IUCN WCEL warns of conservation threats from new law

The IUCN/World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL) Nepal Chapter has expressed serious concern over the recent amendments made to the ‘National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1973’ by the ‘An Ordinance Made to Amend Acts Relating to Investment Facilitation, 2024’. These amendments, particularly in Sections 5(a) and 6(1a), have drawn criticism for potentially undermining Nepal’s conservation efforts and international commitments.

The organization highlighted that Section 5(a) allows the government to designate highly sensitive areas within national parks, reserves, or conservation areas by issuing a notice in the Nepal Gazette. This discretionary power, IUCN/WCEL Nepal argues, could lead to the arbitrary exploitation of protected areas under the guise of development. The amendments could disrupt the balance between environmental conservation and development, as mandated by Article 30(3) of 2015 Constitution. IUCN/WCEL Nepal warned that projects within these sensitive zones, if prioritized for economic gain, may cause environmental degradation and harm Nepal’s globally recognized conservation achievements.

Similarly, Section 6(1a), which permits human intervention for profit-oriented use of natural resources within protected areas, has also raised alarms. IUCN/WCEL Nepal believes this provision could facilitate exploitation in the name of coexistence between nature and humans, ultimately risking the sustainability of protected regions, said Ravi Sharma Aryal, Chair, IUCN\WCEL, Nepal Chapter. 

The organization urged the government to reconsider these amendments, stressing that they contradict both national legal frameworks and international obligations, including those tied to UNESCO-listed conservation sites. IUCN/WCEL Nepal called on the government, parliament, and environmentalists to advocate for the removal of Sections 5(a) and 6(1a) from the ordinance to preserve Nepal’s conservation legacy and protect the nation’s natural heritage from profit-driven exploitation.