Economic Analysis of Fish Production Using Different Feed Types Practiced in Dhanusha District, Nepal

A study on the economic analysis of fish production using different feed types practiced in Dhanusha district was conducted in 2018. Out of 600 fish farmers, sixty fish farmers(10%) from the Fish Superzone region i.e. Janakpur sub-metropolitan city, Bideh municipality, Sahidnagar municipality, Kamala municipality, Hanspur municipality, Janaknandani rural municipality and Aaurahi  rural municipality, selected using simple random sampling, were surveyed using semi-structured questionnaire. The study revealed that locally formulated mash feed was commonly used feed type in which rice bran and mustard oil cake (RB+MOC) was the principle feed ingredient. 55% of the farmers used rice bran and mustard oil cake (RB+MOC), 20% used rice bran, mustard oil cake and soybean (RB+MOC+SOB), 10% used rice bran, mustard oil cake and fish meal (RB+MOC+FM) and 15% farmers mineral and vitamin (RB+MOC+MIN/VIT) in their feed formulation. The productivity of the fish production in feed type RB+MOC+SOB (3.41±1.02) was significantly higher than other feed type.  The total variable cost per ha (5.23±2.11) was found significantly(p<0.05) higher in feed type RB+MOC+SOB. Similarly, gross margin (4.44±2.74) received by farmers of feed type RB+MOC+SOB was also significantly high(p<0.05). The Benefit: Cost (B:C) ratio of the study area was found to be 1.69, high being of feed type RB+MOC+SOB(1.84) compared to others. The feed type RB+MOC+SOB is seen as a economically profitable one in the study area because of the high productivity, profit and B:C ratio. High feed cost was the major problem followed by the unavailability of feed. Fish farming can be a profitable business in Dhanusha with large opportunity to increase the fish production with increasing protein sources in the feed used. Farmers should be provided sufficient information, trainings and be encouraged to incorporate the protein rich sources like soybean and fish meal in the feed prepared to increase the productivity and ultimately return

Fluvial Geomorphology and Basin Development of Karra Khola Basin, Hetauda, Central Nepal

Geomorphological study of a basin is important for understanding theoverall basin characteristics which are helpful for the management of waterresources, construction along the river bank and natural hazard mitigationwithin the area. The study was carried out in the Karra Khola Basin, oneof the prominent basins in the Eastern extreme of the Hetauda Dun Valley,Central Nepal, to investigate geomorphic characteristics of the mainstream of the basin, categorize them into various stream types and studybasin development through drainage basin’s morphometric parameters.Geographical Information System (GIS) and Remote sensing techniquesusing satellite images were used as a tool to make the morphometricanalysis of the basin along with its major 13 sub-basin and delineate streamclassification following the Rosgen’s Level I hierarchical inventory. Themain stream of the Karra Khola is characterized as A-, B- and C-typeand the tributaries segments as B- and F-type. The basin is structurallyunaffected and has the permeable surface area and elongated shape. Thehypsometric analysis indicates that the basin is mostly at the old stage ofgeomorphic development while four out of 13 sub-basin being at maturestage. The Karra Khola sub-basin have higher risk to flash flooding(Lg=0.1-0.16km). Drainage density value reveals that the basin is highlysusceptible to flooding, gully erosion, etc. Similarly, dissection index valueimplies that the north eastern region of the basin is highly vulnerable toerosion as it at the younger stage of geomorphic development. Since thestudy area is highly sensitive to future natural hazards, further study andappropriate measures should be followed for safeguarding against thefuture risk along the Karra Khola basin and its tributaries

Herpetofauna of a Ramsar Site: The Beeshazar and Associated Lakes, Chitwan National Park, Nepal

The Nepalese herpetofauna has been poorly studied, and little is known about the distribution of the country’s amphibians and reptiles. We surveyed the herpetofauna at Beeshazar and associated lakes, a Ramsar site situated in the buffer zone of Chitwan National Park, Nepal. We conducted surveys between June and July 2015 using line transects, and nocturnal and diurnal visual encounter surveys (VES). We recorded 47 species comprising 13 anurans, 11 lizards, 18 snakes, four turtles, and one crocodilian. This document will serve as source material for outreach activities in conservation awareness of the herpetofauna in the buffer zone of the park. The present study suggests that the species composition of Beeshazar and associated lakes is likely to increase with additional systematic inventories

Economic analysis of fish production using different feed types practiced in Dhanusha district, Nepal

A study on the economic analysis of fish production using different feed types practiced in Dhanusha district was conducted in 2018. Out of 600 fish farmers, sixty fish farmers(10%) from the Fish Superzone region i.e. Janakpur sub-metropolitan city, Bideh municipality, Sahidnagar municipality, Kamala municipality, Hanspur municipality, Janaknandani rural municipality and Aaurahi  rural municipality, selected using simple random sampling, were surveyed using semi-structured questionnaire. The study revealed that locally formulated mash feed was commonly used feed type in which rice bran and mustard oil cake (RB+MOC) was the principle feed ingredient. 55% of the farmers used rice bran and mustard oil cake (RB+MOC), 20% used rice bran, mustard oil cake and soybean (RB+MOC+SOB), 10% used rice bran, mustard oil cake and fish meal (RB+MOC+FM) and 15% farmers mineral and vitamin (RB+MOC+MIN/VIT) in their feed formulation. The productivity of the fish production in feed type RB+MOC+SOB (3.41±1.02) was significantly higher than other feed type.  The total variable cost per ha (5.23±2.11) was found significantly(p<0.05) higher in feed type RB+MOC+SOB. Similarly, gross margin (4.44±2.74) received by farmers of feed type RB+MOC+SOB was also significantly high(p<0.05). The Benefit: Cost (B:C) ratio of the study area was found to be 1.69, high being of feed type RB+MOC+SOB(1.84) compared to others. The feed type RB+MOC+SOB is seen as a economically profitable one in the study area because of the high productivity, profit and B:C ratio. High feed cost was the major problem followed by the unavailability of feed. Fish farming can be a profitable business in Dhanusha with large opportunity to increase the fish production with increasing protein sources in the feed used. Farmers should be provided sufficient information, trainings and be encouraged to incorporate the protein rich sources like soybean and fish meal in the feed prepared to increase the productivity and ultimately return

