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Bambusa teres Buch.-Ham. ex Munro (syn. Bambusa nutans subsp. capulata Stapleton) is a fast-growing perennial bamboo that has ecological, economic, cultural and climate change mitigation benefits. However, information on its current and future potential distribution outside forest areas across Nepal and the key factors affecting its growth and distribution are little known. We used a total of 298 occurrence points obtained from the National Bamboo Resource Assessment and 23 environmental variables to project the distribution of B. teres throughout its potential range in Nepal. Maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) was utilized for this study. We assessed the performance of the model using a receiver operating characteristic curve and evaluated the relative importance of predictor variables through a Jackknife procedure. The model achieved a high level of performance with an area under the curve value of 0.928. Precipitation of the coldest quarter (bio_19), temperature seasonality (bio_4) and precipitation seasonality (bio_15) were the significant contributing variables for the distribution of B. teres. The most suitable habitat for B. teres, with a suitability index >0.6, covered 9264.6 km2, with large sections in Eastern and Central Nepal. However, under future climate change scenarios, the area of suitable habitat for the species is projected to increase across Nepal. This study serves as a baseline for assessing potential climate change impacts on B. teres and will enable the development of adaptive measures to protect and establish various bamboo populations outside forest areas in Nepal and globally.

Traditionally, planting trees on agricultural land including livestock is a very common practice in the mid-hills of Nepal. Trees on farms fulfill the demand for fuel wood/timber including fodder used to feed the livestock. Animal urine/dung is used as a bio-fertilizer that increases soil fertility. However, very few studies have been conducted on assessing carbon (C) stock and soil quality in agroforestry systems. This study was carried out to estimate the C stock and soil quality in agroforestry and agricultural land in the Kaski district of Nepal. Silvo-horto-agro system and agricultural land were selected from Site 1 (900–1000 m and west) and Site 2 (700–800 m and west). Total C stock was higher in the agroforestry at Site 1 (98.57 t ha−1) than agroforestry at Site 2 (64.73 t ha−1). Soil organic C, pH, and available potassium were higher in agroforestry than agriculture sites. Total nitrogen was higher in agroforestry than agriculture at Site 1. Available phosphorus was higher in agriculture than agroforestry at Site 1. Soil quality index (SQI) was good (0.8) and fair (0.6) in agroforestry and agriculture at Site 1. SQI was fair (0.6) in agroforestry and poor (0.5) in agriculture at Site 2. Altogether, the application of farmyard manure and vermi-compost including the higher vegetation density contributes to enhancing the soil quality in agroforestry systems. Further research on C stock including various soil quality indices is necessary under various kinds of agroforestry systems for a better understanding of their contribution towards climate change mitigation.

Nepal, known for its challenging topography and fragile geology is confronted with the constant threat of floods leading to substantial socio-economic losses annually. However, the country's efforts in planning and managing flood risks remain insufficient, especially in the vulnerable Mohana-Khutiya River. Therefore, this study focused on the Mohana-Khutiya River and utilizes the Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) model to comprehensively map flood susceptibility and fill crucial gaps in flood risk assessments. This study employed a combination of 10 geospatial environmental layers and field-based past flood inventory to implement the MaxEnt machine learning model for flood susceptibility modeling. The available past flood data were divided into two sets, with 75% allocated for model construction and the remaining 25% for model validation. This study demonstrated that the proximity of the river had a significant impact (33.1%) on the occurrence of the flood. Surprisingly, the amount of annual precipitation throughout the year exhibited no detectable contribution to the flood event in the study site. About 4.9% area came under the high flood susceptible zone followed by 12.75 % in the moderate zone and 82.34% in the low-risk zone. The model exhibited excellent performance with an Area Under Curve (AUC) value of 0.935 and a low standard deviation of 0.018, indicating accurate predictions and consistent precision. These results highlight the model's reliability and its significance for developing disaster management policy by local government in the study site. Future research should refine the MaxEnt model by including more variables, validating against observed flood events, and exploring integration with other flood modeling approaches.

The effective management of forests relies on the crucial role played bysilvicultural systems. However there exist a significant knowledge gap regarding impact of these systems in Nepalese forests. Therefore, this research was conducted to assess the effects of the forest management activities under irregular shelterwood system on soil organic carbon (SOC) stock and the overall soil quality of Sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn. f.) forests in Terai region of Nepal. Stratified random sampling method with 1.67 % sampling intensity was adopted in this study where management of stands was used as basis of strata. A total of 30 composite soil samples (15 each from managed and unmanaged forest stands) were collected from a depth of 0–30 cm, taken from the four corners and the center of each plot. Soil quality index (SQI) method was used for soil quality assessment using indicators on the basis of prior studies conducted in Nepal. Our study found significant difference in soil parameters except organic carbon, pH, silt, and clay among the managed and unmanaged forest stands (p

