The 42 lizard species known from Nepal have received little conservation attention. In many Nepalese communities, lizards are portrayed as relatives of snakes and considered to be venomous, and in folklore they are treated as lazy and dishonest animals. There are three species of sitana lizards in Nepal: the Siwalik sitana Sitana sivalensis, Shuklaphanta sitana Sitana schleichi and dark sitana Sitana fusca. The dark sitana is an agamid lizard endemic to Nepal and known only from its type locality in Madhesh province. It is categorized as Critically Endangered as a result of habitat loss, forest fragmentation and urbanization.

With support from The Rufford Foundation, UK, Auckland Zoo, New Zealand, and Katie Adamson Conservation Fund, USA, a conservation and research project for the dark sitana has been jointly initiated by the Nepal Conservation and Research Center and the Mithila Wildlife Trust. Outreach education sessions were jointly conducted by these two institutions in March and April 2023. We worked with students in 15 schools and five peri-forest communities (i.e. living immediately adjacent to the forest and dependent on it). A total 1,055 students (492 boys and 563 girls) and 123 community members attended these sessions. We also distributed a conservation poster about the dark sitana to each student and community member.

In these education sessions, the communities and students, who previously perceived the dark sitana to be venomous, were able to learn that this lizard occurs only in their province, is non-venomous and is an important component of the local ecosystem. Following these sessions, some of the peri-forest community members offered to record the dark sitana whenever they observe it, to improve knowledge of the speices’ distribution. We have since received invitations from several other schools for similar education sessions, and requests for the poster. We look forward to conducting further education sessions during World Lizard Day on 14 August and to collaborating with other organizations to improve the conservation of the dark sitana in Nepal.