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| Terai Arc Landscape | |
|---|---|
| Name | Terai Arc Landscape |
| Location | Nepal–India |
| Area | ~15,000 km² |
| Established | 2001 (landscape concept) |
| Governing bodies | World Wide Fund for Nature, Government of Nepal, Government of India, International Union for Conservation of Nature |
| Key species | Bengal tiger, Asian elephant, One-horned rhinoceros |
| Habitats | Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands, Siwalik Hills |
Terai Arc Landscape is a transboundary mosaic of protected areas, forest corridors, grasslands and community lands spanning southern Nepal and northern India. Conceived as an integrated conservation and development initiative, it links multiple national parks, wildlife reserves, and buffer zones to sustain populations of flagship species and maintain ecological processes across the Himalaya’s southern plains and adjacent foothills. The landscape approach involves national agencies, international NGOs, local communities and academic institutions.
The initiative emerged from collaborative planning among World Wide Fund for Nature, IUCN, UNESCO-linked programs, United States Agency for International Development, and bilateral agencies of India and Nepal to connect Chitwan National Park, Valmiki National Park, Bardia National Park and other protected units. It reflects conservation strategies promoted in forums such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, Ramsar Convention, Global Tiger Initiative, and regional mechanisms tied to South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation policy dialogues. Stakeholders include ministries such as the Ministry of Forests and Environment (Nepal) and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (India), and research partners like Tribhuvan University, University of Cambridge, WII (Wildlife Institute of India), and Smithsonian Institution.
The mosaic straddles the Terai plains and the Siwalik foothills, encompassing river systems including the Gandak River, Koshi River, Rapti River, and Kali River (Sharda River). Habitats comprise Sal (Shorea robusta) forest, tropical deciduous forest, floodplain grassland, oxbow lake wetlands such as Beeshazar Tal, and seasonal marshes that feed into Ganges River tributaries. Elevation gradients lead from alluvial plains adjacent to the Indo-Gangetic Plain up to the Churia Range, producing ecotones that support migratory corridors between parks like Royal Bardia National Park and India’s Pilibhit Tiger Reserve.
The area supports megafauna including the Bengal tiger, Asian elephant, One-horned rhinoceros, leopard, and sloth bear. Avifauna includes species such as the Sarus crane, greater spotted eagle, yellow-rumped honeyguide, and migratory waterbirds associated with Ramsar site wetlands. Herpetofauna and freshwater taxa include Ganges softshell turtle, mugger crocodile, and numerous fish species central to local fisheries. Lesser-known but conservation-significant fauna and flora involve Himalayan serow, wild water buffalo, spiny babbler, endemic Nepalese floristic elements, and diverse Sal-associated understory plants that support pollinators tied to initiatives like the Convention on Migratory Species.
Historic protection units date from creation of Chitwan National Park (1973) and expansion of Valmiki National Park and Kaziranga National Park-adjacent reserves. The landscape concept formalized in the early 2000s through WWF-led landscape planning, integrating tools from Protected Areas Network theory, corridor ecology practice, and community-based conservation models pioneered by Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities affiliates and indian counterparts such as the Society for Conservation of Nature (India). Management measures combine anti-poaching patrols coordinated with Interpol-linked information exchange, habitat restoration funded by multilaterals like the World Bank, and policy instruments influenced by the Environment Protection Act, 1986 in India and Nepalese conservation statutes. Cross-border coordination has used memoranda with agencies including Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (Nepal) and Forest Department (Bihar).
Drivers of decline include land conversion linked to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh agricultural expansion, linear infrastructure such as the East-West Highway (Nepal) and rail corridors, and resource extraction amplified by demographic pressures from Kathmandu-area migration and Patna hinterland growth. Human-wildlife conflict manifests via crop raiding, livestock depredation, and retaliatory killing affecting Bengal tiger and Asian elephant populations. Illegal wildlife trade networks intersect with transnational criminal syndicates connected to markets in Kathmandu, New Delhi, and ports like Kolkata. Climate-change-driven hydrological variability alters Koshi floodplain dynamics and exacerbates invasive species such as Mikania micrantha.
Conservation strategies emphasize participatory models drawing on Community Forest User Group structures from Nepal, Joint Forest Management in India, and livelihood schemes supported by UNDP, DFID, and regional NGOs like Nature Conservation Foundation and IUCN offices. Local populations—Tharu people, Madhesi communities, and migrant agriculturalists—engage in eco-tourism ventures linked to safari operations near Chitwan, craft-based enterprises tied to UNESCO intangible heritage programs, and benefit-sharing from carbon finance piloted under REDD+ frameworks. Alternative livelihoods target sustainable non-timber forest product harvesting, improved irrigation projects financed by regional banks such as Asian Development Bank, and community-based conflict mitigation utilizing early-warning systems developed with Wildlife Conservation Society.
Long-term monitoring employs camera trapping protocols standardized by Global Tiger Forum, radio-telemetry studies initiated by Smithsonian Institution and WCS, and population viability analyses conducted with inputs from Zoological Society of London and National Geographic Society. Remote-sensing analyses use datasets from Landsat, Sentinel-2, and MODIS to map fragmentation and inform corridor restoration. Documented outcomes include stabilized subpopulations of Bengal tiger in core reserves, periodic recovery of One-horned rhinoceros numbers in translocated cohorts, and expanded community-managed forest areas reducing deforestation rates in parts of Chitwan District and Kailali District. Ongoing challenges require adaptive management integrating findings published through outlets such as Conservation Biology, Oryx, and regional journals linked to Asian Journal of Conservation Biology.
Category:Protected areas of Nepal Category:Protected areas of India