The population of tiger and wild buffalo has increased by two folds in the period of one and half decades. The number of tiger has now reached 235 and wild buffalo 442.
As per the economic survey report of first eight month of fiscal year 2018/19, the population of rhino is 612 in 2000 and it reached 645 in 2014. Similarly, the number of blackbuck was 285 in 2012 and 300 in 2013 but it has been limited to 252 in 2016 decreasing the number since 2013, reads the survey report.
The population of Gharial has reached 219 in 2018 against 102 in 2011, as per the survey report. Similarly, the government has set a target to collect six million cubic feet timber in the fiscal year 2018/19 and it has collected 3.2 million cubic feet timber till first eight months of current fiscal year, according to the economic survey report.
The Ministry of Forest and Environment had implemented scientific forest management programme to make forest area as the basis of prosperity. Out of the total area of the country, the forest area has covered 44.7 per cent area.
Mid-hilly area has the largest areas of forest while Tarai has smallest area. Among the seven states, Karnali has the largest area of forest while the State 2 has the smallest area. The Gandaki state has the highest size of protected forest (over 45 percent) and the State 2 has the least area (10.5) percent.
The number of tourists from home and aboard visiting the protected forest area has been on the gradual rise in the past one decade, causing the growth in revenue collection. This number was jumped from 381,000 (in the fiscal year 2066-67 BS) to 699,000 as of fiscal year 2074-75 BS or last fiscal year.
According to the survey report, in Nepal there is 0.2 hectare of forest area and 111 trees per head while the world figure is 0.6 hectare and 422 trees per head. In the South Asian region, Bhutan has the largest (72.5 percent) size of forest area and Pakistan has the least (1.9 percent) size. RSS