Cats in farms: Ranging behavior of the Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) in a human-dominated landscape

Home range studies provide valuable insights into animal ecology and behavior, informing conservation efforts and management strategies. Although the Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is a globally threatened habitat specialist species, only a few studies have been conducted on their home range and social organization, especially in response to human influence. In this study, we tracked 11 fishing cats with satellite GPS collars to investigate their home range size and habitat use in and around Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, Nepal. The minimum convex polygon (MCP) and autocorrelation-informed kernel density estimation (AKDE) were used to estimate home range sizes of the fishing cats. Altogether 2,303 locations were obtained from 11 collared cats. The average home ranges of fishing cats (n = 8) with 95% MCP and 95% AKDE were 29.12 ± SD 16.89 km2 and 39.88 ± 26.16 km2, respectively. Home range (95% AKDE) of adult females (21.72 ± SD 16.39 km2, n = 4) was significantly smaller compared to males (58.03 ± SD 21.19 km2, n = 4). Sex-specific social organization with a single male overlapping with multiple nonoverlapping adult females was consistent with home range behaviors of other carnivores. The highest number of locations of collared fishing cats were in tall grasslands, whereas they highly preferred wetlands. A large part (over one-third) of fishing cat home ranges covers human-dominated areas such as fishponds, agriculture, and settlements encompassing various threats to fishing cats including persecution, road kills, and dog attacks. To ensure long-term survival of these cats amid habitat alteration and human–wildlife conflict, we recommend Fishing Cat conservation activities focusing on raising awareness, especially in human-dominated landscapes.publishedVersio

Claws and consequences: human–tiger conflict and community responses in Bardiya National Park, Nepal

Human–tiger conflict (HTC) is one of the rising issues of Bardiya National Park (BNP) and is receiving attention from conservation biologists. This study emphasizes the extent of human–tiger conflict in two municipalities, Thakurbaba and Madhuban, in the buffer zone of Bardiya National Park, Nepal. Primary and secondary information was collected to determine the socio-economic characteristics relevant to tiger conservation following a questionnaire survey of the community people. A semi-structured questionnaire was randomly administered to 438 households to generate information from the respondents, along with these people’s perceptions toward tigers and their interest in tiger conservation. The Likert scale was used to assess respondents’ attitudes, while a chi-square test of homogeneity and logistic regression analysis were employed to determine the best-fitting model and identify significant variables influencing perceptions toward tiger conservation. A total of 18 people were killed and 10 were injured by tigers between 2019 and 2023. The people’s perception of tigers and their conservation was significantly associated with socio-economic variables, including gender, ethnicity, economic status, and source of income. We found female, low-income, and Janajati respondents likely to have negative attitudes toward their conservation. The Likert scale responses revealed strong overall support for tiger conservation and perceived tourism benefits. In addition to the ever-growing human–tiger conflict, people are aware of tiger conservation and suggest that making net wire fences, providing improved sheds for cattle, and cattle insurance schemes help to minimize Livestock depredation events; effective training on wildlife monitoring and awareness programs could be among the best ways to mitigate conflicts between humans and tigers

Fire and forage quality: Postfire regrowth quality and pyric herbivory in subtropical grasslands of Nepal

Fire is rampant throughout subtropical South and Southeast Asian grasslands. However, very little is known about the role of fire and pyric herbivory on the functioning of highly productive subtropical monsoon grasslands lying within the Cwa climatic region. We assessed the temporal effect of fire on postfire regrowth quality and associated pyric-herbivory in the subtropical monsoon grasslands of Bardia National Park, Nepal. Every year, grasslands are burned as a management intervention in the park, especially between March and May. Within a week after fire, at the end of March 2020, we established 60 m x 60 m plots within patches of burned grassland in the core area of the Park. We collected grass samples from the plots and determined physical and chemical properties of the vegetation at regular 30-day intervals from April to July 2020, starting from 30 days after fire to assess postfire regrowth forage quality. We counted pellet groups of cervids that are abundant in the area for the same four months from 2 m x 2 m quadrats that were permanently marked with pegs along the diagonal of each 60 m x 60 m plot to estimate intensity of use by deer to the progression of postfire regrowth. We observed strong and significant reductions in crude protein (mean value 9.1 to 4.1 [55% decrease]) and phosphorus (mean value 0.2 to 0.11 [45% decrease]) in forage collected during different time intervals, that is, from 30 days to 120 days after fire. Deer utilized the burned areas extensively for a short period, that is, up to two months after fire when the burned areas contained short grasses with a higher level of crude protein and phosphorus. The level of use of postfire regrowth by chital (Axis axis) differed significantly over time since fire, with higher intensity of use at 30 days after fire. The level of use of postfire regrowth by swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii) did not differ significantly until 90 days after fire, however, decreased significantly after 90 days since fire. Large-scale single event fires, thus, may not fulfil nutritional requirements of all species in the deer assemblage in these subtropical monsoon grasslands. This is likely because the nutritional requirements of herbivores differ due to differences in body size and physiological needs-maintenance, reproduction, and lactation. We recommend a spatiotemporal manipulation of fire to reinforce grazing feedback and to yield forage of high quality for the longest possible period for a sustainable high number of deer to maintain a viable tiger population within the park