Saroj Panthi

• MSc
• Divisional Forest Officer at Division Forest Office Baglung Nepal

Background: There is currently very little available research on the habitat suitability, the influence of infrastructure on distribution, and the extent and connectivity of habitat available to the wild Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). Information related to the habitat is crucial for conservation of this species. Methods: In this study, we ident...

Watershed degradation is a significant global problem, and as a mountainous nation, Nepal faces even greater challenges in managing its water resources. Because it is largely unrealistic to execute management plans at a time for a large spatial extent, subwatershed prioritization has now become a promising approach for managing watersheds. Our stud...

Livestock rearing and agriculture are the main sources of community-based livelihoods in western Nepal. Across the rural mid-hills region of Gandaki Province, leopards are the top predator and frequently depredate livestock and attack humans. Spatiotemporal patterns of human-leopard conflicts (HLC) in Nepal are poorly known at the provincial and na...

Background Biodiversity conservation is becoming challenging day by day. For this, it is essential to understand the distribution, habitat, and impact of anthropogenic activities on animals at risk. We assessed the suitable habitats and anthropogenic impacts on Asiatic black bears, common leopards, musk deer, and snow leopards in and outside the pr...

Climate change is expected to change precipitation and temperature patterns, which will impact the hydrological regime in Asia. Most river systems in the region originate from the Hindu Kush-Himalayas, and the altered precipitation patterns pose a threat to their sustainability, making it a major concern for planners and stakeholders. Obtaining acc...

Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) have been grown and used extensively for health care and healing practices since time immemorial in Nepal. They possess cultural, religious and economic values in Nepalese communities. In recent years, the MAPs sector is a growing commercial sector in Nepal that provides livelihood opportunities for low income g...

Taxus wallichiana Zucc. is globally recognized as a powerful anti-cancer tree that grows naturally in the Himalayas and parts of Southeast Asia. Needles and bark containing taxol are used to treat different types of cancer. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the habitat suitability and potential threats of Taxus wallichiana Zucc. in Nepal. The...

Soil loss estimation is the prerequisite for deciding priorities for watershed management which in turn is important to maintain human needs and ecosystem services. Karnali River Basin in Nepal is highly susceptible to soil erosion but limited studies have elucidated its basin-specific erosion status utilizing advanced computations. This study was...

Over the last few years, intensifying human impact and the deterioration of natural habitats have severely restricted the global distribution of large herbivores. Rucervus duvaucelii, commonly recognized as the swamp deer, is a habitat-specialist endemic large herbivore of the Indian Subcontinent. It is classified as vulnerable by the IUCN and list...

Background In the last two decades, Nepal has experienced an increase in both forest fire frequency and area, but very little is known about its spatiotemporal dimension. A limited number of studies have researched the extent, timing, causative parameters, and vulnerability factors regarding forest fire in Nepal. Our study analyzed forest fire tren...

The main aim of the study was to predict the potential distribution, trade, and conservation of Rauvolfia serpentina in Nepal. We used 117 well-dispersed species occurrence points to run the Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) model with bioclimatic, topographic, vegetation-related, and anthropogenic variables. Twenty-four percent of Nepal's total land area i...

Asian woollyneck (Ciconia episcopus) is a large wading bird species whose conservation status has been recently down-listed, despite a lack of concrete information on its nesting ecology and breeding success. In this study, we report its breeding success and nest habitat suitability in Nepal from 39 nesting sites (2016-2020). Simal (Bombax ceiba) (...

Climate change can be expected to alter ecosystems and influence the spatial distribution of species. Understanding the effects of climate change on species distribution can help develop effective conservation protocols to tackle further biodiversity loss. Striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) global populations appear to follow an overall decreasing trend...

A deep neural network (DNN), evolved from a traditional artificial neural network, has been seamlessly adapted for the spatial data domain over the years. Deep learning (DL) has been widely applied for a number of applications and a variety of thematic domains. This article reports on a systematic review of methods adapted in major DNN applications...

