No peace dividend for Nepal's wildlife (BBC)

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By Navin Singh Khadka
BBC News, Kathmandu

Nepal contains some of the most famous national parks and conservation areas in the world - but their animals are now in peril.

The country's political transition has marked a sharp increase in the poaching and trafficking of endangered species.

With all eyes and ears on the current peace process ushering Maoist rebels into mainstream politics, conservationists say the stage has never been better set for this illegal trade in animals.

The government's Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) has confirmed more than 20 rhinos were killed for their horns in national parks and wildlife reserves in the nine months after the government and the Maoists began the peace process.
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Unofficial figures on rhino poaching are much higher, and several conservation organisations believe that almost all of the 80 rhinos in Babai Valley in western Nepal have been poached.
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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6303603.stm