WWF Nepal highlights first national snow leopard estimate, 774‑day rhino poaching‑free run

KATHMANDU: WWF Nepal organised an interactive year‑end press meet on Tuesday to outline several defining moments for the country in the wildlife and conservation sector in 2025.

The organisation highlighted Nepal’s first national snow leopard population estimate, a prolonged period without rhino poachings, rhino translocations, new tiger terrain in the eastern Tarai, the use of drones for habitat monitoring, and the launch of the National Snow Leopard Conservation Plan 2024–2030.

Dr Ghana S Gurung, Country Representative for WWF Nepal, said the organisation had identified and analysed three major changes during 2025. “We have identified three major problems this year. The first is migratory populations and limited resources, the second is water as the resource with the most problems and the need to acknowledge issues around water resources as soon as possible, and the third has always been human–wildlife conflict; more importantly, we are working on these areas,” he said.

Dr Kanchan Thapa, Deputy Conservation Director at WWF Nepal, outlined several defining moments for the country’s conservation arena. “We now have Nepal’s first national snow leopard population estimate, with an estimated 397 snow leopards across the Himalaya, which is the fourth largest population in the world,” he said, adding, “This is the first time this has been conducted.” WWF Nepal also launched the National Snow Leopard Conservation Plan 2024–2030, described as a comprehensive roadmap to secure the future of the species.

Thapa reported there had been no rhino poachings in the past 774 days. “We have collaborated and used innovation and protection as major strategies, in which even sniffer dogs are being used as a tool in tracking the rhinos,” he said. WWF Nepal is translocating rhinos from high‑density areas in the west to low‑density areas in the east; 10 rhinos were translocated, and a rhino count was carried out in March this year.

The organisation is also working to secure new terrain for tigers in eastern Tarai, where around 10 tigers have been colonising areas outside Chitwan and Banke districts, making the area strategically important, Thapa stated. For the first time, drones were deployed to monitor prey and habitats in Shey Phoksundo National Park, enhancing the ability to collect data and assess ecosystem health.

In collaboration with private sector and various organisations, WWF Nepal has initiated the Forest Corridor Restoration project, announced Devghat as a plastic‑restricted zone, launched the Central Asian Flyways Initiative for migratory birds, and submitted the Nationally Determined Contribution 3.0; Thapa said Nepal is the first country in South Asia to submit the NDC 3.0.

The organisation has also focused on agrobiodiversity through ‘Deep Regenerative Agriculture’, experimenting with 10 suitable crops in the high‑altitude areas of Manang and Mustang districts. Nepal recorded major biodiversity breakthroughs in 2025, from the rediscovery of the Asian small‑clawed otter after 185 years and the return of river dolphins to Khageri River, to the first‑ever records of the Tibetan woolly flying squirrel and photographic evidence of wild yak.

A report published by WWF Nepal said the country also saw significant progress in fostering human–wildlife coexistence. “By harnessing technology and community innovation, we strengthened prevention and response systems across landscapes. Innovative deterrents such as ‘light fences’ and olfactory trials for big cats showed promising results, while over 18 km of mesh fencing now safeguards thousands of households,” the report read.

Besides the wild yak and the Tibetan woolly flying squirrel, the world’s smallest otter made a comeback in Nepal after 185 years: the Asian small‑clawed otter, Thapa said.