Temporal Wildlife Crime Trend and Sociodemographic Attributes of Offenders in Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal

Abstract Wildlife crime has emerged as one of the most crucial threats to biodiversity conservation and is particularly severe in south and southeast Asia. Addressing the ever-increasing challenges of wildlife crime in Nepal requires strategies informed by rigorous analysis of spatiotemporal patterns of wildlife crime. However, little do we know about the nature and trends of wildlife crimes in Nepal. Retrieving the information on the registered wild-life crime cases of Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA) from the Annapurna Conservation Area Liaison Office (ACALO) and Kaski District Court, this study assessed the temporal trend and spatial pattern of wildlife crime in the ACA from 1994 to 2019. Additionally, this study assessed the sociodemographic characteristics of the people convicted in wildlife crime cases. A total of 48 cases of crimes were registered over the last 25 years among which the majority of the cases were of poaching and wildlife trophies transportation (89.6%) mainly from Kaski district (60%). For those cases, a total of 132 people were convicted (65% from local villages and 35% from outside the ACA). About 68% of the convicted perpetrators were from Janajati ethnicity with poor economic conditions. These inferences emphasize the necessity of understanding the severity and pattern of the crime to prevent it by synthesizing and implementing conservation programs such as educating targeted groups and providing alternative sources of income.