Assessment of Community-Based Biodiversity Conservation and Rural Livelihood Improvements in the Buffer Zone of Royal Bardia National Park, Nepal Bridge connect between buffer zone and National Park.
Installation of hoarding boarding with in Buffer Zone of Bardia National Park.
Focus group discussion with local people of Buffer zone Forest user groups.
Plantation of Medicinal Plants through the community.
Royal Bardia National Park (968 km²) is one of the well reputed parks for its unique biodiversity. The 327 km² area around the periphery of Royal Bardia National Park that extend in 17 Village Development Committees (VDCs) of Banke, Bardia, and Surkhet districts has been declared as Buffer Zone.
The general objective of this study is to assess the accumulated contribution of the buffer zone program on conservation practices and in improving local livelihoods in the buffer zone of Royal Bardia National Park, Nepal.
The specific objectives of this study are:
• To assess the impacts of buffer zone programme on rural livelihoods (capitals, vulnerability (wildlife), policy, institution, process) of local communities (men, women, and poor, rich, dalit);
• To assess the biodiversity conservation practices adopted by local communities after the buffer zone programme
• To recommend better mechanism for reducing the poorest of the poor people
For more information contact d.gaire@yahoo.com
Final Report Read full details of the activities and findings of this project in the final report below.
Further Project Update: May 2007 This is an update on the research project carried out in the buffer zone of Bardia National Park. Selection of Buffer Zone Community Forests (BZCFs), group meeting and questionnaire survey had been accomplished. Five BZCFs were selected in such a way that three from Bardia district and two from Banke district due to the criteria fixed by the park staffs, local people and several line agencies (NGOs/CBOs) with in affected community. The main thrust of the study was to assess the impacts of buffer zone Program in the socio-economic indicators of the local communities (women, poor and disadvantaged groups (DAGs) and biophysical indicators of the buffer zone forest. Various tools of PRA including semi-structured questionnaire, focus group discussions were applied to collect the data. Simple qualitative method was used for data analysis.
Almost all the users have the positive responses toward the BZCF Program. Skill, attitude and performance of the users have positively improved after the formation of BZCF. Out of the five BZCFs, Rammapur BZCF was found more decision power, effective fund rising mechanism and poverty focus programs rather than four. Index of Relative Ranking (IRR), Index of Perceived Analysis (IPA) and x2-test was used to check the people perception toward BZCF. Index of Relative Ranking (IRR) was received the maximum value 0.9 on biodiversity conservation activities. It is the indication of increasing awareness level on biodiversity conservation due to different trainings and seminars conducted by NP office, CARE/Nepal, WWF/Nepal, etc. Although poor have the lower extension or approach in livelihood capitals than better off, their livelihood have been progressively increasing after the BZCF so natural capitals have gradually increased and more effectively implemented among five livelihood capitals in the present situation. Program focusing on poor, women and dalits should be launched effectively and efficiency way in the near future. Free distribution of benefits among the poorest, encouraging the income generating activities and fair and equitable benefit sharing should be implemented for the better mechanism of reducing the poorest of the poor people in an area. Therefore, the management system of BZCF should be further boosted by providing economic, institutional and moral supports by the park and donor agencies so as to develop the well institutionalized local stewardship in conservation.
2nd RSG Grant Awarded To read about Damodar's 2nd RSG grant at http://www.ruffordsmallgrants.org/rsg/projects/damodar_gaire
