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The effect of invasive species on biodiversity is a major issue of world. This study was conducted at the Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park. This study assessed the invasive species status factor associated with it and their impact on seedling and sapling of trees. Modified Whittaker Nested sampling stratifies was adopted for vegetation sampling. A total of 15 plots were taken with 195 subplots between 1409 m to 2140 m. altitudinal ranges. A total of 32 tree species and nine invasive species were recorded from the studied sites. The pine forest was having significantly (W = 3, p = 0.03) more coverage of invasive species than mixed forest, the coverage of invasive species was also significantly (W = 50, p = 0.009) more with more invasive species than plot with single invasive types. Beside this coverage was also affected by canopy cover, trampling and altitude but not significantly different. The invasive species have impact on numbers of seedling, sapling and their diversity species coverage. We recommend removing these invasive species.

Melogale personata I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1831, Large-toothed Ferret Badger (Mustelidae), is distributed from Nepal to Vietnam with very few records. It historically is known by only one recent sighting record from an unspeci-fied area of Nepal. The IUCN species distribution map shows this species in the Okhaldhunga District. We confirm the presence of M. personata in Nepal based on a sighting of a juvenile individual. This is the first record of this species from Syangja District, Nepal. The geographical range of this species is extended farther west in Nepal.

In addition to the threats of human encroachment, infrastructure development, tourism activities, habitat fragmentation, and human-wildlife interactions, natural disasters also pose a threat to the habitat of endangered species such as the Red Panda. This study aims to assess the impact of the 2015 Gorkha earthquake-induced landslides on the Red Panda’s habitat in Langtang National Park (LNP), central Nepal Himalaya. Remote sensing and geographical information system were applied to estimate the potential and core habitats of the Red Panda, and collect information on earthquake-induced landslides. Field sampling and verification of remotely collected data were done within a year of the earthquake. Considering preferred vegetation types, elevation range, aspects, distance from water sources, and Red Panda presence points, an area of 214.34 km2 was estimated as the potential habitat of Red Panda in the Park. Thirty-nine landslides were identified in LNP triggered by the Gorkha earthquake, 14 of which occurred in the core Red Panda habitat. As a result of the earthquake-induced landslides, a significant decrease in tree density was observed in the areas affected by the landslides. Similarly, the bamboo cover was observed to be significantly lower in the areas affected by landslides compared to the unaffected adjacent areas. The average size of the landslide, causing damage to the Red Panda habitat was 0.8 ha. The potential habitat damaged by the earthquake-induced landslide was estimated to be 11.20 ha which is equivalent to the habitat required by one Red Panda. The findings could be useful in initiating restoration of the damaged Red Panda habitat in LNP.

Rising atmospheric CO2 and temperature are altering ecosystems’ carbon cycle. Soil respiration is a potential natural source of atmospheric CO2, an important terrestrial process to characterize soil as a carbon source or sink. Research carried was out in Annapurna Conservation Area (ACAP) as climate change poses special problems for mountain protected areas. Nepal has targeted to reduce the emissions resulting from land-use change by enhancing forest carbon stock by 5% above the 2015 level within 2025. In this case, identifying, quantifying and addressing different potential emission sources are very important. Soil respiration is the process of measuring natural carbon emissions from soil. The study in ACAP soil carbon emission from the forest, grassland, and agricultural lands was investigated using the close chamber method. The global temperature rise has been set to a global 2 °C below the preindustrial period by the IPCC. The rise in temperature has a positive feedback response over soil respiration by increasing CO2 emission. The study shows the potential simulation of soil CO2 emission by 0.217 mg m-2 m-1 in the forest, 0.359 mgm-2 m-1 in grassland, and 0.457 mg m-2 m-1 in agricultural land in October in ACAP.

Long-term conservation of the species requires the availability of their natural habitat along with all those factors that support their viability. Understanding the breeding success of vulture and different factors affecting it is important to line up species conservation, although very less is known about the reproductive and behavioral ecology of Himalayan griffon (Gyps himalayensis). Therefore, the present study was carried out in Upper Mustang areas of Nepal, a prime habitat for the species. For the determination of the factors influencing breeding success, exploratory research design was used. Identification of vulture’s nests was done by direct observation. Altogether 78 nests were identified with 41.02% breeding success with occupied nest as the primary unit. Almost all the productive nests were found in steep cliffs facing north direction. Nesting sites were located near water sources. Grazing and noise respectively have positive and negative impacts on the breeding success. Developmental activities like road construction, distribution of power lines is proven threat to vulture as per locals' perception and require development activities to be carried out with proper planning.

