Global Alliance for Rhino Conservation (GARC)

“Every country and each citizen of our planet has to join hands together in a global alliance to protect life on earth. Biodiversity is our life.”

-UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Background

The Greater One-horned Rhinoceros is perhaps the most enduring emblem of Nepal's rich biological heritage. Rhinos are precious gift of nature not only for us but also for our future generation. Not only is it important to conservationists for its ecological value but it also holds a universal value. The Greater One-horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) is classified by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as "endangered,”.

Out of five species of rhinoceros in the world, one-horned rhinoceros is found only in Nepal and India. In Nepal, Chitwan National Park (CNP) and its surroundings, Bardiya National Park (BNP) and Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve (SWR) are the main habitats of the rhinoceros. Kajiranga National Park in India houses the largest number of one-horned rhinoceros. Chitwan National Park was established in 1973 with the objective of protecting one-horned rhinoceros and its habitat. Chitwan National Park was recognized as a World Heritage Site in 1984 for its high biodiversity and for maintaining ecological process ecosystems of international significance (DNPWC 2001).

In Nepal, the rhinoceros population was estimated at 1000 individuals until 1950 in the Chitwan National Park. In 2008, rhino population size is estimated at 403 individuals in three Terai protected areas of Nepal. So, the number of one horned Rhino is decreasing dramatically putting this species at high risk of extinction. In recent years, rhino poaching has been one of the major threats for the survival of this species (Rhinoceros unicornis) despite great efforts to curb wildlife poaching and trade in Nepal.

The main factor behind this is-the existing national policy is not strict enough or wildlife friendly, creating an easy environment for wildlife criminals to escape prosecution since they are getting protection from corrupt political bodies

In order to save the one horned rhino, Team for Nature and Wildlife (TNW), a youth's environmental organization, including the concerned local and national animal welfare organizations has been struggling to minimize the poaching of the Rhino. In this regard, TNW has launched a campaign titled "Mission Rhino- Direct and Grassroots lobbying". The campaign includes strong lobbying activities, led and run by youths at local and central level to influence the government to revise existing policies and practices and putting an end to the trend of providing political protection to Rhino poachers.

The government of Nepal has just shown commitment to the conservation of its rich biodiversity and the survival of flagship species like Greater One-horned Rhinoceros for over four decades. But the there has been no significant changes in the control of poaching; in fact the conditions have been worsening everyday leading the species towards the brink of extinction in Nepal. Therefore, the time has come for carrying out lobbying initiatives from the global level through the global animal rights movement. This would hopefully bring about the required action from all the stakeholders involved in this issue for a positive change.

In this regard, TNW Nepal, on the behalf of all the Nepalese organizations involved in environment conservation has decided to form "Global Alliance for Rhino Conservation (GARC)" to save the endangered Rhinoceros together. The alliance formed in the eve of AFA 2010 will be a milestone step towards achieving the goal of International Year of Biodiversity (2010) declared by the UN.

Thank You!

Sujan Dhakal

Global Alliance for Rhino Conservation