Nepal

Background

Tiger/Rhino Conservation Project (TRCP) was launched in 2001 with the aim of promoting landscape level biodiversity conservation with strong community based management links to conserve endangered species in and around the Royal Chitwan National Park (RCNP), a world heritage site. This project aims to conserve the only existing Barandabhar Corridor Forest (BCF) that is important in terms of trans-boundary level conservation and serves as wildlife corridor for the movement of wild animals from Royal Chitwan National Park in Nepal and adjacent Balmiki Tiger Reserve of India in the lowland to the ecologically significant upland forests of the Mahabharat range in the North. Furthermore, communities in and around the Barandabhar forest rely heavily on natural resources for their livelihoods. Therefore, as a part of the project design, TRCP has been incorporating the socioeconomic development component aiming to reduce the human dependency on the declining natural resources while addressing the ecological problems facing the landscape. In substance, TRCP has been concentrating on the grass-roots level activities that addresses the needs of local people by promoting conservation oriented economic incentives to generate local guardianship for the wildlife and conservation of the wildlife habitat.

Programme Approach

The project has taken a bottom-up planning approach by which the local people organized into Community Based Organizations (CBOs) have become active partner of the programme rather than silent recipient of the benefits. The project has intervened in a number of areas related to community development like empowering the local community and institutional strengthening, providing technology and resources to develop entrepreneurship within the community; support community led infrastructure and management of schools, health centres, veterinary clinics, providing improved variety of breeds to increase productivity of milk and meat, and introduce income generating activities like vegetable farming, bee keeping and silk farming. Community development activities are directly contributing to reducing threats on the corridor resources; with the local communities themselves being the main actors in interfacing conservation and development activities. The project interventions regarding community development are based on feasibility and socio-economic studies. The project has adopted the model of community-managed forests successfully introduced in Baghmara and Kumrose area in the buffer zone of the Royal Chitwan National Park, for neutralizing the dependency of local people on forest resources and protecting wildlife habitat from unsustainable use.

Objective:

To conserve biodiveristy in and around Royal Chitwan National Park, the World Heritage Site, particularly by promoting biodiversity conservation at a landscape level and in particular by securing habitat conncectivity through management and rehabilitation of a critical wildlife corridor.

 Eight Outputs of the Project

1. Strengthened Management and Monitoring of the Barandabhar Corridor.
   
2. Strengthening of the Anti-poaching Unit.
   
3. Ecological Restoration and Effective Management of Key Grassland Ecosystem.
   
4. Establishment of Community Based Conservation Model with capable Local Institutional Structures ensuring Long-Term Management of Natural Resources.
   
5. Reduction of Local Pressure on Natural Resources by Providing Alternative Livelihood Options such as Agro-Forestry, Biogas, Livestock Development and Eco-Tourism.
   
6. Increased Women’s Participation in Natural Resource Management through Skill Enhancement and Awareness.
   
7. Increased Environmental Awareness and Health for Local Stakeholders.
   
8. Enhancement of Biodiversity Conservation Practices through Preservation and Application of Local Indigenous Knowledge.

• A system of biological monitoring has been in place and monitoring of tiger, rhinos and prey species including vegetation is carried out on regular basis to assess the level of threats.
  
• For the first time in Nepal management plan for a biological corridor (Barandabhar forest corridor) which territory is shared commonly with National parks authority and National Forestry Agency has been prepared in consultation with the local communities.

Local communities have been organized into Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs) (19 so far) and are benefiting from the management of near-by corridor forests. As a result, illegal felling in the corridor forests has drastically declined.

The project-supported anti-poaching activities include establishment of anti-poaching unit (APU) which operates collectively through local Warden Office, local Forestry Office and the Buffer zone institutions with participation of local youths in anti-poaching campaign. An anti-poaching endowment fund is created to support regular patrolling and awareness programme.

• Massive awareness programme launched in the area include establishing eco-clubs in the schools in the initiation of school children and teachers and commencement of a local FM Radio programme to disseminate conservation related messages to the local people.
  
• One health-post and one-veterinary centre has been established and local management committees have taken over the management responsibilities of these centres.
  
• 19 Saving Credit groups have been formed who mobilize resources on soft loan within themselves to support small enterprises. One co-operative has been formed and one is in the process to be formed where these groups will be federated.
  
• The project has given special focus to the women, the ethnic groups and the marginalized people in the community through targeted skill development, education and financial support packages.
  
• The project has garnered indigenous knowledge about the local medicines and facilitated to establish a network of local heelers. A local heeler's clinic from Tharu ethnic community has been operational. The local people have constructed a Tharu cultural museum which is expected to come into operation soon.

• TRCP 'Retrospective Overview 2001- 2002'
• Financial sustainability and exist strategy of TRCP, 2004
• Ecotourism Management Plan of BCF, 2004
• BCF Management Plan, 2004
• Socio-economic Baseline Survey of TRCP, 2003