The first national conference is scheduled to be held in the last week of November to review the diversity, distribution, impact, and policy status of exotic species.

The conference to be held in Kathmandu on November 10 and 11 will discuss various issues of global and national concern related to the species. The main organization of the conference, the Ministry of Forest and Environment, Forest Research and Training Center, is the theme of 'Building Consensus for the Control of Exotic Species'.

Sunita Ulak, Undersecretary of the Center, informed that the conference will build cooperation among stakeholders for effective policy and programmatic responses to control and prevent exotic species. She said that exotic species are continuously causing damage to the ecosystem, reducing biodiversity and agricultural production, and negatively affecting the livelihoods of local residents.

'This problem is increasing. Therefore, the conference is being organized with the aim of bringing together government and educational institutions, conservation and development partners, NGOs, and the private sector, as well as representatives involved in conservation campaigns, on a common platform to build consensus on understanding and collective action regarding exotic species,' said Undersecretary Ulak.

He believes that the first national conference on invasive alien species management will provide an opportunity to exchange knowledge, assess the national situation, identify effective management measures and prepare evidence-based policy recommendations. 

In addition, experts say that the conference will help align international commitments, including the Sustainable Development Goals and the Convention on Biological Diversity, with the national action plan. The conference is said to contribute to fulfilling the objectives of the National Invasive Alien Species Management Strategy and Implementation Plan approved in 2078/79 BS.

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The conference will discuss issues such as biosecurity (plant and animal quarantine) and biological invasions, use of alien species for forestry and agro-forestry systems, introduction of alien species through fisheries, aquaculture and aquariums, introduction of floriculture and invasive plant species, spread of invasive species through trade, travel and tourism, and infrastructure development and biological invasions.

Similarly, it is said that the threat of invasive species to agriculture and food security, its impact on indigenous and local communities, integrating its control in forest management, and management of invasive species in protected areas and Ramsar sites will also be discussed. In addition, coordination, collaboration and policy related to urban planning and urban biodiversity management, the role of various agencies, partners and government organizations in the arrival, spread and control of alien species, biological attacks in school and university curricula and the role of the local level in invasive species management will be discussed. 

The organizers have stated that about 200 participants will participate in the conference, including policymakers, government officials, researchers, individuals from the academic sector, representatives of NGOs, community organizations, the private sector and those involved in invasive species management.

29 types of invasive species in Nepal

Dr. Rajendra KC, Director General of the Training Center, informed that the challenge of alien species has been increasing in Nepal in recent times due to climate change and other factors.  'The center has data that 29 types of invasive species have been seen in Nepal so far. It suppresses other local plants, prevents them from growing. It also affects the sunlight. The species itself can survive in difficult conditions,' he said.

Dr. KC said that the species enters through foreign travel and various goods brought along, forest products, wood, seeds, etc. and grows rapidly in favorable climates, killing other plants. Experts in this field say that using the species is not environmentally sustainable.

Currently, the Ultekanda weed is said to be widespread in Jhapa, which was imported from India along with the straw brought from India to cover the houses of Bhutanese refugees at that time, according to studies. The main species of the species include the Banmara and Mycenaea weed found in the forests of the national park, the water lily found in lakes, and the Nilogandhe weed that spreads on barren land.