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

Sagarmatha, Langtang, Shivapuri Nagarjun,
Shey-Phoksundo, Rara and Khaptad National Parks,
and Annapurna and Manaslu Conservation Areas,
and Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve) and from the
districts of Dhading, Surkhet, Dailekh, Dadeldhura,
Doti, Bajura, Rukum and Myagdi. Although it is
considered to occur mainly between elevations
of 1,400 m to 4,000 m, it was recorded in Bardia
National Park, Babai Valley in a 1999 camera trap.
Distribution outside Nepal
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China,
India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea, Republic of Korea, Lao
PDR, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Taiwan,
Province of China, Thailand, Viet Nam.
Main Threats
• Poaching for trade in body parts.
• Habitat loss and fragmentation due to
human settlements, clearing for agriculture
and livestock grazing, collection of firewood.
• Human-wildlife conflict and retaliatory killings.
Conservation Measures in Place
None.
Conservation Recommendations
i) Undertake surveys of Himalayan Black Bear using
camera traps, radio collaring and indirect sign
surveys in all areas of suitable habitat both within
and outside protected areas to establish baseline
data on distribution and population status.
ii) Enhance law enforcement inside and out of
protected areas to reduce poaching and illegal
wildlife trade of bear parts (paws, skins, bile);
implement community-based anti-poaching units
in conservation areas, buffer zones and community
forests.
iii) Create community-based night vigilance with
local people and provide training in effective
methods of preventing crop raiding from bears
and other wild animals in areas of highest risk.
iv) Initiate Department of National Parks and
Wildlife Conservation led coordination of
conservation measures with local people and related
organisations; control trade by creating a network
with Nepal Police, Nepal Army, youth clubs, NGOs,
representatives of local people and conservation
committee members.
v) Prevent retaliatory killing by mitigating
human-bear conflict and introducing non fatal
methods of deterrent and increasing awareness.
vi) Provide compensation and support to the bear
victims to reduce negative attitudes and retaliatory
killings. The Government of Nepal has recently
finalised regulations for compensation schemes to
wildlife victims.
vii) Raise awareness through community-based
conservation education programmes especially
within conservation areas, buffer zones and
community forests, which support the local people
and their livelihoods and help reduce human-bear
conflict.
viii) Develop management plan to improve /
maintain areas of prime habitat in community
forests and buffer zones.
References
Suwal and Verheugt 1995, Stubblefield and Shrestha 2007, Baral and Shah 2008, Garshelis and Steinmetz
2008, Bhupendra Prasad Yadav (pers. comm.) 2010, Nepal Red List of Mammals Technicians Workshop 2010.
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