Vultures are ecologically important birds that face a range of threats in Nepal. As a part of conserving critically endangered vultures through stopping the use of drug diclofenac completely a national workshop on “Effects of Diclofenac on vultures and its current issues in Nepal”was organized by Bird Conservation Nepal in collaboration with Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Nepal on 13 March 2013 in Hotel Malla Lainchour. Participants from Department of Drug Administration, Veterinary Standard and Drug Administration Office, Nepal Veterinary Council, Nepal Veterinary Association, National Trust for Nature Conservation, Kathmandu Quarantine Office, Himalayan Nature and Bird Conservation Nepal used the forum to discuss on the current issues of diclofenac use in Nepal. The workshop was quite useful for putting more efforts on stopping the use of the drug diclofenac in veterinary use.

Sushila C Nepali, CEO presented on “Bird Conservation Nepal and its Programme”, Khadananda Paudel, Vulture Conservation Officer presented on “Vulture Conservation Efforts in Nepal” and Dr Amir Sadaula, Veterinary Officer presented on “Practices of NSAIDs use in Nepal”. Focuses was on the use of 30 ml Human Diclofenac on the Veterinary practices and proper legislative measures to control it.

Four of the nine species of vultures found in Nepal are in danger of disappearing from the face of the earth. ‘BCN initiated and established the first community managed vulture restaurant in the world’,claims Dr. Sushila C. Nepali, Chief Executive Officer of Bird Conservation Nepal, ‘we have supported this work by swapping remaining diclofenac stocks in the area with meloxicam, intensive awareness raising campaigns and advocacy resulting in a local increase in vulture and nest numbers at the site’.All these safe feeding sites will now be linked by the creation of a ‘Vulture Safe Zone’. “Currently we have been able to expand Vulture safe zone to 30 districts covering 54,472 square kilometers” adds Dr. Sushila. It will be expanded in the coming years by adding more districts to the north and creation of a similar area across the border in India. Dr. Narayan Prasad Ghimire, Senior Veterinary Officer Registrar of Nepal Veterinary Council, Shyam Kumar Adhikari, Drug Inspector at Depatment of Drug Administration and Dr. Bimal Kumar Nirmal, President at Nepal Veterinary Association focused on the more coordination required between the stakeholders of Diclofenac monitoring and the need of  more advocacy work within vulture safe zone. Discussion was focused on the proper control on the use of 30 ml vial of Human Diclofenac produced in Nepal. Participants also discussed on the recent trend of Pesticide poisoning in Vultures and way to control them through participatory and coordination role between different stakeholders working in the field of Vulture conservation.