IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature

Director General
Department of Forest
Babarmahal
Kathmandu
Nepal
Tel: ++977 (1) 4227574 , banaspati@flora.wlink.com.np
Fax: +977 (1) 4227374
Email: mailto:udaysharma@wlink.com.np
http://www.biodiv-nepal.gov.np/pr_dept.html

• Bangladesh
• Bhutan
• British Indian Ocean Territory
• India
• Maldives
• Nepal
• Pakistan
• Sri Lanka

WCPA South Asia 's Regional Action Plan outlines priority projects for the following areas:

• capacity building;
• regional guidelines for protected area management;
• regional guidelines on community involvement in protected area management; and
• case studies of transboundary protected areas.

South Asia is a densely populated region that contains spectacular scenery and important biodiversity, ranging from Mount Everest (Sagarmatha) in Nepal to the tiger reserves of India. The line where nature ends and human influence begins is often indistinct and, as for other regions, only an artifact of a limited perception of time. Protected areas encompass an area of roughly 211,000 sqkm in South Asia.

The percentage of protected area coverage varies greatly among countries with, for example, Bhutan having designated over 20% of its territory as protected, and Pakistan and India approximately 4%. Key protected areas issues include: Adequacy of coverage. It is important to note that while there may be a high percentage of area covered within the protected areas system of some countries, not all habitats are adequately represented. Important areas of endemism and other biologically significant areas still need to be protected.

As for other regions, marine areas and wetlands have been poorly represented in protected area designation and remain underrepresented in protected area networks.

The following threats are common to protected areas in South Asia:

• commercial - industrial pressure including mining, logging, and development projects;
• poaching and illegal felling and removal of timber;
• human dependency for fuelwood, non-timber forest products, and grazing
• mismanaged tourism;
• weak legislative control and enforcement; and
• lack of political commitment for conservation.