Nepalese conservation organization promoting human-tiger coexistence

As the number of tigers in Nepal grows, so does the risk. On the one hand, there is international and national excitement about the rising number of tigers, on the other hand, people are still dying from tiger attacks. The last count of tigers in Nepal, conducted in 2022, counted 355 tigers.

After people in Bardiya and Banke continue to die from tiger attacks, the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) launched a behaviour change campaign in late 2021 to educate residents of Banke and Bardia national parks, Khata protected area and the surrounding buffer zone. There are 19 youth leading the campaign in Bardiya, while nine local youth are involved in Banke, training local residents on coexistence with tigers and promoting behaviour change. Similarly, five youth are leading the campaign in Khata protected area in Bardiya. The work and activities of the youth can also be followed on the Facebook page titled ‘Behaviour Change Campaign’.

Behavioral change campaigns in Banke and Bardiya serve as important bridges to reduce the risks that tigers pose to local communities. Since 2021, a youth-led anti-poaching mobilization campaign has been active in these two districts. Youth who perform well in the campaign are also included in the behavior change campaign. One such participant is 35-year-old Kamal Khadka.

Khadka, a youth leader with the ‘Behavior Change Campaign’ that was launched in Bardiya in 2021, was educating the people of Auri in Ward 8 of Barbardiya Municipality about tigers. He used photographs for his lessons and showed a picture of a tiger to over 50 locals, from children to elderly people, who had gathered in the ‘buffer zone’ area of ​​Sompur forest in Auri.

“Look, our lives are intertwined with the forest. We cannot survive without the forest. These tigers and other wild animals are not like us. They do not change their behavior. So we have to change our daily activities. Instead of confronting these animals, we have to learn to live together. We have to change our behavior accordingly,” he told them.

Umesh Paudel, assistant conservator of wildlife at NTNC’s Bardiya National Park, says the reason for the behavioural change campaign is to prevent tiger attacks.

“If you look at the statistics, the number of deaths due to tiger attacks increased in 2019 (post-Covid) in Banke and Bardiya. That year, nine people died and three were injured. In 2020, six people died and eight were injured. In 2021, thirteen people died and one was injured. This indicates that locals who had gone elsewhere or abroad for work returned home during the Covid pandemic. And more people entered the forest, leading to an increase in tiger attacks and deaths and injuries,” he said.

Paudel believes that the behaviour change campaign, supported by local youth, has been effective in reducing human-wildlife conflict. Over the past four years, hundreds of locals have been trained on how to coexist with tigers and other animals. In 2022, nine people died and 14 were injured in tiger attacks. In 2023, five people died and in 2024, this number dropped to just one.

Paudel said: “It is not that the number of deaths from tiger attacks has stopped completely, but the behaviour change campaign has proven to be effective in reducing incidents. It teaches people living in and around Banke and Bardiya how to avoid tiger attacks, enter the forest safely and how to respond if they encounter a tiger.”

Looking at the data of the last six fiscal years, tiger attacks have killed 68 people nationwide. According to the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, 10 people were killed by tiger attacks in the fiscal year 2023-24. Similarly, 12 people died in 2022-23; 21 in 2021-22; 13 in 2020-21; eight in 2019-20; and four in 2018-19.

“With the increase in the number of deaths due to tiger attacks, controlling the situation has become a major challenge. The statistics are alarming, but efforts are being made to reduce incidents by creating awareness in the Banke and Bardiya areas,” said Ajit Tumbahanphe, conservation officer at the Bardiya conservation program.

“The behaviour change campaign has proven to be very effective. The campaign was launched post-Covid to ensure coexistence between tigers and humans, and so far more than 10,000 local residents have benefited from it,” he added.

After Khadka’s interaction with the locals, 76-year-old Pradeep Kumar KC remarked that such a programme has benefited the communities immensely. He said that educating the younger generation along with them will help prevent future incidents.

“We have the habit of going to the forest alone, not showing any restraint in entering the forest and doing things on our own initiative. This interaction has taught us how to live together with animals, including tigers, in the forest.”

Sita Rani, who is also a victim of a tiger attack, is one of the participants in the campaign. A tiger killed her two goats. After the interaction, she said, “Now I know what to do if I go to the forest or see a tiger.”

NTNC Member Secretary Naresh Subedi believes that tiger-human conflict can be reduced if the necessary and preferred prey species for tigers are available in reserves and parks. This, he claims, will significantly reduce tiger-human conflict. “Our plan is to implement science-based conservation in Nepal.”

“The conflict between tigers and humans is about how we can transform this into a society where both parties live together,” Subedi said.

The National Trust for Nature Conservation assists in the management of potentially problematic tigers through a proactive monitoring system.

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