Background Knowledge about the niche overlap among wild species and domestic cattle is helpful to conserve and manage wildlife. We assessed the habitat niche breadth and overlap of sympatrically living spotted deer ( Axis axis ) and domestic cattle with swamp deer ( Cervus duvaucelii ) in Shuklaphanta National Park, Nepal during the dry season to e...

Anthropogenic pressures in human-dominated landscapes often contribute to wildlife mortality. Carnivores are especially vulnerable to human-induced mortality due to the perceived threat to livestock and humans. Despite having widespread conservation implications, carnivore mortality data have been largely underutilized within Nepal. This study util...

Vultures are ecologically important primarily because of their scavenging role in cleaning carcasses of the environment. Because of anthropogenic impacts, the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) has suffered catastrophic declines in parts of its range and, thus, information about its global distribution and factors influencing its occurrence w...

Clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN red list and is a protected species in Nepal. However, there is limited information on its status and distribution, which is a critical first step in conservation planning and management. To address this knowledge gap, this study attempts to: (a) predict the potential suitable...

The snow leopard ( Panthera uncia ) found in central Asia is classified as vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Every year, large number of livestock are killed by snow leopards in Nepal, leading to economic loss to local communities and making human-snow leopard conflict a major threat to snow leopard co...

Background: Asian Woollyneck Ciconia episcopus is large wading bird whose conservation status has been recently down-listed, despite a lack of general knowledge on its nesting ecology and breeding success. Thus, in this study we conducted the most comprehensive survey on the nesting ecology of this species to date. Methods: We located 39 nesting si...

Tectonic lakes are among the most geologically fascinating and environmentally versatile hydrobiological systems found on the earth’s surface. We conducted a study on the limnology of Tasek Lake, a tectonic lake located in the Indo-Burma Province of the South Asian region. Physico-chemical parameters of the lake’s water along with its plankton were...

Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is one of the most highly threatened fauna of fresh water ecosystems in the world. Yet, information about the species habitat characteristics influencing its distribution and threats to its existence are still lacking in Nepal. This study identified the most important habitat characteristics associated with gharial pre...

Background Wild water buffalo is an endangered species presently distributed in some countries of South and Southeast Asia with Nepal’s only population in the flood plain of the Koshi River at Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve (KTWR). Some of the individuals have been translocated to Chitwan National Park of central Nepal but the survival rate is not sa...

Leopard (Panthera pardus) predation on domestic animals is often associated with human-leopard conflict. We investigated leopard pre-dation patterns of domestic animals using a semi-structured questionnaire. We quantified domestic animal losses in randomly selected households (n = 62) and households with previously reported leopard predation (n = 3...

Anthropogenic factors play an important role in shaping the distribution of wildlife species and their habitats, and understanding the influence of human activities on endangered species can be key to improving conservation efforts as well as the implementation of national strategies for sustainable development. Here, we used species distribution m...

Egyptian vultures (Neophron percnopterus) play an important ecological role in central Asia, but conservation planning is hindered because basic information about their habitat requirements is lacking. We used 66 observations of roosting vultures to identify factors related to their presence, and MaxEnt model to predict areas of suitable roosting s...

Relatively little is known about the nutritional ecology of omnivorous Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) in Nepal. We characterized the diet of black bears in two seasons (June-July, "summer"; and October-November "autumn") and two study areas (Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve [DHR]; and Kailash Sacred Landscape [KSL]). We then conducted nutritional...

Studying habitat overlap between sympatric species is one of the best ways to identify interspecies relationships and to direct conservation efforts so that multiple species can benefit. However, studies exploring interspecies relationships are very limited in Nepal, making it difficult for the government of Nepal and conservation partners to manag...

Varanus flavescens is the least studied varanid lizard of Nepal, and scientific information about this species is very limited. This study explored the status, abundance and existing threats of V. flavescens around the Jagdishpur Reservoir of Nepal through field work and questionnaire surveys. A population estimate survey was conducted along transe...

It is essential to assess the feeding strategies of threatened species during resource-scarce seasons to understand their dietary niche breadth and inform appropriate habitat management measures. In this study, we examined the diet composition of four-horned antelope (FHA) Tetracerus quadricornis, one of the least studied ungulate species, in Banke...

