Feburary 5, 2003
SUNSARI (KOSHI TAPPU): The survival of the wild water buffalo (Arna) in Koshi Tappu in east Nepal is at stake due to habitat destruction from encroachment by the people and cattle, and their cross-breeding with the domesticated buffalo.
The Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve (KTWR) covers an area of over 76 sq. km spanning the three districts of Sunsari, Saptari and Udyapur. The Reserve was established in 1976 to protect and conserve the rare and endangered flora and fauna of the area – particularly the Arnas.
But these days, visitors rarely get to see the wild beast. Instead, the domesticated buffaloes are a more common sight. These buffaloes and other cattle roam and graze freely within the protected area.
Dr. Rabi Sharma Aryal, Under Secretary of Law at the CIAA, who looks after CITES Implementation, said the Arnas, the main attraction of the site, could become extinct as the local people and reserve officials are unconcerned about the domestic buffaloes freely entering the protected area, where they destroy the habitat and cross-breed with the Arnas.
“If this is not stopped, the Arnas will soon become domesticated animals,” he warns.
Despite strong rules and regulations to prevent the people and buffaloes from encroaching the Reserve area, the problem was acute due to lack of implementation and enforcement.
As access for the domesticated animals into the conservation area is easy, some locals prefer crossing their buffaloes with the wild ones to improve their breed. Arnas are bigger and stronger than the local varieties, and the crossbred ones fetch high prices in Indian cities. Those breeds are used for ploughing and also in buffalo fights. “Such breeds are even taken to Bangladesh,” Aryal said.
According to Rajendra Suwal, ornithologist and director of Aqua Bird Unlimited, there were about 150 wild buffaloes until a few years ago, but it is difficult to say how many of them are still there inside the protected area.
Ganga Ram Singh, conservation officer at the KTWR, the only Ramsar site in Nepal, said people who were displaced when the Reserve was established often encroached the Reserve areas. The government had formed several commissions to rehabilitate the displaced families, but the problem remains unresolved.
Until these problems are solved, the areas cannot be protected, he said. “This matter should be resolved at the highest level,” he said.
To resolve the problem of grazing, the communities surrounding the protected area must be made aware about the importance of the protected area and its precious inhabitants, he said.
Local people say the declaration of a buffer zone could be part of the solution. Pankaj Mahato, member of the local consumers’ committee of Madhuban Prakashpur Buffer Zone, said that the government should declare the area as a buffer zone to protect and promote the KTWR.
The declaration of a Buffer Zone means the local community would get 50 per cent of the income generated through entry fees and other sources in the area, and the money can be used for local development.
But declaring a buffer zone has its own problem. The north side of the park adjoins the Koshi Barrage, said Dr. Aryal, whose mechanisms are controlled by the Indian side.
Besides the Arna, Koshi Tappu is famous for its rich species of birds. More than 450 species of birds – indigenous and migratory – found in the Reserve. But the destruction of the habitat and encroachment have taken a toll. In recent years, the flow of migratory birds has decreased due to the conditions prevailing in the Reserve, Singh said.
The Reserve faces another problem. The local people use pesticides to kill birds to protect their crops. Birds are also snared and sold for meat in the restaurants.
Only a few weeks ago, about 100 migratory birds died after they consumed seeds treated with pesticides, a bird guide said.