The term wildlife in its broader perspective includes the uncultivated range of flora and fauna. The term entails all forms of life living in the wild or growing without the intervention of man. Not only vital plants and mammals, but insects are also essential constituent of wildlife ecosystem. Insects such as beetles and termites help to break down and recycle the nutrients that maintain health of the natural reserves.

High altitude wildlife is defined as the uncultivated biota at and above timber line constituting a special world with regard to its adaptations in highly specialized climatic complex of higher biotopes. Schaller (1977) states that high altitude animals are those forms confined to cliffs and alpine meadows above timber line, though animals may penetrate for down forested slopes along avalanche paths and precipices.

Recent aerial photography studies concluded entire Himalayan region largely remained untapped and encompass the habitat diversity almost unequalled in the world. The Himalaya possess one third of the world’s large mammalian species with all its unique physical and biological assets known as mountain mammals (Call and Moddie, 1981). The wildlife inhabiting high mountain zone of the Himalayas above the timber line is highly adapted to deep fragile condition above the permanent snowline.

The bar-headed geese are world’s highest flying birds observed north wide in spring ate the high altitude of 8830m. The black-necked crane, now on nature’s blacklist, is known to in at great height between 4300m to 5500m in the Himalayas. The ibex inhabits highest peaks ranging to uppermost limit of vegetation in the Himalayas and the yak is the highest high altitude animal of trans-Himalayan is known to occupy highest altitude ecological regime comfortable even in the chilling cold winter. Other high Trans-Himalayan animals highly specialized in Nepalese fauna are Tibetan antelope (Chiru) and Tibetan wolf, a varacjon predator in Trans-Himalayan uplands and plateaus.

Among the rare and endangered mammals occupying high altitude pocket of the Himalaya are the Yak and Snow leopard, which always merit special mention.

Biogeographical Affinities

Though small in area, remarkable diversity of habitat and climate within short span of altitudinal variation, the biological heritage of Nepal is also rich and varied. The position of Nepal shows confluence of two great biological realms (Oriental and Indo-Malayan) is the main contributory factor for biogeographical affinities of the flora and fauna.

The wildlife of Nepal is a mixture of Indomalayan and oriental realm. Schaller (1977) stated that species such as musk deer and large carnivores-brown bear, snow leopard and wolf are palaearctic animals. The pica found in Himalaya is typical palaearctic. The western Himalaya in particular is rich in coniferous forest and alpine and features high altitude plants as rhododendron and having cold climate characterized by heavy snowfall but comparatively little rain. The special wildlife feature are snow leopard, black bear, brown bear, blue sheep and goat are common along with other mammalian elements, the musk deer and high altitude rodents such as marmots. Among the high altitude birds of Himalaya that deserve special mention are bearded or griffon vulture, golden eagle and a number of pheasants.

Wildlife depletion in the Himalaya

Life forms that once lived on earth are now extinct and little percentage of it constitutes the most valuable stock of natural resources, is yet being depleted more rapidly than any of the earth’s deposits of valuable minerals.

The once reputed unique Himalayan shangrilla has today become a serious victim of human vandalism with fast depletion of our most magnificent assets of nature. This has made the future of our high altitude wildlife indiscernible and do not know what new needs will arise in the future.

Wildlife makes us conscious of our moral duty and safeguards all natural assets found in most of South Asia, if not will comparatively decline due to habitat destruction and competition from domestic stock. Man has unfortunately been persecuting wildlife without appreciating its value and importance in the maintenance of the ecosystem. The beautiful forests once existing are fast becoming bore and ugly landscape over the entire Himalayan range due to ecodegradation leading to the extermination of wild animals in many parts of Himalaya where they once were plentiful. The danger of wildlife has been accentuated in recent years by enormous increase in firearms and inability of government enforcement to laws as do exist for the protection of wildlife. The growth of population has vastly increased the amplitude of his luxurious pressure on the natural environment.