Locations of sample collection in WGS_1984_UTM_44N projection system and plant fragments observed from sample of these locations

Pellets of four-horned antelope

The red panda is an endangered species. Although they are protected by national laws in their range countries, its population continues to decline due to habitat loss and fragmentation. Estimating and mapping suitable habitat plays a critical role in red panda conservation planning and policy. In this study, the red panda habitat in Nepal was predi...

Protected areas are key to preserving biodiversity and maintaining ecosystem services. However, their ability to ensure long-term survival of threatened andendangered species varies across countries, regions and landscapes. Distribution surveys can beparticularly important for assessing the value of protected areas, and gauging their efficacy incat...

Site-wise detection history (detection/non-detection matrix) of red panda signs and corresponding ecological/anthropogeniccovariates used in the analysis. (XLSX)

The status and conservation of the Blue Bull Boselaphus tragocamelus is becoming one of the prominent discourses of wildlife research. The study was carried out along the Tinau River at Rupandehi District in western Nepal to ascertain the population status, distribution and potential threats to the Blue Bull. The study was conducted along six trans...

ABSTRACT Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve (DHR) of Nepal, the only hunting reserve in the country, is famous for trophy hunting of bharal or ‘blue sheep’ (Pseudois nayaur) and Himalayan tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus). Although trophy hunting has been occurring in DHR since 1987, its’ ecological consequence is poorly known. We assessed the ecological conseq...

We identified the winter plant species consumed by red panda in the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve of eastern Nepal and compared this to the early-summer diet which was determined previously by Panthi et al. (2012). In addition, we estimated the proximate nutritional content of the leaves identified in red panda diet for both seasons, and we used nutrit...

The Asiatic wild dog or dhole (Cuon alpinus) is an endangered, yet little-studied, species throughout its range in Nepal. We examined habitat selection and diet of the dhole by searching for dholes in the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve (DHR), the only hunting reserve in Nepal, and developed a habitat selection model to determine their habitat preference...

The Asiatic wild dog or dhole (Cuon alpinus) is an endangered, yet little-studied, species throughout its range in Nepal. We examined habitat selection and diet of the dholes by searching for dholes in the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve (DHR), the only hunting reserve in Nepal, and developed a habitat selection model to determine their habitat preferenc...

Wetland means the surface of the earth that is permanently or seasonally or partially covered with water. Wetlands are most productive areas for biodiversity and local livelihood support. Nepal ratified Ramsar convention in 1987 and started to include the wetland in Ramsar site and till now nine wetland sites are included in Ramsar site. There are...

Reliable and sufficient information regarding status, distribution and habitat preference of red panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens) is lacking in Nepal. The research activities on red panda in the mid-western Nepal are very limited, so the status of red panda in the region is quite unknown. The study conducted during May, 2013 in three Village Develop...

Yarsagumba (Ophiocordyceps sinensis), an endemic species to the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau, is one of the most valuable medicinal mushrooms in the world. In Nepal, it is distributed largely in isolated patches of alpine grasslands of 3000-5000m elevation. Although it is reported from 27 northernmost districts of Nepal, the local distribution pat...

Nepal is rich in bird diversity and recorded 871 bird species. Our study aimed to update bird diversity of Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve (DHR) of Nepal which is an Important Birds Area (IBA) out of 27 IBAs of Nepal. One hundred forty nine species of birds were recorded in DHR; out of them Catreus wallichii was globally threatened bird which has faced d...

The red panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens) is distributed throughout the Himalayas and is found in both protected and unprotected areas of Nepal. Loss and fragmentation of habitat threaten red panda populations throughout its range, and as a consequence, it is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Despite this pressing situa...

Red panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens) is listed as vulnerable by IUCN Red data list, protected for Nepal and distributed in Himalaya region of Nepal, is commonly known as "Habre" in Nepali. The species wildly distributed in different protected area of Nepal, however the detail information on ecological, biological and conservation aspect are still la...