Support and Incentives

This block focuses on the support and incentive structure for participants. It includes providing seedlings, technical advice, and capacity-building. Payments are performance-based, tied to tree survival and the presence of indigenous and long-rotation species, encouraging long-term forest establishment.

  • Technical Support: Seedlings and expert advice on forest establishment.
  • Performance-Based Payments: Incentives based on tree survival, promoting ongoing care.
  • Capacity Building: Training to enhance tree-planting and maintenance skills.
  • Incentives Motivate Care: Linking payments to tree survival encourages better tree management.
  • Technical Support is Essential: Providing seedlings and expert guidance and regular supervision improves survival rates.
  • Capacity Building Empowers Farmers: Training in sustainable forestry practices leads to successful forest maintenance.

 

 

Planting and Monitoring Criteria

This building block outlines the criteria for planting and monitoring tree survival, focusing on long-rotation and indigenous species. It mandates a minimum of 1600 trees per hectare and ensures diverse and resilient forests. The block also emphasizes monitoring 15-18 months post-planting to verify survival and support continuous forest cover.

  • Species Composition: Minimum 25% long-rotation or indigenous species to enhance ecological diversity.
  • Monitoring: Ensures high survival rates and long-term success.
  • Sustainable Forest Cover: Maintained through enrichment planting and natural regeneration.
  • Monitoring Increases Success: Survival monitoring improves tree care and survival rates.
  • Species Diversity is Critical: A mix of species enhances forest resilience to environmental stressors.
  • Land Use Change Takes Time: Transitioning from farming to forest cover requires ongoing effort and monitoring.
  • Capacity Development is Essential: Training on species selection, planting density, and post-planting management should be integral to the process to ensure sustainable outcomes.
Planter Selection Criteria

This building block defines the criteria for selecting eligible tree planters and planting sites to ensure the success of the results-based incentive system. Participants include individual farmers and small community groups with land holdings ranging from 0.125 to 20 hectares.

Selection of planting sites is guided by established Land Use Plans (LUP), ensuring that the sites align with sustainable land management and restoration priorities. This approach helps optimize the ecological and socio-economic benefits of the plantations while reducing conflicts over land use.

The building block emphasizes proper identification of participants who meet the eligibility criteria and are committed to transforming their land into sustainable forests under the incentive system.

  • Clear Guidelines: Strict criteria requiring the inclusion of long-rotation and indigenous tree species alongside other tree species preferred by farmers.
  • Diverse Participants: Involvement of individuals and groups to ensure broad engagement.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Legalization of land ownership and documentation with GPS coordinates or shapefiles for transparency.
  • Community Trust: Transparent selection processes build trust and increase participation.
  • Documentation is Key: Using GPS or shapefiles for land boundaries enhances monitoring and transparency.
  • Varied Engagement: Including both individuals and organized groups fosters greater community involvement and ownership.
  • Secure Land Use Rights: Land use or resource use right certification is crucial to sustaining group plantings, ensuring long-term commitment and reducing potential conflicts.
Livestock protection infrastructure building

To address human-carnivore conflict, a range of protective measures were implemented in three villages of Limi Valley, Humla, Nepal, with the active involvement of local communities. These measures were designed to protect livestock from depredation by wolves and snow leopards, ensuring the safety of both local livelihoods and wildlife conservation efforts. Key actions include:

  • Commitment to Zero Poaching Policy: Local villagers were engaged to establish a strong commitment to a zero-poaching policy, fostering a collective responsibility for wildlife protection.
  • Construction of Communal Predator-Proof Night Corrals: Villagers collaborated to build sturdy, predator-proof corrals where livestock could be safely kept at night, reducing the risk of depredation.
  • Distribution of Predator-Deterring Foxlights: Foxlights, an effective visual deterrent for predators, were distributed to livestock herders, helping to prevent attacks on livestock by mimicking a human patrolling with lights at night.
  • Co-funding and Maintenance Responsibilities: Villagers took on responsibilities for co-funding the construction of the corrals and ensuring their proper maintenance over time, strengthening their investment in the success of the conservation efforts.

These actions were designed not only to protect livestock but also to build a sense of ownership and responsibility within the local communities, ensuring the sustainability of the efforts.

The success of this approach hinges on the commitment of local communities to the protection of both livestock and wildlife. By involving villagers in co-funding and maintaining the infrastructure, they become active partners in the conservation effort. This sense of ownership helps prevent neglect and fosters long-term support.