Vegetation study is crucial for the biophysical environment and ecosystem balance. Both qualitative and quantitative assessments of the vegetation can give complete picture of the forest ecosystem. In this study, quantitative characteristics of Panchase Protected Forest in Kaski district were analyzed. The study was focused on the structural characteristics of forest stand, its regeneration pattern along altitudinal gradients, and human impacts on vegetation structure. Density, basal area, frequency, and Importance Value Index (IVI) were used to assess the structural characteristics of forest; Density-Diameter (DD) curve and seedling/sapling/tree density relation were used to assess the regeneration status. Counting the number of lopping and cut stumps and quantifying fuelwood consumption pattern of the village were used to assess human disturbance. The vegetation survey showed 21, 17 and 14 species of trees, saplings, and seedlings, respectively. Daphniphyllum himalense was the most dominant species followed by Quercus lamellosa. DD curve showed reverse J-shaped structure indicating sustainable regeneration. Daphniphyllum himalense and Alnus nepalensis were major species of trees consumed as fuelwood and average annual fuelwood consumption was 2083.79 tons. Density of lopped trees and cut stump was in decreasing trend along with elevation. Species richness was higher in moderately disturbed sites. This study has significant implications for protected forest management and biodiversity conservation in Nepal.

Changes in the global temperature and precipitation regime have been significantly driving species responses, notably in sensitive areas such as the Himalayas. By conducting a study at two high altitude (3200–4100 m) valleys (Langtang and Tsum) situated in the central part of the Nepal Himalayas, we presented tree-ring width site chronologies for two Larix species (Larix griffithii and L. himalaica) for the first time. The longest chronology spans from 1771 to 2015 AD and showed a recent decline in the growth of Larix species in both sites, controlled mainly by drought. Tree growth showed a negative response to temperature and a positive response to precipitation, indicating that moisture stress is limiting the growth of the species. Based on the Larix ring width chronology statistics and climate response results, these species have good potential for past climate reconstruction such as temperature, rainfall or drought indices. Also, the study revealed that the Himalayan endemic Larix species investigated are promising for tree-ring based multi-aspect environmental change studies in the future.

The composition of diet reflects the food availability and food preference by wildlife in their respective habitat. Flying fox (Pteropus giganteus) is the largest bat species that inhabit the urban area of Kathmandu Valley. The diet composition of Flying fox and their conservation threat was studied from January to April 2018. Bats roosting at Kesharmahal, Kathmandu and Sallaghari, Bhaktapur were selected for the study. The diet consumed was explored by micro-histological analysis from fresh fecal samples (guano) and bolus collected from the roost site. The samples were collected by spreading plastic sheets of 2m × 2m for a whole day. The droppings from bats were collected on 50 mL vials with 70% alcohol. Altogether 140 samples were collected. The collected droppings were used to micro histological slides where the seeds were isolated and identified using a hand lens. The pollens presence in slides were observed under the compound microscope and tallied with the reference slides for identification. Altogether 17 and 10 different plant families were identified from dropping of bats from Kesharmahal and Sallaghari, respectively. Among them, Moraceae and Myrtaceae were common diets in bats of both locations. Our result shows P. giganteus consumes food from the Myrtaceae, Brassicaceae, Malvaceae, Apiaceae, Pinaceae, Fagaceae, Proteaceae and Anacardiaceae families in Kathmandu Valley. P. giganteus mostly depend on foods present nearby the roost and also flies far away in search of food, which is comparatively minimal.

Swamp Deer is a globally threatened large-sized deer species confined within small patches of the Indian subcontinent. Historically, Swamp Deer occurred in Chitwan National Park, Nepal but was extirpated in the 1960s primarily due to widespread hunting. We assessed the habitat suitability at present for the Swamp Deer in Chitwan National Park using multi-criteria analysis in GIS and vegetation assessment using frequency, dominance, and cover. Within the 952.63km2 area of the national park, the habitat suitability analysis identified 14.57km2 as highly suitable, 134.87km2 as suitable, and 803.19km2 as moderate to least suitable area. Most of the national park’s grassland is suitable for Swamp Deer. Grassland is dominated by Saccharum spp.; Imperata cylindrica is the most widely distributed grass species followed by Saccharum spp., Narenga porphyrocoma, and Apluda mutica. Grass species of the Poaceae family are the most preferred species by Swamp Deer, which are found within short grasslands. The study revealed that Padampur Phanta could be the most suitable site for the reintroduction of Swamp Deer due to its highest proportion of short grass and availability of preferred food species and good habitat in comparison to other blocks. Invasion of swamps of Chitwan by Mikania micrantha and Eichornia crassipes could be a limiting factor for the habitat suitability of Swamp Deer.

