His Majesty's Government of Nepal and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), today, signed an agreement on "Western Terai Landscape Complex Project". The US$ 13.1 million Project covers eight years and aims at ensuring the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the western part of Nepal's Terai Arc Landscape covering three districts- Bardia, Kailali and Kanchanpur.

Mr. Anandaram Regmi, Under Secretary, on behalf of the Ministry of Finance, Dr. Damodar Prasad Parajuli, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, on behalf of executing agency and UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, Mr. Ghulam Isaczai, signed the agreement at the Ministry of Finance.

The Project is in line with Nepal's biodiversity conservation policies and strategies and is designed to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the western part of Nepal's Terai Arc Landscape by establishing effective management systems and building capacity for the conservation and sustainable use of the Western Terai landscape complex. The Project strategy is based on the premise that the long-term viability of globally significant biodiversity hinges on the ability to manage an overall system of habitats in a wide ecological landscape that goes beyond the confines of protected areas. Protected areas remain critical elements in biodiversity management. Therefore, Project interventions will strengthen biodiversity management systems towards scientific and participatory approaches to improve conservation efforts and effectively address root causes of threats to biodiversity conservation.

The Project's landscape approach aims towards integrated ecosystem management to achieve the multiple objectives of conservation, sustainable natural resource management, and poverty alleviation by reorienting biodiversity management approaches and its institutional arrangements. Ultimately, the Project aims to develop replicable landscape-level management models to safeguard the biological wealth and vital ecological functions in Nepal.

UNDP's contribution to the Project is US$5.3 million (to include funded leveraged by UNDP from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The main partners for the Project are: Ministry of Finance (MoF), Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation (MoFSC; as the executing agency), Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MoAC), SNV Nepal (Netherlands Development Organization), World Wildlife Fund Nepal Programme (WWF-Nepal), International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC), Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD), Global Environment Facility (GEF) and UNDP.

His Majesty's Government of Nepal has expressed its sincere appreciation to the United Nations Development Programme and the main partners of this Project for their continued support in the socio-economic development of Nepal.