  • Local communities may initially resist conservation measures due to cultural habits or the allure of short-term solutions. 
  • The key to success lies in continuous long-tem engagement and demonstrating the practical benefits of the infrastructure. 
  • Building trust and providing incentives for long-term commitment are crucial. A follow-up program is necessary to monitor the effectiveness of the mitigation measures and adapt strategies based on community feedback.
  • Funding resources are capital to ensure continuity, maintenance and effectiveness evaluation. 
  • We tried to conduct a post-intervention survey to account for an increase or decrease in people’s attitude towards carnivores. For this we provided a few selected locals with the survey forms. However they could not perform as expected. This presents a difficult reality in relation to performing social surveys in the remote mountain communities that are only reachable by various days of foot travel.
Capacity Building through Community Conservation Groups (CCG)

The creation of Community Conservation Groups (CCG) has been fundamental in building local capacity for effective conservation of the Himalayan wolf. These groups are composed entirely of local residents who are trained to participate actively in monitoring and conservation activities. Periodic workshops have been conducted to provide training in species monitoring, data collection, and camera trap management. Through these workshops, local participants gain valuable skills that enable them to contribute to the long-term success of the conservation project.

A key enabling factor is the active involvement of local residents in the creation and development of CCG. By providing training and ownership, these communities are empowered to become stewards of conservation efforts. 

The workshops are tailored to meet local needs, and regular follow-ups ensure that knowledge is retained and applied effectively. 

Additionally, the financial benefits generated through their participation in the project foster greater commitment.

Regular workshops and educational outreach, including the creation of the children’s book The Web of Life: A Transhimalayan Animal Adventure and self-designed conservation games, increased awareness about the role of top predators in the ecosystem.

  • Not all community members are initially receptive to participating in conservation efforts. Cultural habits and easier short-term solutions are the first call for many families. Workshops and community engagement are essential to building support.
  • The success of CCGs relies heavily on maintaining continuous engagement and adapting training programs to local realities. Establishing trust and ensuring that the community sees tangible benefits from their involvement are crucial for sustaining long-term participation. Regular communication and capacity-building efforts are essential to maintaining momentum and ensuring the success of the conservation plan.
  • Building a balanced relationship with local communities required an open, judgment-free approach that respected their cultural uniqueness and avoided imposing moral perspectives beforehand.
Technology deployment and field monitoring

The research on Himalayan wolf ecological requirements to face the climate crisis is based on camera trap data collected in the field in Limi valley of upper Humla (Nepal) from 2021 and 2023. 61 Cameras were powered by batteries and information was stored in SD cards. SD cards were collected by local collaborators who were trained specifically on these management tasks. After delivery, data was deposited in a cloud storage and camera trap data was processed using Traptagger, Wild eye AI technology. Local collaborators were equipped with GPS devices to register events and handle camera trap management.

The determinant factor to successfully achieve our goals in this block is to account with technology to monitor wolf populations (GPS devices and camera traps). 

The second success key will be the participation of local communities who possess traditional knowledge of the study area helping us in selecting best places to place them, keeping the camera traps working, and safe from theft, and maximizing the camera traps performance. 

Securing research permits is a mandatory factor that needs to be addressed with care.

The technical simplicity of camera trap deployment encounters the logistic complexity of working in one of the remotest areas in the Himalayan range. The support by local communities is capital to the success of the block. Understanding the routes that herders use with their livestock is essential to prevent human interaction with cameras, wolves activity cores, and depredation sites.

Camera trap deployment has to be useful for spatial modelling but also has to account for optimizing wolf detections. Therefore, it is important to be flexible with analysis model requirements to account for the ground realities of high mountain carnivore field research.

Camera trap maintenance has to be done regularly. The fact of including local trained members in our team improves the logistics of this periodicity, increases the engagement in conservation values, and produces a source of economic income for the participants.

 

 

Educational Initiatives

Programs like eco-classrooms, guided tours, and school collaborations raised awareness, while immersive experiences, such as observing salmon in their natural habitats, fostered public engagement.

  • The Formosan landlocked salmon serves as a vital environmental indicator; protecting this species contributes to overall environmental improvement.
  • Environmental education initiatives include interpretive services and guided tours along Qijiawan River, collaborative community and tribal education efforts, conservation-focused courses and ecological camps designed with schools, and volunteer recruitment for hands-on conservation work.
  • Plans are underway to introduce immersive experience classrooms, where participants can wear wetsuits and enter the stream to observe the Formosan landlocked salmon in its natural habitat. These experiences aim to deepen public understanding, foster care, and inspire action to protect stream ecosystems and water resources.
  • The general public lacks sufficient awareness of the Formosan landlocked salmon. Environmental education through diverse channels is essential to garner greater support for conservation efforts.
Reforestation and Water Quality Improvements (In-Situ Conservation)

More than 500,000 native trees were planted, converting polluted farmlands into forested areas. Additionally, wastewater treatment systems were implemented to minimize runoff from recreational zones.

