STATEMENT OF WORK
for
PREPARATION OF MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR RED PANDA CONSERVATION IN THE LANGTANG
NATIONAL PARK AND BUFFER ZONE OF NEPAL HIMALAYA
I.
Background
Red panda Ailurus fulgens (Cuvier, 1825) is one of the poorly known small-bodied mammalian
carnivore which is adapted to the herbivore diet. It is distributed to a narrow attitudinal range of
1500 to 4000 m in the Himalaya and posses a very selective food habits. As such, Red panda
occupies a highly specialized niche and thus conservation of this species carries a special merit
from the perspectives of the global biodiversity conservation.
Of late, few studies have been undertaken to acquire much needed information on the ecology
and behaviour of Red panda in the natural habitats in Nepal (Yonzon 1989), India (Pradhan
1998) and in China (Reid et al 1991, Johnson et al 1988, Wei 1997, Wei et al. 1999). The scant
information which is currently available reveals that Red pandas are solitary animals, widely but
patchily distributed and their natural diet is limited essentially to bamboo. Its habitat is confined
to mixed spruce-fir forest and broad-leaf deciduous forests. It is highly arboreal spending most of
its non-feeding hours above ground. Recent population estimates in China show that their
numbers to decrease by as much as 40% over the last 50 years (Wei et al. 1998). A mortality rate
of 83% for cubs and 47% for adults are reported from Nepal (Yonzon 1989) and they are
increasingly threatened with extinction throughout its range (Wei and Hu, 1993, Glatston 1994).
Habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation mainly because of the ever increasing anthropogenic
disturbances are believed to be the primary threats in conserving red pandas across the range
countries (Yonzon and Hunter 1991, Pradhan et al. 2001, Wei et al. 1991).
Red panda is included in the Appendix I of CITES and is also protected by the National Parks
and Wildlife Conservation (NPWC) Act 1973 in Nepal by enlisting as an endangered species.
One of the primary bottle-neck in the conservation and management of red panda in Nepal is the
lack of a science-based site-specific management plan. Realizing this, WWF Nepal envisages
preparing such a plan as an effort to conserve this highly endangered but very interesting species.
II.
Objectives
To prepare a management plan for Red panda conservation in Langtang National Park and
Buffer Zone (LNP/BZ) of Nepal with special consideration on followings:
a. Scope of the management plan
The management plan is expected to serve as a framework for action for research institutions,
governmental and non-governmental agencies. Moreover, such a management plan is also
anticipated to be the reference document for fund raising.
b. Specific aspects to be addressed
Following are the indicative but not exclusive list of aspects to be covered by the management
plan.
1. Overview of the current status of red panda, primarily on its population status,
distribution, ecological requirements, and socio-cultural, ecological and economic
significance of red panda conservation, current threats and conservation measures
being undertaken with particular reference to Nepal.
2. Identification of the priority areas, knowledge gaps and action strategies for Red
panda conservation especially focusing on the following broad sectors.
 Monitoring and research
 Species and habitat management
 Policy and legislation
 Public awareness
 Partnership development
3. The management plan should also include a detailed log frame with verifiable
indicators, budget and time line.
4. Each action should also be given priority rating on the basis of its relevance in
addressing the current threat and the ecological requirements of the Red panda.
III.
Methods
The methods include followings but not limiting to:
a. Consultation, workshops and meetings with key governmental and non governmental
stakeholders at local, regional and national levels.
b. Review of prior research works,
c. Review of policy documents with particular reference to Langtang National Park and
Buffer Zone
d. Field visit to Langtang National Park and Buffer zone and conduct socio-economical and
ecological studies as needed by the management plan.
The consultant is required to hold meetings and/or workshops involving concerned
experts/managers and relevant personnel as and when necessary to acquire and validate
information pertaining to the management plan.
IV.
Expected Outputs
A management plan for Red panda conservation in Langtang National Park and Buffer Zone as
described in the sections II, III and IV.
V.
Field sites
Langtang National Park and Buffer Zone.
VI.
Deliverables
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A proposal including work plan and budget by 11 April 2008
Digital and hard copy of the draft management plan by 15 June 2008
Digital and hard copy of the final management plan and financial report by 30 June
2008
Maps, photographs, negatives and other relevant documents procured under this
contract by 30 June 2008
Digital and hard copy of data collected with their analysis, model, and diagrams by
30 June 2008