Biodiversity Conservation Network
2. Ecotourism in 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)BCN Funding: $636,607 Partner Contribution: $220,000
Grant Period: March 1, 1994 - February 28, 1998
What's at Stake?
Chitwan is in danger of being loved (and used) to death. Although Royal Chitwan National Park is one of Nepal's major tourist destinations, the increasing demands on the park by tourists, as well those who live on the edge of the park, jeopardize the park's environmental integrity.
A large part of the problem is that in the past, communities living in the park's buffer zone did not directly benefit from the park. In fact they felt they suffered because of it. The park's valuable resources are out of bounds, sometimes the park wildlife eat or trample their crops, few locals find employment in the park and the surrounding communities receive none of the tourism revenues.
King Mahendra Trust for Nature (KMTNC) with BCN support, led an effort to draft and pass legislation to share 30 to 50% of revenues earned on tourism taxes with local communities. Village user groups will decide how the money can be used to the communities' greatest benefits. In addition, the project involves the creation of woodlots in the park's buffer zone to reduce wood collection within the park and to provide more habitat for fauna including rhinos.
By benefiting from the park revenues, and having their needs for fuelwood met, hopefully local communities will realize the advantages of conserving the park's diverse biological resources and will participate in conservation.
1997 Update
Although huge strides have been made, the project has had to overcome major obstacles. Today, the work of KMTNC/BCN program is cited as an example of successful community based conservation by both the local and national governments. Tourism started in Baghmara in October of 1996 and now they are successfully generating cash locally. The Baghmara UGC has generated NRs. 427,255 ($7,800 US) in this year and totaled its income to NRs. 1,709,176.24 ($32,000 US). Similarly Kumrose, where the Baghmara model is replicated has generated NRs. 478,564 ($8,700 US) within a year and totaled its revenue to NRs. 848,478 ($15,400). A machan (wildlife viewing tower) has been constructed in the regeneration area of Kumrose community forest to increase tourism revenue.
A large number of projects from various parts of the country as well as from neighboring countries are visiting Baghmara and Kumrose to gain first-hand information and to learn from the User Group Committee (UGC) of Baghmara. Baghmara has also been the focus of the media. Numerous news and articles have been published and also several documentary films made by national and international television companies.
At the local as well as at the national level, government has appreciated the work and wants to extend the program. Now, all 36 Village Development Committees (VDC) on the edges of the park are forming User Group Committees to assess and implement their own opportunities. The Chitwan experience has been one of success breeding success through replication.
Success Stories
On-going monitoring of birds, rhinos, tiger, crocodile and ungulates shows a gradual increase in the number of different species as a result of the additional habitat provided by the community forest created under KMTNC/BCN program. All together, 170 different species of birds have been observed in these newly created habitats. Among these are 37 species listed by the Bird Life Society as threatened species. The number of rhinos are 19 in Baghmara and 23 in Kumrose community forest. Perhaps the most important achievement of the project is the change in attitude of the local people. When poachers, attracted by the increasing numbers of wildlife attempted to kill rhinos by digging pits near Baghmara, the community members not only informed authorities, but also filled the pits so that no wildlife would be killed. Even when livestock were killed by a tiger in Kumrose, the people did not complain because they know that tourists come expressly to see tigers. Now that locals are receiving direct benefits from tourism they can afford to be more tolerant. In fact, in many instances now, the community forest decreases the loss of property due to wildlife. In a KMTNC survey, 79% of people mentioned that the community forest is helping to buffer crop land and also mentioned that crop depredation has been decreased after establishment of the community forest in Baghmara.
Another main objective of the program is to decrease the pressure on the park for firewood and fodder. Recent data indicates that the number of people sneaking into the park to collect these has decreased by almost 30%.
Initially the women's participation in the conservation programs was poor and there was friction among members of the women's environmental group of Kumrose. After benefiting from the KMTNC/BCN buffer zone program with firewood and fodder, they also realized it saved them time. Now the women's participation is more than 65% of the total participation. Two more vegetable co-operatives have been formed in Kumrose which has helped locals increase their earnings by more than 600%.
Because of the widely acknowledged results from this project, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) invited KMTNC to join the task force to develop a master plan for the management of the Tikauli forest which is an important corridor to link the Siwalik hill forest and the Mahabharat hill forests and is also an important migratory route for wildlife. This forest includes a very important wet land of South Asian region.
Challenges
Frequent changes of Government in Nepal has created problems getting the buffer zone by-laws passed by cabinet. Within the past two years, government was reshuffled three times. Each government started studying documents from the beginning and just when they were ready to approve it, a new government took over and started the whole process from the beginning. Consequently the by-laws were not passed until 1996. Even then, the exact mechanisms by which funds will be returned to UGC's has not been defined.
The earnings from the micro-enterprise activities and programs carried out by the communities has attracted local politicians who now want to have their member take credit for work done by the UGC formed under the BCN program. They often try to create misunderstandings among the community members so that they can create factions in the Users Group and take advantage of the situation. Transparency and open dialogue among Users Group members and stakeholders has helped tackle such problems.
In many instances, misunderstanding is the root cause of problems. For example, in many of the community forestry programs, initial opposition from people was due to the threat that they still felt from nationalization of the forest. When their fears were calmed and the benefits were made clear to them, they started supporting the projects.
According to the management policy of community forests, the work plan and all other programs have to be approved at the User Groups general meeting. However, it is not easy to gather all UG members in one place because people are busy trying to survive. In some cases people struggle to get enough to eat each day and they cannot afford a day in meetings. This problem was solved by going to the people -- visiting each household, explaining the program, acknowledging their additional suggestions, and getting their approval.
It is important to try to think ahead to the unexpected ramifications of projects. For example, when the buffer zone was declared -- which was a great thing -- the Khosar forest was suddenly without protection. The District Forest Office shifted their attention away from the Khorsar forest because it now fell under National Park jurisdiction. But due to manpower limitations, the National Park could not patrol or protect the new buffer zone area. Taking advantage of the situation, some hoteliers and elephant owners started taking their elephants to Khorsar forest for safaris which effected the revenue of the park as well as Baghmara and Kumrose community forests. This problem was solved by calling a meeting with representatives from the District Forest Office, the National Park, hotel/elephant owners, Users Group committee members and officers from NCRTC. Subsequently the District Forest Office resumed their responsibility to stop the illegal entrance of elephants into the Khorsar forest.
As any farmer knows, before a new type of seed is planted you must know whether the soil and climatic conditions will allow it to grow. Similarly, before implementing any new project the existing conditions have to be studied so that the program can adapt to the local situation. The problems of the area, the socio-economic situations of the people, local politics and needs of the people have to be clearly understood by those implementing the project. And ultimately, the size of the project (solution) has to fit the size of the problem.
In Nepalese society there is saying that "If you want to control stealing by any household member, then give him or her the keys to the treasury." Likewise, in the case of projects, in order to control problem creators, it is wise to include them and give them responsibilities in the project. This not only controls them, but also gradually changes their attitude. This has been an important lesson in this project.
Author: Arun Rijal is the Senior Botanist with the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation (KMTNC) project in Royal Chitwan National Park. Arun has a Masters Degrees in Botany and Natural Resource Management. He has more than 10 years of experiance in biodiversity conservation and community development programs and has also published several papers on these subjects. He joined KMTNC in 1989. Arun has been honored by His Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah with the "Silver Jubilee Medal" for outstanding contributions in conservation.
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