Protecting Pangolins & Empowering Communities in Madhesh
Mithila Wildlife Trust is at the frontline of pangolin conservation in the Chitwan-Sindhuli green corridor — working with communities, forests, and law enforcement to end illegal wildlife trade at its source.
Explore Our WorkRooted in Madhesh. Committed to Wildlife.
Mithila Wildlife Trust (MWT) is a conservation organisation with deep community presence in Nepal's Madhesh Province. Through its field expertise and strong ties with local government and forest authorities, MWT serves as a trusted partner in protecting endangered species and reversing the economic drivers of illegal wildlife trade.
As an implementing partner in the IWT Challenge Fund project led by ZSL Nepal, MWT led all community-level conservation and livelihood work in Dhanusa District — bridging forest governance, grassroots organising, and wildlife protection.
How MWT Tackles Illegal Wildlife Trade
MWT implemented a multi-pronged programme across community engagement, wildlife monitoring, law enforcement collaboration, and alternative livelihoods in the Chitwan-Sindhuli corridor.
Establishing the Conservation Area
MWT led the establishment of the Bhatighari Chure Community Managed Pangolin Conservation Area (CMPCA) in Dhanusa District — a first-of-its-kind community-owned conservation zone outside protected areas in Madhesh Province, covering 210 member households.
Forest Patrolling & Monitoring
MWT equipped and supported a Community-Based Anti-Poaching Unit (CBAPU) of 20 voluntary members. The team conducted regular patrols of pangolin habitat, recording burrows, termite mounds, and signs of wildlife activity — building a living dataset for conservation decision-making.
Law Enforcement Collaboration
MWT worked directly with the Division Forest Office (DFO) in Dhanusa, securing approval for project activities and building a functional reporting channel between community groups and government law enforcement agencies. When community members reported an injured pangolin, MWT coordinated its rescue alongside DFO Dhanusa.
Conservation Awareness
MWT delivered awareness programmes on pangolin conservation and IWT control for school children, community members, and stakeholders in Dhanusa. Radio jingles on pangolin conservation were broadcast through local FM stations approximately 2,784 times across the project period, reaching tens of thousands of listeners.
GESI & Governance Training
MWT delivered training on Gender Equality, Social Inclusion (GESI), and good governance principles to CMPCA and cooperative members — ensuring that conservation leadership in the community was equitable, accountable, and inclusive of women and marginalised groups.
Sustainable Livelihoods
MWT established and managed the Bhatighari Women Income Generation Group (BWIGG) — a women-led cooperative providing soft loans at 6% interest for livestock farming, agriculture, and small enterprises. MWT monitored livelihood activities monthly, ensuring members translated skills training into real income growth.
People at the Heart of Conservation
MWT's approach recognises that lasting wildlife protection requires lasting community wellbeing. Every intervention was designed to centre women, indigenous groups, and economically marginalised households.
Women-Led Cooperative in Dhanusa
MWT established the Bhatighari Women Income Generation Group (BWIGG) in Dhanusa — a cooperative providing 210 households access to soft loans for income-generating activities. By project end, the cooperative's seed fund had grown by nearly 61%, entirely through members' own savings, interest, and contributions.
97.5% women membersReaching Indigenous & Marginalised Groups
MWT prioritised inclusion from day one. Of the total cooperative membership, 77% belong to indigenous or disadvantaged communities, including Madhesi and Dalit households. Across all community-level activities in Dhanusa, 85% of indigenous and marginalised group members were represented.
Madhesi · Dalit · Indigenous groupsPangolin Rescue & Community Intelligence
In a landmark demonstration of community conservation in action, locals in Bhatighari CF heard information about pangolin conservation through MWT's radio campaign and reported an injured pangolin to MWT and DFO Dhanusa. MWT coordinated the animal's rescue, treatment, and release back into the wild.
Community-led wildlife responseClean Cooking Stoves to Reduce Forest Pressure
MWT distributed improved cooking stoves — including 100 electric stoves and 6 LPG units — to Bhatighari CFUG members, directly reducing dependence on fuelwood. This not only eased pressure on pangolin habitat but also reduced indoor air pollution for women who do most household cooking.
43% reduction in forest dependencyQuarterly Meetings with Forest & Wildlife Authorities
MWT facilitated regular quarterly meetings between CMPCA members, the Division Forest Office, and Protected Area managers — creating a structured platform for intelligence sharing, pangolin monitoring updates, and joint planning. Women (67%) and indigenous groups (70%) participated in every meeting.
8 quarterly meetings facilitatedMeasurable Impact in Madhesh
Across three years of implementation, MWT's work in Dhanusa delivered measurable results for wildlife, communities, and conservation governance.
Member Households in CMPCA
Bhatighari Chure Community Managed Pangolin Conservation Area established with full community endorsement of participatory natural resource management plans.
Radio Jingle Broadcasts
Pangolin conservation messages aired through local FM radio in Dhanusa across the project period, reaching an audience estimated in the tens of thousands.
Average Income Increase
Post-project assessment showed income growth of 96.7% in Dhanusa specifically — among the highest recorded across both project sites.
Seed Fund Growth
BWIGG cooperative members grew the initial seed fund through monthly savings, interest collection, and contributions — reaching NPR 2,253,300 by project close.
Full Achievements at a Glance
- Established Bhatighari Chure CMPCA with 210 member households (559 male, 517 female) — an entirely new institutional structure for pangolin conservation in Dhanusa District
- Formed and supported a 20-member Community-Based Anti-Poaching Unit (CBAPU) with training in GPS, camera trapping, and wildlife monitoring — 40% increase in knowledge and confidence scores post-training
- Coordinated direct rescue and treatment of an injured pangolin alongside DFO Dhanusa, following a community tip generated through MWT's awareness campaign
- Sensitised hundreds of school children and community stakeholders across Dhanusa on pangolin conservation and IWT prevention through in-person awareness events
- Facilitated 8 quarterly intelligence-sharing meetings between CMPCA, DFO Dhanusa, and Protected Area representatives — enabling a formal community-to-enforcement reporting system
- Delivered GESI and good governance training to cooperative and CMPCA members to embed equity in conservation leadership structures
- Conducted 3 exposure visits for cooperative members to ZSL-supported conservation and livelihood models, including vulture restaurants and community wildlife tourism in Nawalpur and Makwanpur
- Achieved 43% reduction in community forest dependency through livestock training, stall-feeding practices, and distribution of clean cooking stoves
- Briefed local, provincial, and federal government bodies on project objectives and received continued support for implementation beyond the initial protected area boundary
Where We Work
Dhanusa District, Madhesh Province
MWT's primary operational area is Dhanusa District in Nepal's Madhesh Province — a lowland Terai region bordering India, located along the Chitwan-Sindhuli green corridor. This landscape connects Parsa National Park westward through forest patches to the Chure hills, creating a critical migration and dispersal corridor for pangolins and other wildlife.
Community forests in this region sit outside the formal protected area network, making community-based conservation — led by organisations like MWT with deep local roots — essential for safeguarding pangolin habitat at the landscape scale.
- Bhatighari Chure Community Forest — Primary CMPCA site
- Dhanusa District — Division Forest Office partner
- Madhesh Province — Provincial government engagement
- Chitwan-Sindhuli Corridor — Landscape conservation zone
- India border region — IWT transboundary hotspot context
Project Partners