The WWF says it is pleased to announce that Nepal was able to achieve a zero poaching incidence rate for the year ending February 2014.
The WWF has been working very hard to increase awareness around the illegal trade in wildlife all over the world so the news from Nepal is fantastic particularly when you consider rhinos, elephants and tigers are being rampantly poached in other parts of the world. This is the second year Nepal was able to celebrate a zero poaching success rate after having a fantastic year in 2011.
��The success of achieving zero poaching throughout the year is a huge achievement and a result of prioritizing a national need to curb wildlife crimes in the country. A national level commitment is key to encouraging complementing efforts, right down to the grassroots level, in order to address this biggest threat to wildlife not just in Nepal but across the world.” said Megh Bahadur Pandey, Director General of Nepal’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation.
Zero poaching in Nepal was achieved by increased enforcement efforts and strengthened protection efforts which were led by the Nepalese government. The announcement was made to coincide with World Wildlife Day on the 3rd of March 2014.
Anil Manandhar the WWF representative in Nepal said it was something to be very proud of to be able to mark World Wildlife Day with the announcement that there had been zero poaching in Nepal for a year. He added that the WWF remains committed to working with the government and other conservation partners to ensure that efforts are maintained to sustain the success.
The WWF will also honour nine other organisations that played an important role in achieving the success of zero poaching in Nepal. This includes the Nepal Police, Nepal Army, Chitwan National Park, Bardia National Park, as well as the National Trust for Nature Conservation.
