No Alternative Option; No Harmony between People and Wildlife
Two people were killed by the Rhinos in Chitwan National Park on 12th Feb 2009. One month before, one lady had also lost her life from Rhino. All of them were attacked by rhino while collecting firewood, fodder and fish.
Therefore it is becoming hard to create harmony between people and rhino in these days.The main reason is poverty. Due to the poverty, people are compelled to collect firewood, fodder and fish everyday to pass their daily life. If they have alternative options of livelihood fodder and firewood, these situations may not occur in Park. So it is urgent to make action to reduce such events in days to come.
By realizing these situation, I have set some conservation based livelihood trainings and demonstration and awareness activities for firewood and fodder species plantation activities in community/private wasteland
Dear all, if you have any idea for mitigation, please suggest. I will share your idea with students, local communities and concerned stakeholders through our radio program "Conservation Campaign” and other awareness activities. Your suggestion can play vital role to make conservation activities more effective in Chitwan National Park.
Thank you
Suman Bhattarai
PARC/Nepal
Chitwan, Nepal
parc@rhinonepal.org
www.rhinonepal.org
Dear Suman, Here in Kumaon,
Dear Suman,
Here in Kumaon, we have the leopard threat: children get carried away from their home courtyards. A few days ago an adult was attacked. However, this does not give rise to much anger against the leopards.Similarly, Himalayan black bears attack firewood collectors every winter.
Again, a cohesive community is important. Community firewood plantations and common pastures can go a long way in reducing villagers' visits to forest areas.
In addition, fuel efficient stoves, like the Dhauladhar firewood chulah, reduces firewood requirement and works efficiently using thin sticks, reducing exploitation of trees. Much firewood is consumed during the witer here for heating. However, the method is perhaps the most wasteful in the world: the fire is lit outside in a metal pan and when only glowing coals are left, it is taken into the room for warming. Perhaps 80% of the energy value of the wood is wasted. This can be changed by constructing efficient fireplaces in homes with proper chimneys. The requirement of wood will be considerably reduced.
Agricultural waste and things like Lantana bushes and orchard clippings can be turned into coal powder using an inexpensive process. After binding it with red clay, it can be made into briquettes which burn with no smoke nor odour.
For fodder, it is useful if traditional strains of cows are reduced and buffaloes introduced: they produce more milk, hence fewer mouths to feed; depend more on hay and chaff than fresh green fodder; can be stall fed. This will reduce the number of forest visits on the whole, as well as the extent of forest exploitation.
The need for meat can be shifted from goats, which are highly destructive, to chicken, ducks, pigs, etc. Pigs, incidetally, are the most efficient converters of food to meat. Good strains of pigs, stall fed, will go a long way in overcoming people's aversion to pork.
Good luck!