Amphibians and reptiles in Nepal face severe threat of extinction. Major threats include rapid deforestation, soil and water pollution, land use change, habitat loss, superstitions, ignorance, and unsustainable extraction for commercial, food and medicinal purposes. Poisonous species of snakes are illegally collected and sold by so called snake charmers to fulfill the indiscriminate institutional requirements in the foreign countries and nowadays this tendency is gaining ground. The rapid loss and local extinction of herpetofauna in Nepal Terai and inner Terai could also be attributed to the indiscriminate use of DDT in the drive to eradicate malaria in the 1960s. In later years many areas have also been subject to significant ecological changes owing to demographic and land use changes, and construction of dams for hydropower and irrigation. These changes have had a significant negative impact on the survival of herpetofauna in Nepal.
In comparison to other amphibians and reptiles snakes can be regarded as a highly vulnerable group in the country. Even these days all snakes are considered to be poisonous and killed at sight. Such indiscriminate killing occurs mainly due to fear and superstitions, overexploitation by tribal, folk healers, witch doctors or ethnomedicators, illegal collection by snake charmers.
1. Documentation of herpetofauna of Nepal
2. Cooperation with different stakes of society to disseminate information regarding the status and immediate needs for the conservation of herpetofauna and their habitats
3. Turtle conservation works in low lands of Nepal
CARON published turtle conservation leaflets and poster in partnership with other stakeholders.
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