CONSERVING BIODIVERSITY & DELIVERING ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

Birds are an important component of biodiversity. They are involved in many ecosystem functions through their role as
scavengers (see box), pollinators and seed dispersers, and in pest control. In Nepal birds such as the Asian Openbill, Lesser
Adjutant and Sarus Crane feed in agricultural fields and control many harmful insects and other invertebrates that would
otherwise damage crops and reduce yields. Birds are also important as an ecosystem service ‘good’ in their own right in terms
of the pleasure they give to millions of birdwatchers and nature lovers around the world, and are often the basis for lucrative
eco-tourism ventures. Many people enjoy just having birds around them and their homes, such as Oriental Magpie Robin which
occurs in the mid-hills and lowland villages and towns in Nepal.
As well as being of value in themselves, birds can also be considered as important indicators of the more general state of
ecosystem health. Knowledge of the state of a country’s birds can therefore give an indication of how well the country’s
ecosystems are delivering benefits to people.
Vultures: a special case
Vultures fulfil an extremely important ecological role. As scavengers, they keep the environment free of carcasses and waste,
restrict the spread of diseases such as anthrax and botulism, and help control numbers of pests, such as rats and dogs, by
reducing the food available to them. They are of cultural value to some communities and have important eco-tourism value
too. Vultures in South Asia have declined drastically (some species by up to 99%) in recent years predominantly as a result of
widespread use of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac in livestock. Vultures become exposed to the drug by
feeding on large animal carcasses, particularly cattle, treated with the drug. Their decline not only risks extinction of the
global population of several vulture species, but also has negative impacts for human well-being.
Fewer vultures result in:
White-rumped Vulture
(Jyotendra Jyu Thakuri)
Economic impacts
■ Burial/incineration results in loss of supply of dead cattle for
tanning industry
■ Profitability for traditional professions (e.g. bone collecting) reduced
■ Carcass disposal costs
■ Fewer tourists attracted by viewing vultures
Health impacts
■ Uneaten carcasses can be sources of a range of infectious diseases
■ An increase in other scavenger populations (e.g. feral dogs) may
increase risk from disease exposure including rabies
Social impacts
■ Cultural and religious values lost
■ Utility values to Parsee communities in India lost
■ Existence value diminished
Environmental impacts
■ Pollution from rotting carcasses (air, soil, water)
Nepal is renowned internationally for its rich diversity of bird
species. A total of 871 species has been recorded in the
country, over 8% of the world’s known birds in just 0.1% of its
land mass. In 2010, a review of the status of Nepal’s birds
showed that 149 species—nearly one in five—were
considered threatened at the national level, an increase of
over 10% compared with a similar assessment undertaken in
2004. Around 100 of these species were thought to be on the
very edge of extinction (see figure and p.34 for information
on determining the status of Nepal’s birds).
The national Red List status for Nepal’s birds in 2004 and 2010
Vulnerable
Endangered
Critically
Endangered
SOURCE BCN and DNPWC (2011) The state of Nepal’s birds 2010. Kathmandu: Bird
Conservation Nepal and Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation.