Biodiversity Conservation Network
2. Ecotourism in the Forests/Grasslands of Royal Chitwan National Park
Location: Royal Chitwan National Park, Terai Area, Nepal
Partners: King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation (KMTNC)
World Wildlife Fund (WWF - US)Project Title: Promoting Local Guardianship of Endangered Species and Wildlife Habitats in Royal Chitwan National Park, Nepal
BCN Funding: $636,607 Partner Contribution: $220,000
Grant Period: May 17, 1994 - May 16, 1997
Project Overview
Royal Chitwan National Park (RCNP) is one of Nepal's major international tourist destinations. Each year thousands of trekkers and tourists visit the park to observe, often on elephant-back, endangered rhinoceros, tigers, deer, and monkeys. Unfortunately, this increase in the number of tourists and lodges in and around the park has been so rapid that tourism itself now represents a threat to the park's environmental integrity. In addition, communities living in the park's buffer zone, have not benefited directly from the tourism revenues.
To address these problems, KMTNC, with BCN support, lead an effort to draft and pass national legislation establishing a mechanism by which 30 to 50 percent of revenue earned on tourism taxes will be shared with local communities. Village-based user groups will decide how the money earned from these taxes can be used to the communities' greatest benefit. KMTNC expects that the tourism revenue will serve as an incentive for local community members to reduce the external threats on the park and conserve its diverse biological resources.
In addition, KMTNC and its partners are using BCN funds to create woodlots in the parks' bufferzone. These woodlots will reduce long-term pressure to harvest fuelwood from the park and at the same time, extend the park's habitat, providing more territory for fauna including especially rhinos. Establishment and care of these woodlots is the responsibility of local village user groups, who will eventually derive the greatest benefit from them.
1996 Accomplishments
Perhaps the most exciting development has come in the policy arena in which national legislation was passed in February recycling tourism revenues to local communities.
Another major set of activities focused on increasing the size of the buffer zone plantations. 140 hectares were planted in Kumrose and about 50 hectares were planted in Bagmara. These plantations have already produced substantial products - thinning operations produced 1,048,564 kg of woody biomass from Kumrose and 51,766 kg of woody biomass from Baghmara. The plantations have also provided critical habitat to animals - species have been sighted in the plantations and a female rhino gave birth to a calf in the Kumrose plantation. Finally, the plantations have provided excellent wildlife watching opportunities to tourists. A machan(wildlife viewing platform) was constructed in the Baghmara buffer zone in which tourists can stay.
Other project activities included a seven-day Green Camp that was held for school students to develop environmental awareness, a study tour to a community-based conservation project in Annapurna that was conducted for stakeholders, and a tourism impact study that was completed. Finally, bird and rhino monitoring and a vegetation study are ongoing.
Success Stories
The Baghmara community forest now occupies 400 ha, including planted forest and a natural regeneration area formed by fencing off land from the grazing impacts of livestock. Baghmara was opened for tourism in October 1995 and generated NRs. 856,511 by the end of May 1996. The newly constructed machan has also started earning additional money and it is expected that US $8000 per year will be earned solely from the machan. A costbenefit analysis of the machan has shown that the cost of construction will not only be covered, but that another machan could be constructed from the earnings with some balance in hand within a period of three years.
The income from tourism has been a contributing factor in biodiversity conservation. The Baghmara Users Committee used a certain portion of its income in the habitat management program. They constructed a mudfilled dam in addition to clearing two patches of land to create aquatic and grassland habitats for wildlife. The Committee also decided to give first priority to conservation programs and allocate money from its income each year for these programs. Besides these, other future programs such as introducing improved breeds of livestock and biogas plants will also provide support to biodiversity conservation by reducing the high demands for fodder and firewood that are major threats to the area's biodiversity. The Baghmara community forest will provide benefits to 584 households.
Tourists who visit Baghmara still have to purchase entry tickets to RCNP. Rerouting tourists from the RCNP to the buffer zone decreases tourist pressure on the park while avoiding loss of revenue from the park. This will provide ecological as well as economical advantages. Finally, the project has become popular as a model for other projects. Due to its success, the Nepal Conservation and Research Training Center at the site is establishing its reputation as a regional training center, using the BCN monitoring program, regeneration area, and plantations as learning vehicles to teach conservation to people from other countries.
Challenges
The project has encountered some challenges, many of which are related to concerns that various stakeholders have over the allocation of resources. For example, some people in Baghmara challenged fencing off the plantation from grazing, arguing that fencing most of the barren land for community plantation will increase crop depredation. Likewise, park personnel are worried that tourism in Baghmara may reduce the revenue that the park receives. Some members of the Users Group are opposed to the thinning operation. And finally, there is friction among members of the women's environmental group of Kumrose.
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