First record of Bengal Tiger, Panthera tigris tigris Linnaeus, 1758 (Felidae), in eastern Nepal

We report the first record of a Bengal Tiger, Panthera tigris tigris, in eastern Nepal in 2020 based on photographic evidence. We documented this evidence at 3,165 m a.s.l., which makes it the highest elevation record of a tiger in Nepal. We recorded this evidence in one of 46 trail cameras deployed for monitoring Red Pandas in the Panchthar-Ilam-Taplejung (PIT) area. The PIT area, which has non-protected status, borders India in the east. Our finding supports the importance of transboundary conservation, which will benefit local and flagship wildlife in the PIT area.

Population connectivity across a transboundary conservation network: potential for restoration?

Context: There has been limited research identifying large-scale functional connectivity of wildlife populations across sub-Saharan Africa, despite the increased focus on transboundary conservation networks. Objectives: This study set out to assess the functional connectivity of a highly mobile predator of conservation concern across the Kavango-Zambezi transboundary conservation area (KAZA) and the northern Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR), covering almost 300,000km2 of Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.Methods: We analysed the nuclear diversity of 204 individual lions from across the metapopulation using Bayesian and multivariate statistics to assess population structure and recent migration. A maximum-likelihood method was used to determine average male dispersal distances to determine the potential for functional connectivity across the region.Results: The results are consistent with work identifying the existence of ecotypic differences between wetland and dryland lions, but also indicate hierarchical population structure further dividing the population into four geographic clusters; the Okavango Delta, the Central Kalahari, Kafue National Park, and the Hwange-Chobe complex. Analysis of dispersal distances of males suggests that reconnecting the clusters through conservation intervention should be successful in improving gene flow and connectivity across the region. Conclusions: While trans-boundary conservation areas may currently have limited gene flow and connectivity, there is potential for the restoration of functional connectivity via the natural dispersal of highly mobile species. However, the matrix of habitat through which such dispersing animals must traverse must be conducive to their movement and survival, highlighting the importance of land outside protected areas for the preservation of highly mobile animals such as lions.

The landmark Escazú Agreement: An opportunity to integrate democracy, human rights, and transboundary conservation

Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is one of the world’s most biodiverse regions, but this diversity is threatened by the overexploitation of natural resources and internal social conflicts. In 2018, 33 LAC countries were invited to sign and ratify the landmark Escazú Agreement, which is the first legally binding environmental agreement to explicitly integrate human rights. The agreement outlines an approach to enhance the protection of environmental defenders, increase public participation in environmental decision-making, and foster cooperation among countries for biodiversity conservation. However, clear mechanisms to implement the ideals of the Agreement are currently lacking. We identify the key provisions of the Agreement and link these to tangible mechanisms which aim to integrate human rights and nature conservation. These mechanisms include technological (e.g. free online data), human-based (e.g. legal advice from multidisciplinary teams), and nature-based solutions (e.g. transboundary species management). As environmental assets – and threats to them – span national boundaries, the collaborative and participatory provisions of the agreement could catalyse coordinated transboundary environmental management. We call for the remaining 12 countries to ratify the Escazú Agreement to ensure the ideals of collaborative, just, and transparent environmental management are established across the entire LAC region.