The Status of Nepal's Mammals: The National Red List Series - IUCN

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loss and fragmentation; at their lowest numbers
in the 1970s as few as three individuals remained.
Since then, despite experiencing fluctuations, the
population has gradually increased over the past
ten years. However, the population exists in a single
location which is small in size (16 km 2 ) and isolated
from other populations (in India) leaving the current
population vulnerable to stochastic events. The
small population continues to be threatened by
poaching, retaliatory killings, predation by feral dogs
and increasing human pressures from livestock and
farming in the surrounding areas. A global
assessment found this species to be Regionally
Extinct in Nepal, but in this assessment the
population was deemed large enough to be
considered present, although low in numbers and
isolated from other populations.
Legal Status
CITES Appendix I
Listed in the National Parks and Wildlife
Conservation Act 2029 (1973) as protected
priority species.
National Population Size
Total: 217
Adults: 180
Trend: Increasing
Trend is now increasing; however, the species
distribution is severely restricted. There is currently
only a single population of Blackbuck in Nepal,
existing within the Blackbuck Conservation Area in
Khairapur, Bardia District. The population in Nepal
was only nine individuals in 1975 and there has
been a slow recovery since then with the
establishment of the Blackbuck Conservation
Area. The global population in its natural range is
estimated as 50,000 individuals (India, Nepal). There
is currently only a single population of Blackbuck in
Nepal, existing within the Blackbuck Conservation
Area in Khairapur, Bardia District. The population in
Nepal was only nine individuals in 1975 and there
has been a slow recovery since then with the
establishment of the Blackbuck Conservation Area.
The global population in its natural range is
estimated at 50,000 individuals (India, Nepal).
National Distribution
This species is restricted to a single location (16 km ² )
in the western Terai within the Blackbuck
Conservation Area at Khairapur in the Bardia district.
Distribution outside Nepal
India.
Main Threats
• Retaliatory killing by local farmers in response
to crop raiding.
• Inbreeding, disease and associated risks of
having all the animals within one confined area.
• Poaching for both trade and subsistence when
the species was more widely distributed.
• Predation of newborn calves by feral dogs.
Conservation Measures in Place
Blackbuck Conservation Area established in March
2009. Blackbuck Conservation Action Plan 2007.
Conservation Recommendations
i) Create new populations in Shukla Phanta Wildlife
Reserve through carefully planned translocations.
Grassland management will need to be carefully
considered. Hirapur has been identified as a suitable
site for the reintroduction of Blackbuck.
ii) Maintain genetic diversity by introducing animals
from other populations (captive populations as well
as animals from Indian populations) into the existing
confined population to reduce the risk of negative
inbreeding effects (metapopulation management).
iii) Develop local community conservation awareness
programmes to enhance local support for the
conservation of Blackbuck.
iv) Vaccinate livestock in the buffer zone of the
existing conservation area to minimise the risk of
disease transmission between domestic and wild
animals in the existing conservation area.
v) Fence existing conservation area to stop crop
damage and retaliatory killing, and minimise disease
risk.
vi) Estimate ecological carrying capacity of the
existing conservation area for Blackbuck. Manage
the grassland habitat effectively using holistic
approaches such as controlled mixed grazing
systems.
vii) Manage the existing conservation area below
ecological carrying capacity to achieve and maintain
optimal growth. Harvest from the population to
re-stock protected areas in their former range.