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Lok Sewa Forestry Officer study materials
Lok Sewa Forestry Officer study resources

Lok Sewa Forestry Officer: Wildlife, Biodiversity and Protected Area Management

Lok Sewa Forestry Officer · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

All guide sections

Wildlife, Biodiversity and Protected Area Management

Wildlife, Biodiversity and Protected Area Management tests Nepal's protected area system, species conservation, wildlife law and community-based approaches. Expect questions on park categories, buffer zones, human-wildlife conflict and international conventions.

Core rules and concepts

  • Nepal's protected areas include national parks, wildlife reserves, conservation areas, a hunting reserve and buffer zones. Chitwan was Nepal's first national park, declared in 1973; Annapurna is the largest conservation area.
  • The National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act, 2029 (1973) provides for declaration, protection and management; it restricts hunting and entry and enables buffer zone programs.
  • In-situ conservation keeps species in their habitat; ex-situ conservation uses zoos, seed banks and nurseries.
  • Corridors connect habitats; barriers, encroachment and linear infrastructure fragment populations.
  • Human-wildlife conflict includes crop raiding, livestock depredation and human injury; compensation and early warning are management tools.
  • Invasive alien plants such as Mikania micrantha, Lantana camara and Chromolaena odorata degrade habitat.

Worked example

A national park earns NPR 10 million in gate fees. Under Nepal's buffer zone sharing arrangement, 30-50% of park revenue may be shared with buffer zone communities. At 40%, the share is 0.40 x 10,000,000 = NPR 4,000,000. The reasoning: identify the legal sharing rate, convert the percentage to a decimal and multiply. The same logic applies in a conservation area, where management is community-based rather than strict exclusion.

Traps

Do not treat a conservation area as a national park: people live and work in conservation areas, and management is often delegated. Do not say buffer zones are strictly protected cores. Do not confuse CITES, which regulates trade, with the Convention on Biological Diversity, which addresses habitat and biodiversity. Do not assume every protected area is guarded by the army; management arrangements differ.