Mithila Wildlife Trust

Mithila Wildlife Trust (MWT) is using community-based conservation strategies to help restore the national forest and its biodiversity, as well as to fill the gap in conservation operations outside of Protected Areas (PA). It has helped to restore the Dhanushadham Protected Forest, which has been declared an "Illicit Felling and Open Grazing Free Zone" at no cost. This woodland now serves as a safe haven for species going from Parsa National Park in the west to Koshi Tapu Wildlife Reserve in the east over the Terai plains. With a close link with the communities living in the wildlife corridor of Madhesh Province, MWT has been rebuilding degraded river banks in the Shiwalik Churia range as dense forest as part of a commitment to restore the traditional wildlife corridor. The Gemma and Chris McGough Charitable Foundation and Pipal Tree, UK have been sponsoring community-based restoration projects. The organization has been collaborating with the provincial and local governments to ensure that effective law enforcement is in place to combat illegal wildlife trading. Community Stewardship programs, funded by the Zoological Society of London in the United Kingdom and implemented in collaboration with Community Forest User Groups. In certain districts, over 400 financially disadvantaged households have benefited directly. By transferring technical skills and providing the necessary seed money, sustainable livelihoods are created, human-wildlife conflicts are reduced, and the reliance on natural habitat is reduced.