Released and promising crop varieties of mountain agriculture in Nepal (1959-2016)

This catalogue of released and promising crop varieties for mountain agriculture in Nepal is the result of the combined efforts of many plant breeders who were closely involved in crop improvement in Nepal from 1959 to 2016. This catalogue aims to compile agromorphological characteristics and digital pictures to distinguish the varieties from various sources

A Census of Lakes in Gandaki Province based on Remote Sensing

Lakes in Nepal play a crucial role in supporting biodiversity conservation, regulating ecosystems, and providing livelihood opportunities for local communities. Many lakes in Nepal hold immense religious and cultural significance for the local community, serving as sacred pilgrimage sites and embodying spiritual entities that are integral to the traditions, beliefs, and practices of the people, making them important cultural landmarks of the country. Despite their significance and importance, lakes in Nepal have faced degradation and challenges. Due to inappropriate infrastructure development, encroachment, and anthropogenic activities, lakes are degraded in Nepal. In recent years, Gandaki Province also witnessed the degradation of lakes. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the status of lake degradation as well as find out the total number of lakes in the Gandaki Province. The study was conducted utilizing both Remote Sensing (RS) techniques and conducting field visits. First of all, the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) was calculated with the help of Google Earth Engine with Sentinal 2A/B satellite. That gives the water area, and then polygons of water bodies were created throughout the province in an identified area. These polygons were uploaded in ArcGIS and a base map was added. In the ArcGIS platform, polygons were further edited for the precise area using very high-resolution imagery. These edited polygons were further verified in Google Earth. Field visits, personal phone inquiries, and group discussions were conducted for further verification. Data were also collected from municipality/rural municipality, elected representatives, and key informants. Altogether 290 lakes (including ponds, lakes, and glacier lakes) were mapped and identified in the Gandaki Province. These lakes cover about 0.1045% of the total surface area of the Gandaki Province. Approximately 60% of the lakes were identified above 3000 m above sea level (asl). Lakes identified below 3000 m asl were mostly mapped from the Kaski, Parbat, and Nawalparasi Districts. The highest number of lakes discovered in Mustang (a total of 73 lakes), encompasses both lakes situated below 3000 m asl and those above 4500 m asl. Many of the wetland areas, most of which are located below 3000 m are currently facing the threat of extinction. Numerous lakes have already been transformed into playgrounds and residential areas, leading to the loss of valuable wetland ecosystems in the Gandaki Province

Rusty-spotted cat: 12th cat species discovered in Western Terai of Nepal

Rusty-spotted cat Prionailurus rubiginosus is the smallest wild cat, believed to be distributed only in India and Sri Lanka. Recently it was discovered from wider areas than previously thought but never recorded from Nepal. During a camera trap survey primarily targeted for tigers Panthera tigris, rusty-spotted cat was photographed multiple times on a single camera trap station in Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve in January and February 2016. The camera trap location is in dry-deciduous Sal Shoresa robusta forest in core area of the reserve at a distance of approximately 5 km from settlements. This is the first photographic evidence of rusty-spotted cat captured in camera traps in Nepal. Similarly, a photograph of a cat species taken by a park visitor in 2012 from Bardiya National Park was confirmed as rusty-spotted cat. With this record, Nepal has 12 felid species: tiger, common leopard Panthera pardus, snow leopard Panthera uncia, clouded leopard Neofelis nebulosa, Eurasian Lynx Lynx lynx, Asiatic golden cat Catopuma temminckii, fishing cat Prionailurus viverrinus, jungle cat Felis chaus, leopard cat Prionailurus bengalensis, marbled cat Pardofelis marmorata, Pallas's cat Otocolobus manul and rusty-spotted cat. Global Challenges (FSW

Scientific Discourse of Lakes in Gandaki Province based on Remote Sensing

Lakes in Nepal play a crucial role in supporting biodiversity conservation, regulating ecosystems, and providing livelihood opportunities for local communities. Many lakes in Nepal hold immense religious and cultural significance for the local community, serving as sacred pilgrimage sites and embodying spiritual entities that are integral to the traditions, beliefs, and practices of the people, making them important cultural landmarks of the country. Despite their significance and importance, lakes in Nepal have faced degradation and challenges. Due to irrational infrastructure development, encroachment, and anthropogenic activities, lakes are degraded in Nepal. In recent years, Gandaki Province also witnessed the degradation of lakes. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the status of lake degradation as well as find out the total number of lakes in the Gandaki Province. The study was conducted utilizing both Remote Sensing (RS) techniques and conducting field visits. First of all, the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) was calculated with the help of Google Earth Engine using the imageries of the Sentinal 2A/B satellite. That gives the water area, and then polygons of water bodies were created throughout the province in an identified area. These polygons were uploaded in ArcGIS and a base map was added. In the ArcGIS platform, polygons were further edited for the precise area using very high-resolution imagery. These edited polygons were further verified in Google Earth. Field visits, personal phone inquiries, and group discussions were conducted for further verification. Data were also collected from municipality/rural municipality, elected representatives, and key informants. Altogether 290 lakes (including ponds, lakes, and glacier lakes) were mapped and identified in the Gandaki Province. These lakes cover about 0.1045% of the total surface area of the Gandaki Province. Approximately 60% of the lakes were identified above 3000 m above sea level (asl). Lakes identified below 3000 m asl were mostly mapped from the Kaski, Parbat, and Nawalparasi Districts. The highest number of lakes discovered in Mustang (a total of 73 lakes), encompasses both lakes situated below 3000 m asl and those above 4500 m asl. Many of the wetland areas, most of which are located below 3000 m are currently facing the threat of extinction. Numerous lakes have already been transformed into playgrounds and residential areas, leading to the loss of valuable wetland ecosystems in the Gandaki Province. It is crucial to develop a comprehensive provincial inventory of lakes that includes detailed information divided across new political boundaries. This practice would aid in effective lake management and conservation efforts in the Gandaki Province. Keywords: ArcGIS, biodiversity, Gandaki Province, lake inventory, remote sensing

Pines

Pinus is the most important genus within the Family Pinaceae and also within the gymnosperms by the number of species (109 species recognized by Farjon 2001) and by its contribution to forest ecosystems. All pine species are evergreen trees or shrubs. They are widely distributed in the northern hemisphere, from tropical areas to northern areas in America and Eurasia. Their natural range reaches the equator only in Southeast Asia. In Africa, natural occurrences are confined to the Mediterranean basin. Pines grow at various elevations from sea level (not usual in tropical areas) to highlands. Two main regions of diversity are recorded, the most important one in Central America (43 species found in Mexico) and a secondary one in China. Some species have a very wide natural range (e.g., P. ponderosa, P. sylvestris). Pines are adapted to a wide range of ecological conditions: from tropical (e.g., P. merkusii, P. kesiya, P. tropicalis), temperate (e.g., P. pungens, P. thunbergii), and subalpine (e.g., P. albicaulis, P. cembra) to boreal (e.g., P. pumila) climates (Richardson and Rundel 1998, Burdon 2002). They can grow in quite pure stands or in mixed forest with other conifers or broadleaved trees. Some species are especially adapted to forest fires, e.g., P. banksiana, in which fire is virtually essential for cone opening and seed dispersal. They can grow in arid conditions, on alluvial plain soils, on sandy soils, on rocky soils, or on marsh soils. Trees of some species can have a very long life as in P. longaeva (more than 3,000 years)