Narayan Prasad Koju, Bhim Maya Tamang
The illegal wildlife trade (IWT) poses a major driver of global biodiversity loss and poses particular challenges in biodiversity-rich countries located along international trafficking routes. Nepal occupies a strategic position between two of the world's largest consumer markets for wildlife products, India and China, making Kathmandu Valley an important urban center for wildlife trafficking. Despite its strategic importance, long-term analyses of wildlife crime patterns in Kathmandu Valley remain limited. This study examines patterns and temporal trends in IWT and describes the demographic characteristics of offenders in Kathmandu Valley based on 306 wildlife crime cases recorded between 2017 and 2022. Data was collected from Divisional Forest Offices, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. A total of 36 animal species were documented in seizures, including 31 mammals, four reptiles, and one fish species, with five identified exotic species. The most frequently seized species were the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla), leopard (Panthera pardus), red panda (Ailurus fulgens), Himalayan black bear (Ursus thibetanus), and musk deer (Moschus spp.). Pangolin scales and leopard skins were the most common wildlife products confiscated. The highest number of arrests occurred in 2018, with a sharp decline in 2020 that coincided with the restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among 740 individuals detained, 98% were male and 50.1% belonged to the 20-29 age group. Most offenders originated from adjoining districts of Kathmandu Valley, particularly from the Tamang community (29.1%). This male-biased sex ratio and the pronounced representation of young adults each departed significantly from an equal distribution (χ 2 goodness-of-fit tests; both p < 0.001), whereas the annual number of recorded cases showed no significant temporal trend across the study period (Spearman's ρ = 0.036, p = 0.939). To our knowledge, this represents one of the first multi-year spatial-demographic analysis of illegal wildlife trade in Nepal's primary urban hub, offering exploratory insights relevant to transboundary enforcement. The findings may have implications for regional conservation policy, suggesting the need for cross-border collaboration, targeted law enforcement, and the integration of socio-economic development in to anti-trafficking strategies. To effectively combat IWT and safeguard Nepal's biodiversity, a coordinated approach involving strengthened legal frameworks, enhanced surveillance, public awareness campaigns, and community-based conservation initiatives is urgently needed.