  • High-altitude agriculture in the upper Dajia River and its tributaries polluted the ecosystem, with water quality degradation being a primary factor in the near extinction of the Formosan landlocked salmon.
  • An intact forest environment supports the three critical conditions for the salmon's survival: temperature regulation, food availability, and clean water.
  • In 1997, plans were initiated to install wastewater treatment systems to manage sewage from Wuling Farm and surrounding recreational areas, with the first plant becoming operational in 2002.
  • Negotiations with Wuling Farm facilitated its transition toward eco-tourism, reducing agricultural activities and reclaiming farmland for reforestation.
  • In collaboration with the Forestry Bureau, 500,000 native trees were planted along the Qijiawan River and on reclaimed farmland to restore the riparian ecosystem.
  • In December 2006, the final 8.1 hectares of private land in the Wuling area were acquired, ensuring the Qijiawan River habitat remains free from pollution caused by high-altitude agriculture.
  • The presence of high-altitude agriculture stems from the economic needs of indigenous and local communities, highlighting the importance of fostering dialogue aimed at co-existence and mutual prosperity.
Collaborating with Local and Indigenous Communities (Ex-Situ Conservation)

Indigenous Atayal communities played a vital role in conservation patrols and monitoring environmental changes. Partnerships not only created employment opportunities but also strengthened the cultural connection between the communities and the species.

  • In 2000, neighboring indigenous communities and partners (Sqoyaw Village and Nanshan Tribe communities) formed informal fish protection teams to protect the Formosan landlocked salmon within their traditional territories.
  • After the release of the salmon, monitoring and management efforts became essential, with collaboration from indigenous communities and local neighborhoods being prioritized.
  • Shei-Pa National Park's rugged terrain and vast management area make it ideal for indigenous people, who are familiar with the local landscape and can assist in comprehensive patrolling.
  • Indigenous communities possess rich traditional ecological knowledge, enabling them to detect habitat changes, identify threats from invasive species, and notice abnormalities in the ecosystem, providing invaluable insights for conservation efforts.
  • A co-management mechanism involving indigenous communities and local neighborhoods fosters more effective conservation actions and reduces potential conflicts, such as poaching or illegal activities.
  • This collaboration also provides employment opportunities for indigenous communities, alleviating economic pressure caused by the reduction of traditional hunting or farming activities. It integrates conservation efforts into the local economy, creating a win-win situation for both conservation and social development.
  • The final success of conservation efforts relies not only on the introduction of professional techniques but also on local community participation and the enhancement of awareness.
Reintroducing the Salmon to Its Historical Habitats (Ex-Situ Conservation)

Following habitat restoration efforts, including the removal of silt traps and reforestation along riverbanks, the salmon were reintroduced to five historical streams. Technologies, such as mini radio transmitters, were used to track the salmon’s behavior and assess the suitability of their restored habitats.

  • The Formosan landlocked salmon is a keystone species in stream ecosystems, with its presence helps maintain ecological balance. Restoring populations in historically distributed areas promotes the integrity and stability of local ecosystems.
  • The three-phase goal set at the 2000 Formosan Landlocked Salmon Conservation Research Symposium aims to restore its natural habitats, expand the species' natural distribution range, and reduce survival risks posed by issues like climate change.
  • The 2005 Wuling Stream Long-Term Monitoring Integrated Plan (2005-2013) involved monitoring habitats and species prior to the silt trap improvement plan, laying the groundwork for the restoration of ecosystem balance.
  • In 2017, a cross-regional collaboration with Taroko National Park enabled the release of Formosan landlocked salmon into Hehuan and Nanhu rivers, which are at higher elevations than the Qijiawan River.
  • Releasing salmon into different streams and different sections of the same stream fosters evolutionary diversity, contributing to the genetic diversity of the Formosan landlocked salmon.
  • In October 2023, a breakthrough in reintroduction techniques overcame the challenge of transporting fish over long distances. Through waterless transport, the eggs were transported and reintroduced into the upper reaches of Nanhu River, at an altitude of 2,200 meters in Zhongyangjian River.
  • In 2004, Typhoon Aere brought heavy rains and landslides that destroyed the hatchery along the Qijiawan River. The previous efforts were washed away, causing a 2–3-year disruption in the off-site conservation work. However, researchers and conservationists, equipped with prior experience, remained determined to persist in their efforts. To mitigate the impact of future extreme weather events, they also began releasing salmon into multiple streams, dispersing the risks associated with such climatic challenges.