Problem overview:

     Awareness and visions: A sustained approach for natural resources management and conservation 'to enhance the quality of life of forest communities to reduce their dependencies on natural resources'

     Integrating stakeholders: Community participation and transparency is important to the success of the programme. People are involved in each step of the project cycle, needs assessments, program prioritization, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

Background:

      Managing national parks by uplifting the social and economic status of local communities

      Parks restrict access to land and natural resources. In the past this was done at the expense of any people living on or near the parkland. Enforcement required expensive police action and inconsiderate treatment of the people. This often resulted in illegal poaching, graft, and assorted other activities that lead to an increase in police action and expense.

      In 1992, although with a determined vision to conserve the natural forests, the Government of Nepal realized that without support from the local community, their national park system would never work. In order to receive cooperation, coordination frameworks are required to strengthen communication between national policy makers and local communities for each party better understand each others problems and what they want to achieve.

      Concerned with the alarming degradation of biodiversity, His Majestys Government of Nepal initiated a long-term programme for the protection and conservation of natural resources. Nepal now has 16 protected areas, including eight national parks, three wildlife reserves, three conservations, one watershed and wildlife reserve, and one hunting reserve. At first, security guards managed the protected areas and local people were displaced with little regard to their welfare. In due course this proved to be both inefficient and inhuman. A new approach began, based on the realization that sustained management of protected areas required the cooperation and support of the local people. Such support is only possible with the simultaneous development of the local communities. Buffer Zone development is the key to this approach and the Parks and People Project is based on this philosophy.

      In 1992, an amendment to the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2029 (1973) established the Buffer Zone Regulation. By 1996, Two Buffer Zones were delineated, the Royal Chitwan National Park and the Royal Bardiya National Park. Buffer Zones of other parks have also been set up.

      The Department of National Parks and Wildlife set up the Parks and People project in 1995. The objectives are:

1. To enhance the capacity of the Department staff and local communities around the protected areas to ensure effective and sustainable management of parks and buffer zones.
   
   
2. To facilitate local peoples initiatives for socio-economic development.

      The project focuses on the effective management of the parks, participatory community development and conservation in the buffer zones. Community participation and transparency are especially important to the success of the programme. People are involved in each step of the project cycle, needs assessments, program prioritization, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

      Social mobilization is a basic strategy. Organization, skill and capital are key elements for social mobilization and poverty alleviation in the rural communities. Organizing Users Groups, enhancing the skills of the local people and providing opportunities for income generation activities, encouraging community savings and access to credit constitute the main thrust of the project. Social and economic uplift of the buffer zone communities ensures their active cooperation in the conservation of the parks natural resources.

      The Director General of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation is responsible to manage the project through a project Manager who carries out the activities in the project area. Senior Community Development Officer provides professional support o the buffer zone staff for effective running of the community mobilization activities under the project. At the park level, the warden is responsible for the implementation activities. The professionals from related conservation organizations formed a Biodiversity Conservation Network to conduct monitoring projects and supervise the ongoing success of the programme.

      The project is still new and has its problems. However, the project is constantly under review and adjustment. For example, it became evident that taking the whole Village Development Committee as a working unit did not work very well due to the diversity in socio-economic, cultural and resources of the members. A Users Group approach was adopted that seems to improve cooperation.