2.11 DANPHE PROJECT -Direct Analysis of Nepalese Parks and High
Ecosystems
Università degli Studi Milano-Bicocca - Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Ambiente e del
Territorio (DISAT)
Associazione Ambientalista L’Umana Dimora
Principal investigator: Dr. Emilio Padoa Schioppa
Biodiversity, sustainable development and cooperation
This chapter analyse the biodiversity crisis: it is well known that the dramatic extinction
of species, genes and ecosystems is one of the main problems of the world. The right
management of landscape and ecosystems can have a very preminent role in preserving
biodiversity. Unfortunately poor country of the third world often need much more than
others criteria to manage landscapes in sustainable way but don’t have a good knoledge
about it.
Faunal analysis and land management
In this part we shows how is possible to use faunal data to carry on complex project of
land management. Bird and carnivore mammals can be used as good bioindicators at
landscape and ecosystem level. One another part of the chapter is dedicated to new
theories in ecology, that allow us to reach the paradigm of ecological networks. Insular
biogeography and landscape ecology demonstrate that protected areas cannot be
managed as an island of nature in an “anthropic sea”. For this it is necessary to find a
model in wich anthropic needs and natural needs can be in equilibrium
DANPHE Project
DANPHE (Direct Analysis of Nepalese Parks and High Ecosystems) is a proposal of
reserch in Sagarmatha National Park and in Khumbu valley. The main idea of the project
is to carry on the research with strict collaboration of nepalese partners. We suggest
that at the end of the work Nepalese partner must be completely autonomous and can
be able to repeat the same kind of work in other areas of Nepal by theirself.
Aims of the project are:
1)
to increase the knowledge of fauna in Khumbu area;
2)
to relate faunal data with data of landscape and with data of local ecosystems;
3)
to use those informations to build a faunal data base and to realise models of land
management;
The project must be integrated in others project of sustainable development (i.e.
ICIMOD – EvK2-CNR project). To carry on properly the research it is necessary to use a
Geographic Information System (GIS), and the projcet DANPHE must be integrated in the
GIS of Sagarmatha National Park.
The chapter describe also the different fields of work and explain wich kind of analysis
will be done.
We will do:

a breeding birds census (bird point count);

a breeding birds census (diurnal breeding birds capture by net, biometry data of
captured specimens, release of all specimens);

breeding birds census (breeding birds stimulations by recorded bird-calls, especially
Cuckoos and Pheasants)

mammals carnivores census (search of carnivores signs -footprints, droppings,
hairs- collecting of droppings, hairs, bones of mammals carnivores.

evaluation of main environmental features (biomasse volume, tree diameter,
vegetational composition, dendrocronology);

analysis anthropic settlements (nterview
to local people with the help of the
translation of our Sherpa guide);
Training for Nepalese Partners
We describe our training program for Nepalese partners. Because of this is the main
part of the work we want work with one or two nepalese student. They will spent part of
the time in Italy, were a post Ph.D. tutor will teach them how to do the work. We
suggest to work with students of biology or forestal science. Our laboratory does not
discriminate people for they sex, race or religion.
Program of the project
This part illustrate the program of the project. We want begin during the spring 2003
with a shor travel in Nepal to find good partners. Then we suggest a program of
different travel of Nepalese partner in Italy. During autumn 2004 we will do the main
expedition in Khumbu area, then we will analyse the data in Italy with our partners. At
the end of 2004 we can be able to complete the project.