Eastern Himalayas

WWF has a deep, long-standing commitment to conserving the rich ecological heritage of the Eastern Himalayas. For more than 30 years, our conservation work has centered on making lasting change for local communities and wildlife. WWF partners with governments and conservation groups to address the region’s most pressing challenges.

Rangers and game scouts around a poached rhino skull. Chitwan National Park, Terai Arc, Nepal.
© Jeff FOOTT / WWF-Canon

Operation Unicornis
For close to four decades, WWF helped keep rhino poaching at relatively low numbers throughout Nepal. But in Chitwan National Park from 2002 to 2006, poaching increased dramatically, turning back the clock on 17 years of conservation work. Troubled by this unanticipated turn of events, WWF launched Operation Unicornis, a swiftly conceived and rapidly ramped-up effort involving intensive rhino protection, massive community mobilization, and risky undercover investigations. As a result of the concerted actions of our staff and partners, poachers were caught, rhino parts were confiscated en route to illegal markets, and many planned poaching incidents were derailed in time.  The proof: The number of rhinos poached in and around Chitwan in 2007 fell to only one. Read the full story from WWF's Spring Report

Indian tigers benefit from corridors connecting parks and preserves.
© WWF-Canon / Martin Harvey

Signs of wildlife show early success
The Terai Arc Landscape project is an ambitious 50-year effort to reconnect 11 national parks in India and Nepal into one continuous corridor of protected areas to benefit humans and wildlife. 

Biological monitoring in the Terai Arc Landscape has found that tigers and elephants are using the corridors that are a cornerstone of WWF's conservation strategy in the region. Tigers were found in the Khata corridor, a route also used by elephants - whose presence was also observed. The forest corridor is three kilometers long and links Nepal's Bardia National Park with the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary of India. In addition to elephants and tigers, hoofprints of ungulates like spotted deer and wild boar, which support the presence of tigers in the Khata corridor forests, were also recorded. Their presence indicates that WWF's effort to connect parks and nature preserves there is achieving its intended results.

World's third highest mountain turned over to local communities
On September 22, 2006, Nepal's government turned over conservation of the wildlife and habitats surrounding Kangchenjunga -- the world's third highest mountain - to a coalition of local communities. WWF was instrumental in the decision and will support the Kangchenjunga Conservation Area Management Council for the next five years as part of its Sacred Himalayan Landscape program. 

The historic step came at a critical time in the history of Nepal, and showed the government's commitment to working more closely with local communities, especially regarding natural resources management and the equitable sharing of benefits.

The Kangchenjunga Conservation Area is known for its rich biodiversity, spectacular scenery and vibrant cultural heritage. Since 1998, WWF has been active in the region through our Kangchenjunga Conservation Area Project. We continue working with local communities to conserve globally threatened wildlife - such as the snow leopard - while supporting local peoples through health services, informal education and income generating activities.

Since the project's inception, pressure on local forests has decreased while a positive attitude of locals toward wildlife conservation has increased. In addition, wildlife poaching and the illegal harvesting of valuable medicinal plants has decreased and committees have been formed to monitor wildlife movement and illegal activities. 

Notable Accomplishments

1970s

• Initiated Project Tiger, securing government commitments to species protection and establishing a network of tiger reserves throughout Asia

1980s

• Completed the first-ever translocation of rhinos from Chitwan to Bardia National Park in Nepal, reestablishing their population
• Created the Annapurna Conservation Area in Nepal—a model of community collaboration in conservation—that funds conservation with revenues from tourism
  

1990s

• Collaborated with the government of Bhutan to expand environmental protections in the country to 26 percent of its land
• Created the Bhutan Trust Fund for Nature Conservation—one of the first trust funds of its kind—generating over $30 million for its endowment 2000s
• Created the Successful Communitiesprogram, providing economic opportunities and ownership through community forestry and other sustainable projects for local communities