Factors Influencing Food Insecurity in Nepal

Nepal has been persistently encountering food insecurity and under-nutrition. It is therefore utmost important to determine the factors responsible for influencing food insecurity in Nepal. This study examines the factors determining food insecurity in Nepal applying binary logistic models for food poverty, household with inadequate food consumption and poor dietary diversity using data from Nepal Living Standard Survey 2010/11. Food security was determined to be strongly associated with education level and age of household head, household with higher female education level, larger farm size with higher ratio of irrigated land, better access to markets, roads and cooperatives, better household assets and remittance recipient households. Food insecure is relatively more prevalent in rural areas with higher dependent on rain-fed agriculture, higher dependency ratio and larger family size. Improving both physical and economic access to foods, together with investment in education and agriculture could help to reduce food insecurity and hunger from Nepal

Determinants of Per Capita Food Expenditure to Assess Food Security Status of Nepal

Food security is the global issue as the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) has explicitly considered zero hunger in the Goal 2. Nonetheless, in the recent years, the number of hunger population is in constant rise. Therefore, the paper attempts to estimate the determinants of the per capita food expenditure from the household expenditure. The data of National Living Standard Survey 2010/11 by the Central Bureau of Statistics Nepal has been used for the study. The multiple regression analysis has been performed. The per capita food expenditure has been used as the dependent variable. The model was found significant and the R-squared value was found 0.77. All the explanatory variables – except gender and education level (completed grade 5-7), were found significant. The number of households, area related variables urban rural and few development regions were found negatively associated with the per capita food expenditure

Factors influencing Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) burrow selection in the Chandragiri-Champadevi hills of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

The Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) confronts challenges from illegal hunting, trading, and habitat degradation. Therefore, it is imperative to establish and implement effective conservation strategies at both local and regional levels. However, there is limited information, particularly within the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal, underscoring the significance of local-level habitat characterization for burrowing animals like pangolins. In this context, our study aimed to assess how anthropogenic and environmental factors influence the presence of Chinese pangolins along the elevational gradients of Chandragiri-Champadevi Hills, renowned for the scenic beauty and popular hiking trails within the valley. We conducted surveys of foraging and resting burrows at 72 plots distributed along 12 elevational line transects from 1500 to 2100 m elevational gradients of Chandragiri-Champadevi Hills. Notably, we observed pangolin burrows spanning from 1550 m to 2095 m. With increasing elevation, we recorded a decline in both foraging and resting burrow numbers. Furthermore, our findings indicated an increase in burrow numbers with increasing the distances from roads, whereas burrow numbers decreased with increasing proximity to human settlements. Interestingly, foraging burrows exhibited an increase with noise but a decrease with slope, while resting burrows showed an increase association with higher canopy and ground cover percentages. Our study shows the substantial anthropogenic disturbances in the habitats of Chinese pangolins in the Chandragiri-Champadevi Hills. We recommend managing the human-associated threats to ensure the species conservation at this site-specific area

Population and conservation threats to the vulnerable Sarus crane Grus antigone in Nepal

Abstract Globally, biodiversity is declining due to habitat loss and degradation, over‐exploitation, climate change, invasive species, pollution, and infrastructure development. These threats affect the populations of large waterbird species, such as Sarus crane (Grus antigone), which inhabits agricultural–wetland ecosystems. Despite the burgeoning built‐up areas and diminishing agricultural and wetland spaces, scant research investigates the impact of these changing land uses on the globally vulnerable Sarus crane in Nepal. During the pre‐breeding season from April to June 2023, our comprehensive study meticulously scrutinized Sarus crane population status and factors associated with the occurrences and conservation challenges across 10 specific districts of Nepal. Our study documented a total of 690 individuals of Sarus cranes in five districts. The Lumbini Province has 685 individuals, occupying 11 roosting sites. Conversely, the remaining five districts have no Sarus cranes presence during this period. Wetland, farmland and built‐up areas exhibited a significantly positive influence on Sarus crane occurrences in the Lumbini Province. Additionally, we recorded 47 fatalities of Sarus cranes over the past 13 years in the Lumbini Province due to electrocution and collisions. Our study provides a baseline dataset crucial for developing conservation policies, particularly during the dry season when Sarus crane populations tend to congregate in larger flocks. The adaptation of the Sarus crane to urbanized landscapes exposes them to several anthropogenic threats in the coming days. Therefore, protecting wetlands and farmland areas and adopting transboundary conservation approaches are imperative for the long‐term conservation of the Sarus crane and its habitat