and smuggling, both within Nepal and on a global scale, as well as strategies to combat these issues.

The organizers plan to organize similar training sessions for students, mothers’ groups, and social organizations across various districts. “A total of  11 sessions have been planned for different districts. These sessions are expected to see participation of as many as 220 people,” Achary added.

In addition to the training, Acharya announced plans to install 90 artificial nests in different locations within Kaski and 10 in Syangja for owls in the near future. “The decline in traditional nesting spaces, such as the niches that were once commonly built into the walls of Nepali houses, along with the reduction in tree numbers, has created a habitat crisis for birds. Artificial nests will, to some extent, address this crisis, he added.

Acharya, who has dedicated the past three decades to owl conservation, was recently honored with the 2024 Whitley Award—one of the most prestigious awards in the wildlife conservation sector. He is using the prize money to organize these trainings and build artificial nests.

Owls in Nepal comprise two families—Tytonidae and Strigidae—and 23 species. The conservation status of two species—Long-eared Owl and Oriental Bay Owl—is vagrant and possibly extinct respectively, according to the Owl Conservation Action Plan, Nepal.