While Nepal is lauded for conservation of megafauna like tigers and rhinos, plant conservation has received far less attention. Many native plants are traditionally harvested for their medicinal, ornamental and nutritional values yet currently the scale of harvest threatens the survival of many species. Working within Makawanpur district, Reshu and NGO Greenhood Nepal will focus on Maire’s yew and orchids to conserve intact habitats and formalise a sustainable harvest and trade, which will directly benefit the local guardians of these forests. Reshu and her team will work with local harvesters in five target community forests.

PRECIOUS PLANTS

One of the main centres of medicinal plant harvest and trade, Makwanpur in the mid-hills of Central Nepal is a place of monasteries, fertile plains, rhododendrons and steep forested hills. Of fewer than 1,000 mature wild Maire’s yews that survive in Nepal, at least 250 are found here. The yews are often dripping with orchids, of which approximately 500 species are found in Nepal. The yews are particularly important to local communities who grow and harvest yew leaves that are sought by global markets for cancer treatments. Orchids found locally are used for traditional medicines, including Ayurveda and traditional Tibetan and Chinese medicines. Currently, harvesting and trade of wild orchids is illegal in Nepal.

COMMUNITY FORESTS

A community forestry scheme was introduced by the Nepalese government in the 1990s to tackle the rapid degradation of forests due largely to livestock grazing and fuelwood harvesting. Under its 1993 Forestry Act, national forests were handed over to community forest groups so that they could manage them according to their needs. This has led to a near doubling of forest cover. Over half the population of Nepal are associated with one or more community forests, and there are at least 22,000 forest groups. However, whilst successfully boosting forest cover, biodiversity conservation has often lagged. In this instance, orchids are extremely sensitive to harvesting and yews are naturally slow-growing – reports of increasing trade and habitat destruction present a critical priority.

SUSTAINABLE BENEFITS

Through establishing local taskforces and equipping them to identify species and the signs of poaching, Reshu and her team at Greenhood Nepal aim to empower forest groups to protect these precious natural resources. By clearing invasives, rehabilitating fallen orchids and planting 5,000 yews, these habitats will be made more resilient. Working with government and forest officials, this Whitley Award will also help to formalise a sustainable harvest and trade that will directly benefit local communities. Reshu, whose grandparents relied on locally obtained medicinal plants, particularly recognises the role that older people and women play in the harvesting of wild plants to support local livelihoods.

WITH THE WHITLEY AWARD, RESHU AND HER TEAM WILL:

• Reduce plant poaching through the promotion of local leadership in anti-poaching activities, targeting over 1000 hectares of core wild yew and orchid habitats
• Restore over 1000 hectares of wild yews and medicinal orchid habitat through the involvement of local community forest user groups
• Establish 100 hectares of community forest as a demonstration site of best practice for sustainably harvesting wild orchids and cultivated yews
• Draft an orchid conservation action plan for Nepal and revise the existing survival blueprint for Maire’s yew

TOP FACTS:

• Orchids are a great indicator of a healthy ecosystem and are one of the first to be impacted by any environmental stresses including impacts of climate change and pollution.
• Globally, one in three tree species face extinction.
• Maire’s yew is referred to locally as ‘Machhendrapati’, named after Machhendranath God, a god of rain, and also linked to Goddess Indrayani.