Kailali. Ponds have been constructed in the community forests of Kailali for wildlife to drink water. Ponds have been constructed in Chetna Community Forest in Lamki Chuha Municipality-1 of the district, Muktakamayya Community Forest in Ward No. 3, Amravati Community Forest in Janaki Rural Municipality-8 and 9, and Jalpa Community Forest in Mohanyal Rural Municipality-7.
The ponds were constructed under the ‘Integrated Land Management Project’ of the Ministry of Forests and Environment, informed Divisional Forest Officer Ramchandra Kandel of the Divisional Forest Office, Pahalmanpur. According to Kandel, along with the construction of the ponds, the project has carried out various works to conserve forest animals and biodiversity in the Karnali Corridor of Kailali. Lamki Chuha and Tikapur municipalities of the district, Mohonyal and Janaki Rural Municipality are connected under the Karnali Corridor. The project is being implemented in those areas through the Chisapani, Lamki and Tikapur Sub-Division Forest Offices.
The said project is being implemented in Banke National Park and buffer zone, Bardiya National Park and buffer zone and Kamdi Biological Trail in Lumbini Province, as well as Brahmadev Biological Trail Kanchanpur in Sudurpaschim Province and Karnali Biological Trail in Kailali, informed the project’s field manager Prakash Thapa. According to Thapa, this project is being implemented through the Ministry of Forests and Environment with the support of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to conserve protected areas and sensitive biological pathways in the Terai periphery.
Jalpa Community Forest Chairman Man Bahadur Khatri informed that after the construction of the pond in the forest, wildlife has started coming to drink water. According to Khatri, wild animals including leopards and chitals have been coming to the pond to drink water. Although the construction of the pond has brought wildlife, the white hoding board placed next to it has caused problems, Chairman Khatri said. He said, “Before the hoarding board was installed, more animal footprints were visible, but now there are fewer.”
Says that the chitals that go to the canal to drink water drown, Hitu Chaudhary, Chairman of Muktakamai Community Forest, said, “We have rescued many chitals. Now that the ponds have been built, it has become much easier for the animals. Three ponds have been built in the community forest.”
The said project has also conducted various activities related to wetland and grassland management in the Karnali Corridor, wildlife rescue training and distribution of equipment, nursery construction and plant production, forest fire management seminars and tool handover, forest enterprise and livelihood, according to the Division Forest Office, Pahalmanpur. .
Chief of Sub-Division Forest Office Chisapani Purna Kumar Bista said that they have conducted activities related to construction of ponds for wildlife, handover of equipment related to forest fire management, various training seminars, forest enterprise and livelihood activities. He said, “Wild animals used to reach the village to drink water, which used to cause incidents, but now after the construction of ponds, the incidents have been controlled.”
With the help of the project, along with the construction of grasslands, saplings have been produced at Lamki Sub-Division Forest Office and Tikapur Sub-Division Forest Office. Sher Bahadur Bhandari, Chief of the Sub-Division Forest Office, Lamki, informed that one lakh saplings of mango, bakai, gold mohar, sheetalchini, neem, amla, teak, mahogany, and tanki varieties have been produced in Lamki.
Similarly, Dilip Kumar Yadav, Chief of the Sub-Division Forest Office, Tikapur, informed that 50 thousand saplings have been produced in Tikapur. The project was implemented for five years in the district, of which four years have been completed.
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