A Mila Productions film production for WWF Nepal
Red panda (Ailurus fulgens) is one of the poorly known small-bodied mammalian carnivore adapted to the herbivore diet. Globally, it is found in mountainous regions of India, China, Bhutan, Burma, Laos and Nepal. In Nepal, it is distributed in an altitudinal range from 1500 metres above sea level (masl) to 4000 masl in the Himalayas. It is known to inhabit the eight protected areas (PA) of Nepal such as Kangchenjungha Conservation Area (KCA), Makalu Barun National Park and Buffer Zone (MBNP BZ), Sagarmatha National Park and Buffer Zone (SNP BZ), Langtang National Park and Buffer Zone (LNP BZ), Manaslu Conservation Area, Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA), Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve (DHR), and Rara National Park and Buffer Zone (RNP BZ) ( BPP 1995, Yonzon et al. 1997) including adjoining areas like biological corridors and bottlenecks of these PAs.
In Nepal, Yonzon et al. (1997) estimated a total 314 individuals on the basis of habitat suitability index. However, survival of red panda in its natural habitats is threatened by ever increasing anthropogenic disturbances that has resulted into loss, fragmentation and degradation of its habitats. Red pandas are extremely vulnerable to these disturbances especially due to their highly specialized niche.
In an attempt to conserve red panda in their natural habitats, the Government of Nepal enlisted the red panda in the schedule 1 of the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act (1973) as a protected species. Furthermore, IUCN has also enlisted it in endangered status; whereas it is also categorized under Appendix I of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) thereby restricting the trade of red panda and its parts. In order to materialize these policies the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Nepal in collaboration with WWF Nepal has recently drafted an action plan for red panda conservation. Besides, WWF Nepal envisages the landscape level conservation of red panda and other flagship species with the implementation of conservation based initiatives under the framework of Sacred Himalayan Landscape in the Eastern Himalayas.
This film reflects some moments of Langtang National Park and Buffer Zone, where the red panda, also known as Norbu in local language, has been identified as a focal species for conservation. Specifically the film focuses on the conservation and cultural significance of the red panda and how local communities in partnership with scientists, government and conservation organizations are involved in red panda conservation. With interviews of various stakeholders and experts, this documentary calls actions from the conservationists, communities, and policy makers who have invariably ignored its importance to maintaining integrity of the mountainous ecosystem and bringing livelihood benefits to mountain communities.