Urban forest ecosystems, the structure and functions therein, are subjected to anthropogenic disturbances. Native and sensitive species from those forests might be lost due to such disturbances. At the same time, supplemented anthropogenic resources might create opportunities for exotic and invasive species. Although, invasive species are considered as one of the major threats to the urban biodiversity and ecosystems, the researches on invasion dynamics in the Himalayas have mostly focused on the impacts of invasion on forest structure and productivity. This study aims to understand the influence of forest structure and anthropogenic factors in invasion success that are poorly covered in the existing literature. We selected 11 urban forest patches for the study considering the presence-absence of selected invasive species and structural attributes. We used Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to reduce co-linearity in the covariates and generalized linear mixed effects model (GLMM) to identify the factors affecting the invasion success. We found that the structural attributes of the forests and anthropogenic disturbances regulated invasion success in urban forests. This implies that maintaining urban forest structural attributes, especially maintaining the stands with large-sized trees, are essential to regulate and control invasion in the context of urbanization.

Higher education and research for socioeconomic development are well recognized in developed and developing countries. Studies have shown that a high participation rate in higher education with a high share of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education is critical for competitiveness in the global market. Nepal would not fulfill people’s aspirations for prosperity by perpetuating the status quo scenario of the education system. This study aimed at exploring and assessing the factors influencing science and technology education in Nepal and tried to assess the current status of science education and critically examine the factors affecting the development of science education in Nepal. The study used both primary and secondary data. The primary source of data is from interviews, observations, focused group discussions, and semistructured questionnaires. Secondary data were collected from National Examination Board, universities, colleges, and campuses. The study found a decreasing trend of student enrollment in science and technology (S&T) education in Nepal. In addition, the results revealed a decreasing trend of women students, so it should be taken as a matter of concern. Some key bottlenecks identified were insufficient and broken physical infrastructures (classrooms, laboratories, and libraries); inadequate and incapable human resources; and improper management practices. However, the study results show positive perceptions of society towards S&T education in Nepal. The study recommends developing modern infrastructures, building human resources, and improving management practices for better S&T education.

Background: Medicinal plants are the fundamental unit of traditional medicine system in Nepal. Nepalese people are rich in traditional medicine especially in folk medicine (ethnomedicine) and this system is gaining much attention after 1995. The use of medicinal plants have increased during COVID-19 pandemic as a private behavior (not under the control of government). Lot of misinterpretations of the use of medicinal plants to treat or prevent COVID-19 have been spreading throughout Nepal which need to be managed proactively. In this context, a research was needed to document medicinal plants used, their priority of use in society, cultivation status and source of information people follow to use them. This study aimed to document the present status of medicinal plant use and make important suggestion to the concern authorities.Methods: This study used a web-based survey to collect primary data related to medicinal plants used during COVID-19. A total of 774 respondents took part in the survey. The study calculated the relative frequencies of citation (RFC) for the recorded medicinal plants. The relationship between plants recorded and different covariates (age, gender education, occupation, living place, and treatment methods were assessed using Kruskal Wallis test and Wilcox test. The relationship between the information sources people follow and respondent characteristics, were assessed using chi-square test.Results:The study found that the use of medicinal plants has increased during COVID-19 and most of the respondents recommended medicinal plants to prevent COVID-19. This study recorded a total of 63 plants belonging to 42 families. The leaves of the plants were the most frequently used. The Zingiber officinale was the most cited species with the frequency of citation 0.398. Most of the people (45.61%), were getting medicinal plants from their home garden. The medicinal plants recorded were significantly associated with the education level, location of home, primary treatment mode, gender, and age class. The information source of plants was significantly associated with the education, gender, method of treatment, occupation, living with family, and location of home during lockdown caused by COVID-19.Conclusions:People were using more medicinal plants during COVID-19 claiming that they can prevent or cure COVID-19. This should be taken seriously by concerned authorities. The authorities should test the validity of these medicinal plants and control the flow of false information spread through research and awareness programs.

