In 2010, with a total of 121 tigers Panthera tigris tigris, Nepal committed to double its tiger population by 2022 as part of the TX2 St. Petersburg declaration, along with the other 12 tiger range countries. According to the Nepal National Tiger Survey 2022, the tiger population is now 355. Negative human–tiger interactions have, however, also increased. Tigers are occupying greater areas, and territorial fights amongst them are increasing. Dispersing tigers are using marginal areas, increasing the likelihood of encounters with local people collecting forest resources.
The Bardia and Banke National Parks, in the western Terai, hold c. 150 tigers. According to the National Trust for Nature Conservation, there were 34 human casualties from tiger attacks in these two National Parks during 2019–2022. Problematic tigers are monitored by camera traps to identify individuals and monitor their health. Twelve tigers that were identified as having killed people, or that were weak or injured, were captured and released in the core of Bardia National Park, transferred to a zoo, or kept in a holding centre. In the case of a healthy tiger identified by the camera traps, local communities are advised to refrain from entering the forest until the tiger has left the area. Most attacks occur when people are collecting forest resources during the daytime. Local people enter the forest for the collection of grasses, fodder, timber and wild vegetables, and for livestock grazing and fishing.
To reduce human–tiger conflict and forest dependency, and to improve co-existence with the tiger, the National Trust for Nature Conservation and Bardia National Park have initiated a behaviour change campaign. In November 2021, 19 members of Community Based Anti-Poaching Units, representing every region of the National Park, were trained to carry out a behaviour change campaign for forest-dependent communities. The change agents discussed tiger behaviour and how to avoid encounters with tigers, and outlined safety measures. During January–June 2022, the change agents organized awareness sessions near the Park border for a total of 8,042 people (3,788 men, 4,254 women). These people do not have access to social media or FM radio and had not participated in previous conservation awareness sessions. As a result of these sessions, 317 farmers constructed predator-proof corrals to protect their goats and pigs from carnivores; 12,867 fodder seedlings were planted on private land, to minimize forest dependency for fodder collection; 559 farmers were involved in the cultivation of wildlife-friendly cash crops such as ginger, turmeric and lemon; and 19 farmers living adjacent to the Park began running homestays for tourists. Behavior change campaigns are considered effective for the reduction of human casualties from tigers, leopards and elephants, and for improving human–wildlife co-existence.
Open access
