The Great Earthquake on April 25, 2015, and the series of landslides that followed caused significant loss and damage to the wildlife and their habitats.

According to the Rapid Environment Assessment (REA) report prepared by the Ministry of Science Technology and Environment (MoSTE),  Langtang National Park, Sagarmatha National  Park, Manaslu National Park and Gaurishankar Conservation Area were among the severely affected in terms of loss of forest cover, infrastructure, wildlife and their habitats.

Other affected protected areas include Sagarmatha National Park, Makalu-Barun National Park, Shivapuri-Nagarjun National Park, and Annapurna Conservation Area.

The affected seven protected areas cover a total area of 15,988 square kilometres (about 47 percent of the total protected area coverage in the country), and serve as habitats to several wildlife species of global significance such as red panda, musk deer, and Himalayan tahr.

Soon after the earthquake, the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation had reported that over 50 Himalayan tahrs, one snow leopard, five wild boars along with barking deer and musk deer had died inside the Langtang Conservation Area.

The number of deaths of important wildlife is expected to be much higher in other protected areas.

The months between April and June is the period when the breeding of some endangered wildlife species like snow leopard, red panda, Himalayan musk deer. The report mentions that the earthquake and landslides might have impacted their breeding as well as the survival rates of the young population.

“A detailed study is needed to understand the impacts of the earthquake at species and ecosystem level in earthquake hit areas,” the report has suggested.

The REA findings found that around 2.2 percent of the forest cover (around 23,375 hectares) was destroyed in six districts, namely Gorkha, Dhading, Nuwakot, Rasuwa, Sindhupalchok and Dolakha.

Besides, the impacts on forests and biodiversity sector, the REA assessed the environmental impacts of solid and hazardous materials along with geological and hydrological changes caused due to the earthquake.

The post disaster needs assessment (PDNA) estimated the value of damage and

loss at Rs 707.5 billion

(USD 7,065 million), with major share borne by the housing, from the earthquake.

The MoSTE, in technical and financial support from the WWF Nepal and

Hariyo Ban Programme of USAID, had conducted the assessment with the goal of assessing the immediate impacts of the earthquake on biodiversity and the natural environment, identifying potential environmental impacts of recovery and reconstruction, and promoting green recovery and reconstruction for a more resilient Nepal.