Apex predators are non-herbivorous terrestrial mammals that have an average body mass higher than 13kg, or species that are below that threshold but are the main predators in their ecosystems, as defined by the recent study<\/a> in Nature.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Across Nepal, at least 5,000km of highways are under construction, and work has also begun on the 1,000-kilometre East-West Railway<\/a>. If built, these infrastructure projects will pass through the habitats of several endangered species, from tigers in the country\u2019s lowlands to snow leopards in its mountainous regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though they promise increased connectivity and development, the projects are encountering difficulties balancing human and social concerns with environmental and wildlife conservation, and have proven divisive between communities, conservationists and authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur road construction is \u2018demand-based\u2019 instead of \u2018need-based\u2019,\u201d said Roshan Sherchan, a Nepali conservationist advocating for wildlife-friendly infrastructure in the country. \u201cCommunities may demand [these projects], but the state should weigh in on both economic and ecological benefits, before making decisions to construct infrastructure and build roads wherever is necessary. But it\u2019s very ad hoc now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The concept of a new cross-country road had been mooted for several decades in Nepal before construction finally began on the Postal Highway in 2008. But progress since has been mostly paralysed by financial troubles, delays, disagreements and, latterly, the Covid-19 pandemic. To date, just under 300km of road has been completed, according to the Nature study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2017, construction of a section of the highway was delayed after UNESCO raised serious concerns about plans for the route to cut through Chitwan National Park<\/a> \u2013 the oldest national park in the country, which has been listed as World Heritage Site since 1984. An initial environmental examination (IEE) for this section of the project had been carried out by the Department of Roads and approved by the national planning commission in 2009, but this was deemed insufficient by park authorities and UNESCO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A report<\/a> on the situation, submitted by the national parks department to UNESCO in April 2021, said that the IEE had made \u201cno mention\u201d of the road passing through the park, but \u201cduring the construction phase seven kilometres of the road section\u2026 was known to fall within the buffer zone\u201d. The buffer zone was established in 1996 to provide access to resources for communities while protecting the core area of the park from degradation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After a public interest lawsuit was filed against the government, in 2019 the Supreme Court of Nepal ordered<\/a> construction of the section of road to be halted, and plans for a railway line through the national park<\/a> also to be stopped. The court ruled that no construction should take place without a full environmental impact assessment, agreed in consultation with the park\u2019s stakeholders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Though construction hasn\u2019t resumed in Chitwan National Park, work continues elsewhere, including in important bands of forest known as \u201cbiological corridors\u201d, which link national parks in Nepal with adjoining parks along the border with India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The recent research in Nature, which was carried out in Africa, the Brazilian Amazon and Nepal, highlighted the threat that roads can pose to wildlife and these habitat-connecting corridors. It estimated that over 25 million km of new roads will be constructed globally by 2050, with around 90% in developing countries, including Nepal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRoads threaten apex predators acutely due to their large spatial ranges, low population densities, low reproductive rates and intolerance to increased human disturbance,\u201d said Bibek Raj Shrestha, an ecologist and one of the authors of the study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eight of the 10 species of apex predators most exposed to roads are found in Asia: the sloth bear, tiger, dhole, Asiatic black bear, clouded leopard, sun bear, Sunda clouded leopard and leopard. As Nepal is home to seven of these vulnerable species, close attention and collaborative approaches to road-building will be essential to manage controversies and minimise impacts as work unfolds, the authors conclude: \u201cIt is vital that road planning committees include conservation scientists, the voices of all stakeholders \u2013 from local communities to government officials \u2013 and even wildlife protection organisations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other recent investigations in Nepal have also highlighted the impact of roads on apex predators. On 14 February 2021, a tiger was radio-collared in Halkhoriya, Bara district, in southern Nepal\u2019s Parsa National Park. After a couple of weeks, the tiger had travelled over 10km south and reached a major road, the East-West (or Mahendra) Highway \u2013 but didn\u2019t cross it. Instead, it moved west, roaming along the highway for over 20km.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One-fifth<\/p> of total unnatural wildlife deaths in Nepal\u2019s national parks in 2020 were due to road accidents<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n \u201cThough the tiger reached the highway over five times in three months, it didn\u2019t dare to cross the country\u2019s busiest road,\u201d said Baburam Lamichhane, a senior officer at the National Trust for Nature Conservation\u2019s office in Chitwan National Park, who was involved in the tracking of the animal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On 20 May, the tiger walked south to the highway again and, for the first time in three months, took a chance on crossing the road. This happened after three weeks of lockdown, imposed by the government at the end of April. \u201cIt clearly shows that the tiger had attempted to cross earlier, but decided to cross during the lockdown as vehicular movement was negligible,\u201d added Lamichhane, who is also an expert on tigers.<\/p>\n\n\n\nRoad controversies in Nepal are nothing new<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The state should weigh in on both economic and ecological benefits, before making decisions to construct infrastructure and build roads<\/blockquote>Roshan Sherchan, conservationist<\/cite><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/road-construction-Chitwan-Nepal_Naresh-Newar_Thomson-Reuters-Foundation_15208065835_762e4e85c1_o.jpg\")
<\/div>Tiger waits for lockdown to cross highway<\/h2>\n\n\n\n