To secure the trans-boundary cooperation for vulture
conservation delegates from India and Nepal came together for a joint
stakeholder workshop in Indo-Nepal Transboundary Vulture Conservation Issues on
22th April 2019 in Dehradun, India. The workshop was organized by the Doon University,
Uttarakhand in collaboration with Uttarakhand State Biodiversity Board; and was
attended by experts, researchers, senior officials from concern authorities,
drug department, electricity department of Uttarakhand, Bombay Natural History
Society, India and representative from Department of National Park and Wildlife
Conservation, Government of Nepal, Bird Conservation Nepal and National Trust
for Nature Conservation.
The chief guest Dhananjai Mohan chairman of Uttarakhand
State Biodiversity Board said that conservation of threatened birds like
vulture is vital for the environment. “Protecting the vulture is the need of
the hour, though we need to bring all stakeholders within and outside the
country together to facilitate this,” he said.
Hari Bhadra Acharya, ecologist, Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation, Government of Nepal said, “Vultures and other wildlife are not restricted by any national and international boundaries and can freely move from one nation to another, thus, protecting a global species like vulture becomes the responsibility of its range countries. Highlighting the movement of one satellite tagged White-rumped Vulture from Nepal to Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himanchal Pradesh up to the Pakistan he added that “It’s survival is only can secure through our strong transboundary collaboration”.
Krishna Prasad Bhusal from Bird Conservation Nepal presented
on the Vulture Safe Zone in Nepal and trans boundary collaboration. He said,
“To eliminate all the possible threats like poisoning due to veterinary NASIDs
in the range countries, we must initiate and strengthen collaborative efforts
in order to protect them. Vulture Safe Zone is landscape conservation approach
covering the part of neighboring countries. Considering this as well we should
exchange the idea, information among us and need to make strong coordination,
collaboration and cooperation."
Former professor of Wildlife Institute of India, BC
Choudhury, said that veterinary drugs like diclofenac were responsible for the
severe decline in vulture population in the recent decades. “However, if we see
the mortality of existing vulture population due to electrocution in the last
few years in Uttarakhand state, it can be the only major reason behind the loss
of these charismatic species in upcoming years.” Khima Nand Balodi, PhD scholar
and coordinator of this workshop presented that the stakeholder collaboration
and participatory conservation approach is really important for the vulture
conservation. He said that “the involving the skinners in vulture conservation
and change to the safer carcass disposal site preventing the electrocution
mortality up to 85-90 percent in the Doon valley”. Other experts and officials
also expressed their views on the occasion.