Conservation of Biodiversity and Forest Resources in Nepal: Degradation and Threats

Nepal is rich country in terms of its vast array of biological diversity. The relationship between local communities and the biological diversity in Nepal is a very entangle one, whereby two-thirds of our population are heavily dependent upon the biodiversity for their survival. The destruction of biodiversity signifies the destruction of people’s livelihoods and survival. Biodiversity and genetic resources conservation has been a most significant part of the Nepalese society due to its socio-economic and cultural importance and provides the human race trees for timber, fuel, food, industrial raw materials, pharmaceuticals, beverages and environmental stabilization. Threats to biodiversity at global level is of greater concern, specially, human activities are the greatest factor currently affecting biodiversity, through the use of natural resources by industry, agriculture, hunting, and energy generation.