Corridors in Western Terai Landscape Complex

 

Corridor is an area of natural habitat, which includes forests, grasslands or other natural terrestrial habitats that contain the ecological conditions necessary for potential wildlife movement. SOURCE: WWF Nepal, 2004

The WTLCP works together with TAL programme to reinforce conservation initiatives in three corridors: Khata of Bardia, Basanta of Kailali and Laljhadi of Kanchanpur districts.

The Basanta corridor connects India's Dudhuwa National Park in the south and Nepal's Churia forests in the north. Similarly, the Khata corridor connects Bardia National Park in Nepal with Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in India. The Laljhadi corridor on the other hand connects Nepal's Churia forests in the north to India's Dudhuwa National Park in the south.

Approximately 60% of the Western Terai Landscape Complex is covered with tropical and sub-tropical forest, with the forests of the Churia range remaining largely undisturbed. The Churia hills harbour high biodiversity values and form part of the habitat network of flagship species. It is also a critical water catchments area for the lowland Terai and supporting productive agricultural land. In addition, certain areas in the Churia foothills within the targeted landscape represent critical bottlenecks in the movement of flagship species across the landscape.