This study compared the regeneration status, vegetation diversity, stand structure, and carbon stock of two community-managed forests located in different ecological regions of Nepal. A total of 61 concentric sample plots were investigated by using systematic random sampling with 1 % sampling intensity. The phytosociological parameters of trees and regeneration density were calculated using standard techniques. The aboveground tree carbon was estimated using a non-destructive method. Correlation analysis was performed to assess the variation of carbon stock with biomass, stand density, tree diameter at breast height (DBH), tree height, basal area, and seedling density. Janata community forest had higher regeneration than the Hazare community forest, with a bell-shaped distribution of DBH in Janata and an interrupted curve in Hazare community forest. Both forests were dominated by Shorea robusta. Hazare had higher Shannon diversity index, Simpson's index, and evenness index, while Janata community forest had higher carbon stock. The observed differences in the studied parameters between the two community forests can be attributed to the difference in ecological factors such as temperature, rainfall, soil nutrient availability, and management practices. Future studies focusing on investigating the underlying factors driving the observed patterns and relationships, such as the effects of disturbance, climate, and management practices on forest structure and function are also needed. These findings have important implications for forest management and conservation policies, especially in the context of climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation.

Assessment of soil organic carbon (SOC) stock and soil quality for informed forest management is hindered by inadequate data across different forest stand types and management regimes. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess SOC stock and soil quality in two forest stand types, i.e., Shorea robusta (Sal) forest and Terai mixed hardwood (TMH) forest, and selected forest management regimes (leasehold forest, community forest, government-managed forest, and forest area under protected area) in Terai region of Nepal. Stratified random sampling method was adopted for soil sample collection across terai region following Forest Resource Assessment, Nepal. Altogether, 62 composite soil samples from 30 cm depth were taken from the entire Terai region which included these two forest stand types and four management regimes. Different physical (soil texture and bulk density) and chemical (pH, SOC (%), total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium) properties were analyzed to calculate SOC stock and soil quality. Our result found no significant differences in SOC stock among two forest stand types (p>0.05). Unexpectedly, leasehold forest had significantly (p

Silvicultural systems are essential for effective forest management and utilize the resources by conserving biodiversity, health, and valuable services forests offer to society. However, Nepal faces a significant knowledge gap due to the limited data on the effect of silvicultural systems and forest management practices on tree diversity and regeneration. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the effects of canopy opening on natural regeneration and species diversity of Sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn. f.) forest in comparison to managed and control blocks in the southern plains of Nepal under irregular shelterwood systems. The vegetation sampling was carried out by the quadrat method (plot of 10 m* 10 m) for studying 48 plots in both managed and control forest areas. The Shannon-Wiener Index and the Simpson Index were used to measure species diversity, whereas Margalef's index was used to measure species richness. Dominant tree species in both managed and control forest areas were identified through the Important Value Index (IVI). The seedling and sapling density of Sal was found to be significantly higher (p

Abstract Nepal initiated numerous hydropower and irrigation‐related infrastructure projects to enhance and promote green energy, water security, and agricultural productivity. However, these projects may pose risks to natural habitats and the well‐being of aquatic fauna, leading to significant effects on delicate ecosystems. To understand these potential impacts, it is crucial to gather reliable baseline data on the population status and habitat characteristics of species. This study specifically focuses on Gharials (Gavialis gangeticus), a critically endangered species. We recorded data on pre‐determined habitat variables at stations spaced 500 m apart along the two major river streams of Bardia National Park, as well as at locations where Gharials were sighted between February and March 2023. We used binary logistic regression with a logit link function to investigate the habitat characteristics related to the occurrence of Gharials. The presence/absence of Gharials at sampling points served as the dependent variable, while 10 other predetermined variables (ecological variables and disturbance variables) served as independent variables. Our study recorded 23 Gharials, comprising 14 adults, six sub‐adults, and three juveniles, with a sex ratio of 55.56 males per 100 females. Most individuals (83%) were found basking. Among the 10 habitat predictors, three variables (mid‐river depth, river width, and water temperature) were significantly correlated (p

Bamboo, also known as ''poor man's timber,'' is one of Nepal’s most significant forest species and is widely distributed through the country. Bamboo resources have tremendous social, cultural, and ecological implications, suggesting a need for further investigation and exploration. The majority of past studies have focused on the socio-economic and ethno-botanical aspects of bamboo in parts of Nepal but the ecological information and research statistics for bamboo, as well as its contribution to Nepalese communities, are still unexplored. This study reviewed the existing literature, and was supported by our research experience on the bamboo resource in Nepal. We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA) method for systematically reviewing the literature related to bamboo. The review process mainly focused on three aspects that included (1) research trends on bamboo forests, (2) a review of the status and distribution of bamboo species in Nepal, (3) an assessment of bamboo forest ecosystem services. We found that a total of 12 genera and more than 53 bamboo species have been recorded in Nepal, with highest species diversity in the Hill region. Bamboo in Nepal provides different ecosystem services ranging from social (spiritual significance for local communities), economic (lumber, medicine, water, biofuel, and crafts), to ecological (carbon stock/sequestration, landscape restoration). It forms the basis for local livelihoods as well as enhancing the climate resilience of local communities in Nepal. However, the majority of studies on bamboo have concentrated on its economic potential with a low focus on provisioning, habitat and cultural services. This represents a major gap. The lack of data on various aspects of the conservation status of bamboos and the ecosystem services that they provide indicates the need for more detailed and comprehensive research on these aspects.