Balancing Conservation and Development in Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttarakhand, India

Abstract

The Terai Arc Landscape in the foothills of the Himalaya is a critical tiger conservation unit straddling India and Nepal. The Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary (NWS) located in the eastern part of this landscape, is an important corridor for the movement of large mammalian species. This landscape is under tremendous pressure due to increased human population and demands for forest resources. The present study (1) assesses the dependence of the local communities on forest resources, (2) identifies concerns and interests of major stakeholders, and (3) assesses the major issues challenging conservation in the NWS. Household surveys and focus group discussions were carried out in 13 fringe villages around the NWS, and key stakeholders were identified and consulted. Risk assessment was done to identify the major issues in the area and their underlying causes. The local communities are dependent on forest for fuel wood (25-40 kg/ household/day) and fodder (20-25 kg/household/day). Low-income groups, displaced groups and the gujjar community emerged as the most dependent stakeholders. Diverse interests arose from the communities having different livelihood patterns. Habitat loss and degradation due to excessive extraction of forest resources, riverbed mining and lack of support of local communities emerged as the major threats hampering conservation in the area. Involvement of local communities in forest conservation along with provision of alternative livelihood is needed. It is critical to develop a consultative framework with the local communities and other stakeholders to explore alternative strategies that meet conservation and development goals.

Spatial insect diversity paradigms and related ecosystem services in the protected Nandhour Landscape of India

“…The protected landscape is well known for its spatial heterogeneity and rich biodiversity, also serving as a crucial corridor for wildlife migration across the forests of Nepal and India (Verma, 2011). The landscape is featured by a diverse range of land-use and habitat types, housing floral and faunal elements of the both Himalaya and peninsular India (Irengbam et al, 2017). The landscape is criss-crossed by a number of rivers, bounded by the Himalaya in the north and the terai region in the south, and the topography is represented by steep mountains, high denudational hills, broad and narrow valleys, flat and rugged slopes, and flood plains.…”

Aligning conservation efforts with resource use around protected areas

“…Practices vary across the different tiger reserves and across communities. Residents mostly from the Van Gujjar community around Corbett use firewood (25-40 kg household -1 day -1 ), fodder and NTFP (Irengbam et al 2017) while dead wood is provided monthly to some villages in the buffer zone (Verma et al 2015). Day-to-day needs of people around Kanha is met by forests in multiple ways.…”

Environmental drivers of space-time dynamics in floodplain vegetation: grasslands as habitat for megafauna in Bardia National Park (Nepal)

“…This is for example the case in the Western Gaths, South India (Sankaran, 2009), in the Duars, Eastern India and Bhutan, and in the Nepalese and Indian Terai Arc Landscape (Harihar et al, 2014, Irengbam et al, 2017a. Also the TAL has seen a reduction of grassland in protected areas (Irengbam et al, 2017).…”