Management and Utilization of Forest Products in Buffer Zone: (A Case Study of Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve, Kanchanpur, District)

Abstract

The research entitled "Management and Utilization of Forest Products in Buffer Zone" was carried out in Mahendranagar Municipality of Kanchanpur District. The main objective of the present study basically intends to find out and document the process of community group activities and management and utilization of forest resources and other objectives are: 1. To identify the existing user's groups and their structural functional features. 2. To access the resource mobilization pattern in these user groups. 3. To assess the level/ extent of people participation in community Management and utilization of forest product. 4. To suggest recommend applicable improvement measures of sustainable community management and utilization. Buffer zones are the latest concept of conservation in natural resources sector, when surrounding areas of national parks and wildlife reserve at risk and become conflict, as natural resources are increasingly required to provide for-ever expanding population after that buffer zone concept was brought by Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) Nepal in 1984 to fulfill the demand of periphery people. Mahendranagar Municipality of Kanchanpur district was selected as the study area. For the fulfillment of above objectives the study guided by sample frame from, where the sample population 20 percent and the total sample is to be 100 member of user group. Explorative and descriptive research method was used to analyze the community group based Management and utilization of forest product. Direct observation, participatory resource mapping key informant interview, face to face questionnaire and group discussion are used for primary data collection. Secondary data were collected through the review of various books publisher and unpublished literatures. The data collected were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. This study is about Suklaphanta Wild Life Reserve buffer zone management and utilization of forest products, Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve and Buffer zone has important natural resources like flora is sal, khayar, siwaw, simal etc. and fauna like 27 royal Bengal tiger, Blue bull, Barking deer, Hog deer, swam deer (1674), 19 wild elephant, 5 domestic elephant, wild boar, leopard, jackals, langur and rhesus monkey one horned rhino etc. This study area has more population is Brahmin/Chhetri (62%), Tharu (13%), Kami/ Damai/ Sharki (18%) was found. All the people of buffer zone are primary user. The literacy rate of buffer zone area is 75.63% and large number of student has form as schooling. At the time of study buffer zone has secondary forest but inside of national park has evergreen and food forest. In the study area people are managing reward and punishment system for good management of buffer zone forest, gender participation of this area has some present in management and large present in utilization. They are using forest resources as grass, firewood and less amount of timber in the forest area. The main problem of buffer zone is crop raiding, timber, firewood, grass, greasing and irrigation and building materials and solution of problem and conflict by meeting in between park and local user groups. Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve, other organization and local people has conducted conservation education for protected park and buffer zone flora and fauna.