Illegal wildlife trade

To combat illegal trade in wildlife and plant products, WWF's Living Himalayas Initiative will conduct training programmes in anti-poaching. WWF will also create comunity-based anti-poaching units based on existing successful examples, such as in Chitwan national park in Nepal. This technique has greatly reduced poaching in the park and provided communities with a sense of responsibility for their environment and wildlife.

The Living Himalayas Initiative also aims to establish a joint India-Nepal education campaign to deter people from using wildlife products. At the same time, WWF will promote inter-agency relationships with organisations working for the same cause, such as South Asia Wildlife Trade Initiative (SWATI).  And continue to assist governmet enforcement agencies in monitoring wildlife trade through field investigations and studies, raids and seizures and training.

Human-wildlife conflict

WWF views human-wildlife conflict as a priority issue for its work on species conservation. A key aspect of any work is that it benefits both the wildlife and local people. In most cases, creative solutions have demonstrated that people can live alongside wildlife while developing sustainable livelihoods.

To reduce human-wildlife conflict, WWF’s Living Himalayas Initiative continues to focus on:

• improving livestock management practices, including corralling animals at night and installing low-cost barriers, such as trenches and fences, to keep big cats away from their fields
• initiating livestock insurance and compensation schemes to reduce the loss or farmer would otherwise kill wildlife in retaliation
• providing communities with alternative livelihoods, such as ecotourism
• improving enforcement of anti-poaching regulations throughout the region and conducting training programmes for local wildlife officials and local youths
• Increasing protected areas and corridors for wildlife away from human settlement