Disappearing Natives, Emerging Invasives: Indigenous Knowledge, Biodiversity Loss, and Climate Resilience in Gandaki Province, Nepal

Climate change, deforestation, and chemical-intensive agriculture are rapidly reshaping ecosystems across the Global South, with profound consequences for Indigenous communities. Yet dominant biodiversity and invasive species research often marginalizes Indigenous interpretations and lived experience. This study examines how Gurung Indigenous and Dalit communities in Gandaki Province, Nepal understand shifts in native and invasive species and how these changes affect ecological balance, food security, cultural life, and climate resilience. Using community conversations and Indigenous Elder knowledge, the study documents fifteen years (2010–2025) of perceived ecological change, focusing on birds, pollinators, insects, and invasive species. Knowledge is treated as relational, experiential, and land-based science. Findings explain a dual process: the disappearance of native species (songbirds, eagles, bees, native insects) and the proliferation of invasive species (monkeys, cobras, foreign birds, pest insects). These changes are experienced as ecological, cultural, and spiritual disruption. Communities link species shifts to climate change, chemical farming, and deforestation, while emphasizing women-led adaptation and biodiversity protection. The study demonstrates that biodiversity loss is inseparable from cultural survival. Indigenous knowledge offers critical pathways for climate resilience through land-based stewardship, reduced chemical dependency, and gender-inclusive adaptation strategies.