BackgroundThe Himalayan forests are of great importance to sustain the nature and community resource demands. These forests are facing pressures both from anthropogenic activities and ongoing global climatic changes. Poor natural regeneration has been considered a major problem in mountainous forests. To understand the population structure and regeneration status ofLarix(Larix griffithianaandLarix himalaica), we conducted systematic vegetation surveys in three high-altitude valleys namely Ghunsa (Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, KCA), Langtang (Langtang National Park, LNP), and Tsum (Manaslu Conservation Area, MCA) in Nepal Himalaya. The average values of diameter at breast height (DBH), height, and sapling height were compared for three sites and two species using Kruskal-Wallis test. Population structure was assessed in terms of proportion of seedlings, saplings, and trees. Regeneration was analyzed using graphical representation of frequencies of seedlings, saplings, and trees in histograms.ResultsThe results showed that the population structure ofLarixin terms of the proportion of seedling, sapling, and tree varied greatly in the three study areas. KCA had the highest record of seedling, sapling, and tree compared to other two sites. Seedlings were the least among three forms and many plots were without seedlings. We found no seedling in MCA study plots. The plot level average DBH variation among sites was significant (Kruskal-Wallisχ2= 7.813, df = 2,p= 0.02) as was between species (Kruskal-Wallisχ2= 5.9829, df = 1,p= 0.014). Similarly, the variation in average tree height was significant (Kruskal-Wallisχ2= 134.23, df = 2,p< 0.001) among sites as well as between species (Kruskal-Wallisχ2= 128.01, df = 1,p< 0.001). All the sites showed reverse J-shaped curve but more pronounced for KCA and MCA. In comparing the two species,Larix griffithianahas clear reverse J-shaped diameter distribution but notLarix himalaica.ConclusionThe varied responses ofLarixmanifested through regeneration status from spatially distinct areas show that regeneration limitations might be more pronounced in the future. In all the three studied valleys, regeneration ofLarixis found to be problematic and specifically forLarix griffithianain MCA andLarix himalaicain LNP. To address the issues of disturbances, especially serious in LNP, management interventions are recommended to sustain the unique Himalayan endemic conifer.

Urbanization and linear infrastructure are reported to influence amphibian assemblages and populations. In areas undergoing rapid infrastructure development and urbanization, the mounting threats to biodiversity are evident. Although protected area coverage and focus on charismatic species conservation are well recognized, non-charismatic species such as amphibians are far from mainstream conservation actions and policies in Nepal. Studies on pattern and distribution of amphibians are limited, as are the roles of environmental variables in amphibian diversity in the urban landscape. This study was designed to assess the frog species richness and correlates of amphibian occurrence in Kathmandu valley. Visual encounter survey of 161 belt transects was carried out in August 2018. Data analysis used two part or Hurdle regression methods where the richness of frogs was considered a response variable. A total of 10 frog species belonging to six families were recorded. The occurrence of frogs was negatively associated with the dry soil conditions and positively associated with increased distance from roads. Occurrence of frogs along road distance gradient depicts the influence of urban infrastructure in amphibian distribution. This entails consideration of systematic conservation planning for rapidly urbanizing areas.

As a consequence of hybridization, polyploidization, and apomixis, the genus Cotoneaster (Rosaceae) represents one of the most complicated and controversial lineages in Rosaceae, with ca. 370 species which have been classified into two subgenera and several sections, and is notorious for its taxonomic difficulty. The infrageneric relationships and taxonomy of Cotoneaster have remained poorly understood. Previous studies have focused mainly on natural hybridization involving only several species, and phylogeny based on very limited markers. In the present study, the sequences of complete chloroplast genomes and 204 low-copy nuclear genes of 72 accessions, representing 69 species as ingroups, were used to conduct the most comprehensive phylogenetic analysis so far for Cotoneaster. Based on the sequences of complete chloroplast genomes and many nuclear genes, our analyses yield two robust phylogenetic trees respectively. Chloroplast genome and nuclear data confidently resolved relationships of this genus into two major clades which largely supported current classification based on morphological evidence. However, conflicts between the chloroplast genome and low-copy nuclear phylogenies were observed in both the species level and clade level. Cyto-nuclear discordance in the phylogeny could be caused by frequent hybridization events and incomplete sorting lineage (ILS). In addition, our divergence-time analysis revealed an evolutionary radiation of the genus from late Miocene to date.

Human Elephant Conflict has been an important conservation issue since decades in Africa and Asia. A comparative analysis was performed to identify the methods of the Human Wildlife Conflict management in African and Asian countries. Different studies from 1999 to 2018 in African and Asian Nations related to Human Elephant Conflict were obtained from reliable online sources such as published articles, policies and reports relevant to Nepalese context were synthesized. The different methods used in Human Elephant Conflict management in both continents were broadly classified into fifteen different categories and their effectiveness was compared based on economic viability, safety for elephants and humans while adopting the mitigation measures and the control of the Human Elephant Conflict after adoption of the measure. Land-use management is proposed in Nepalese context to reduce the Human Elephant Conflict centered on different social, financial and environmental conditions.