Overexploitation by man

Man has endeavored to harness the natural resource to add his comfort from time immemorial. Rapid population exploitation has compelled him to exploit more and more natural resources. Advance science and technology has greatly facilitated their effort towards exploitation. Indiscrimate felling of trees on hill slopes was disaster that occurred on the road to many religious places and highways when washed away vast stretch of road to villages in a landslides that took a heavy toll of life. The floods in terai and their parts can be contributed to the sitting up of rivers, directly due to destruction of forest in the catchment areas of hills, leading to top soil being washed into the rivers and ever-increasing frequency of landslips in the hills. Cutting down of trees can be done in a day while their growth to maturation covers a span of many years. Thanks to the efforts of several international organizations such as IUCN, WWF, FAO and UNESCO, the rapid decline of many wildlife species in their habitats has been checked through multinational funding projects.

Need for Conservation

Nature requires less management but more care is a wise dictum. Man can ideally exist in a natural state of equilibrium with his own environment. Right management of natural environment has a great impact on the preservation of wildlife. It has been seen that even when a locality has been completely stepped off its wildlife, the dynamic manipulation of the environment by man can restore all the favored conditions for the survival of wildlife.

Man has only recently understood the real objective of ecology, seeking to develop a mutually enforcing conductive relationship between organism and their environment. In other words, ecology is a bridge between science and humanism. Man has now realized the various dimensional aspects of conservation of the natural life around him in order to ensure his survival.

Some of the effective steps at the government level for conservation and management of vanishing wildlife have created an awareness situation as:

• Enactment of Wildlife Conservation Act, 1973
• Projects for breeding and ecological study of Tiger, Elephant, Rhino, Vulture, Musk deer, Pheasants.
• Establishment of 10 National Parks, 3 Wildlife reserves, 6 Conservation Areas and 1 hunting reserve.

It is hoped that large scale farming and reintroduction of capture breeding, especially of rare and endangered species in seriously depleted areas will help rehabilitate the most vulnerable ones. George Schaller has rightly said that “Pen and Camera” are the weapons against oblivion; they can create awareness of that which will soon be lost forever.

As an ideal lover of our biological heritage and its preservation “Listen to the voice of wilderness, which seeks to convey vital message that man is more civilized when away from civilization.”

Wildlife conservation and management

Conservation and management of wildlife have a significant bearing on survival of species, but unfortunately, little attention has been given in this subjecting Nepal.

According to IUCN, the term conservation should be interpreted as management of biosphere, and o the components of its ecosystem for human use, in order to derive the greatest sustainable benefits for the present generation while maintaining their potential to meet the needs and aspiration of future generation.

A real means of conservation assumes and embraces that which is significant to man and his future.

Need for conservation

Studies of endangered natural resources have invariably shown that the basic problem lies with ever-increasing human population leading to the constant erosion of those resources.

However, in human population propels the need for conservation of existing natural resources among the urgent problems man faces and challenges him for alternatives.

Enlargement of our political and economic climate will affect the conservation of wildlife prosperity of nation depends much upon correlated with potential natural resources.

The hunting accounts of large mammals and birds a century ago give good impression that all of south Asia, like East Africa and South Africa, was an animal paradise. With event of extensive industrialization and urbanization, incredible elimination mankind today has faces with many endangered species. This decimation of wildlife due to impact of man and his environment has been disastrous.

The potential and inexhaustible wealth of several species of wild plants and animals including fishes, amphibians and reptiles of utmost significance for man is combating future human diseases and meeting needs for survival.

The improvident and short-sighted exploitation of habitat of wildlife have proved calamities and species exterminated by man cannot be restored environmental quality and wild life resources have an integral relationship, but increase in human population has led to the loss of productivity of land and consequent loss in environmental quality. This becomes essential to prevent or ameliorate the deleterious effects of present day industrial civilization. Therefore, man should ensure that wild life and wilderness exist within a reasonable distances from major centers of urbanization.

A major reason for still reluctant attributes towards conservation policies is that laden policy makers and not aware of long term future of the country and its people. Limited thinking to short-term advantages and enjoyment of lop serve will derive from our national wealth.

The importance in conservation is the preservation of vanishing and irreplaceable species of birds, and animals and biotic resources are both astonishing and simaying to note that many known animals that existed in the last century have disappeared forever and will never be seen in future.