Nepal’s newest national parks drive tiger recovery, but emerging concerns threaten progress

Nepal’s wild tiger population rose to an estimated 429 individuals, up from 355 in 2022 and nearly quadruple the count from 16 years ago, per the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. A department spokesperson credited habitat management, poaching control, prey conservation and biological corridors for the increase.

But the gains are concentrated almost entirely in Nepal’s newest parks — Banke, Parsa and Shuklaphanta — while Bardiya, the second-oldest park, saw tiger numbers decline even as its prey density rose 74% between 2022 and 2026. Researchers point instead to drought along the Geruwa River pushing tigers toward parks with artificial waterholes, and to invasive weeds like bitter vine and lantana degrading older grasslands.

A 2025 study found proximity to artificial water sources predicts tiger distribution better than prey abundance does, undercutting the tidier institutional narrative. Researchers also warn that expanding tiger populations are displacing leopards into human settlements, raising the prospect of more conflict with both species.

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