Mountains are most sensitive to climate change and the impacts are already evident in different sphere and sector of mountain regions, especially in the vulnerable countries like Nepal. This research was designed to integrate hydro-climatic data analysis and climate sensitivity through dendrochronology to generate an understanding on how Larix griffithii, one of the least studied conifers in Nepal, is responding to climate variability and change. A significant warming trend of 0.021°C year-1 was observed in the region. Precipitation was more erratic without any significant increasing, decreasing or cyclic trend. Between 1962 and 2012, the warmest year on record was 2010 while 1997 was the coolest year on record. After 1997 a clear shift in temperature regime was observed with the recent decade experiencing a sharp increase in temperature. A site chronology extending 1745- 2015 AD was prepared. Very strong significant correlation was observed between the standard chronology and monthly temperature especially in summer months indicating a potential for summer months’ temperature reconstruction. The reconstructed summer month’s temperature data for the period 1770-2015 captured 34% variability. The short cold episodes were observed around the 1810s, 1910s, and 1970s while warm periods were observed around 1890s, 1920s and 2000s. Radial growth of Larix griffithii in the site shows a highly significant negative relationship with the monthly temperature of the previous year and current year summer months especially for June, July, August, September of previous year and July, August and September of the current year. Significant positive correlation was observed for both previous year and current year July precipitation. The summer temperature coupled with precipitation is seen to limit the tree growth through moisture limitations. With the temperature in increasing trend, it is likely that the growth of Larix will face more heat stress in future, making them more dynamic to the changing climate.

Road vegetation is an effective way to mitigate road generated particulates. Green belts with high Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI) value in the urban centers play an important role in the amelioration of the air quality. The APTI of the trees with higher abundance were examined for bio-chemical parameters such as pH, ascorbic acid, total chlorophyll and relative water content. The APTI value of tree species varied from 5.56 (Punica granatum) to 79.99 (Populous deltoids). Higher the APTI value, higher is the tolerance towards air pollution. Among the tree species, Jacaranda mimosifolia, Pinus roxburghi, Ficus benjamin, Celtis australis, Alnus nepalensis, Callistemon lanceolatus, Schima wallichi, Pyrus pyrifolia and Punica granatum were found sensitive, whereas Prunus persia, Populus deltoides, Thuja sp. and Grevillea robusta were found to be the most tolerant species. The green belts constituting higher number of tolerant to moderately tolerant species of trees results in better air pollution sink and air quality refinement. In order to find plants with good APTI, further extensive studies should be carried out and valley plantation program should give priority of those plants having higher APTI value.

As a result of institutional failure of the nationalization of forest in 1957 A.D., a newer concept of participatory forest management was introduced in Nepal and local people got their space created in forest management during 1970s with a view to mitigating forest cover loss. Under this scheme Kamalmai Community Forest (129.59 hectares) located in Laduk VDC of Dolakha District was handed over to the community in 2000 A.D. The present study was conducted during February, 2014 to assess the status of forest management strategies and impact on livelihood of forest dependent people. Management aspect of the forest was assessed based on field observation, Key Informant Interview and Focus Group Discussion, whereas judgmental scoring method was used to assess the impact on livelihood; the questionnaire for which was prepared on the basis of Sustainable Livelihood Framework Guidance Sheet developed by Department for International Development (DFID), 1999. All the forest management practices including control of composition and structure of growing stock, and harvesting and distribution of forest products were strictly implemented. The total average scores for human, physical, social, financial and natural capitals, which were used to assess the livelihood, were found to be 2.5862, 1.4310, 2.5689, 0.2068 and 2.6896 respectively. The result illustrated that the forest under study had contributed to enhance the condition of human, social and natural capitals. The contribution was noticeable in terms of physical capital, but financial capital was not found satisfactory. Since the handover, there has been a notable change in greenery and landscape as well as on livelihood of forest dependent people.

The composition of amphibians and reptiles diversity in the Nagarjun forest of Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park was studied. Purposive transect and opportunistic survey methods were adopted to estimate species diversity. The species caught during survey were identified on the spot using field guide and released in-situ. Transects were distributed across six distinct micro-watersheds in the forest. In total, 134 individuals belonging to 11 species were observed. The spatial distribution patterns of the species were also mapped. The condition and potential threat of the habitat is also assessed during this study.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njst.v12i0.6524 Nepal Journal of Science and Technology 12 (2011) 358-365