Park-People Relationship in Bardiya National Park (A Case Study of Shivapur VDC, Bardiya)

Abstract

Bardiya National Park is the largest National Park of low land of Terai of Nepal that includes endangered species like Royal Bengal Tiger, Greater one horned rhinoceros (translocated from Chitwan National Park), wild elephant, swamp deer, Gharial crocodile, marsh mugger and Gangetic dolphin.

Since the park was established in 1976 as Royal Karnali Wildlife Reserve, the conflict is growing between the park authority and local people. On one hand the park wildlife damage crops and on the other hand the local people have almost no legal access to the park resources particularly for firewood, grass/fodder collection and livestock grazing. People used to graze their livestock and collect resources from the forest before the establishment of the park but after the declaration of the park all these activities became illegal as people are not allowed to collect resources from the park creating a conflict between the people and the park.

The study was conducted to identify the various aspects of the relationship between BNP authority and local people and find out the problems. Conflicting relationship between BNP authority and local people has been addressed in this study. The socio-economic conditions of local people such as literacy rate, occupation, sex composition, land holding, agricultural activities, livestock keeping and practices, firewood collection and alternate source and crop damaged by wild animals have been examined. The study area lies about 2 Km south from the east-west highway. The research included interviews of 150 households from Shivapur VDC of all wards. It was found that basically firewood, grass/fodder, grazing and crop damage by wild life are the main problems of the local people. Crop damage by wildlife was observed as a serious problem in the study area. The seriousness of crop damage varies considerably with the distance from the park’s border and the specific location of the farms. Three wildlife species: Chital, wild boar and wild elephant were found responsible for roughly 80% of the total damage to crop by wild animals.

Most of the people of the study area were found illiterate and uneducated due to which they were unable to understand the importance of National Park and its bio-diversity. Mostly the people of the study area were found subsistence farmers and most of them were found building Kachcha house with straw roof collecting the required materials from BNP. From the research it was found that the local people were not against the park, they were only unhappy with the approach of the park management. People close to the park were found more negative towards park than distance inhabitants. Adults, women and indigenous people were also found more negative towards the park. But educated people were found more positive to the park.

To reduce conflicts between BNP and local people, this research suggests that socio-economic conditions of the local people should be uplifted, awareness programmes about conservation for the local people should be conducted and locals should be included in the conservation programmes, alternative sources of firewood and grass should be explored, local people should be encouraged to change their traditional occupation and waste products of the park should be utilized among the local people.