Un-occupied nesting of Red-headed Vulture in Sallena Community Forest.

Forty-seven individuals of vultures belonging four species were recorded opportunistically during three different field trips in Bajura district. Sighting of twelve juvenile’s vultures indicated the possibility of breeding in the surrounding areas. However, the scientific survey has not been carried out to explore detail information on vulture species which are requisite to develop conservation action at the local and regional level. Moreover, the district was declared as the vet-diclofenac free zone in 2014 by BCN, thus it is the urgency to know about the current situation of vulture species and diclofenac use. Furthermore, Lack of awareness, retaliatory kills by poisoning the dead carcass and adopting tradition way of burying the dead carcass by local people rather than safe disposal challenges the survival and food security for vultures. So, there is an urgent need for community-based conservation initiative and monitoring of vulture’s species which prevent them from local extinction.

Thus, the project was design in the Bajura district, province no 7 to provides baseline data on the status, identifying the breeding’s sites along with people’s perception towards vulture conservation and their idea of conserving the species. Furthermore, possible conservation issues as well as any local level conservation approach to be implemented for vulture conservation will be explored. This will establish rigorous long-term community-based vulture monitoring program and enhance the capacity of local communities, forest staff as well as young undergraduate’s students. The community conservation awareness Programs, Environmental education and capacity building activities will change the local people’s perception towards vulture conservation and developed them as a citizen scientist. Furthermore, the programme will cover wider audience in the rural municipality (in and around Bajura) through Radio awareness programme and capacitate young graduates to complete their dissertation. Finally, the project will contribute to the objective of Vulture Conservation Action Plan (2015-2019) and feed conservation actions/plans to prevent this species from local extinction.

It is anticipated that Baseline Information on the conservation status, distribution, threats and local people’s perception towards the Vulture from Bajura district will be established which is lacking so far from the region. This information is essential for Government and Non-government agencies to develop conservation policies and strategies to assure the species long-term conservation. Conservation awareness activities will increased positive attitudes and know the ecological value of vulture which will result in threat minimization in the region to some extent and also motivate the locals to proactively involve in vulture conservation.