Park–People Relations in Kosi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, Nepal: A Socio-economic Analysis

Abstract

Park-people interactions in Kosi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, located in the lowlands of Southeastern Nepal, were studied intensively over a two-years' period from 1986 to 1988, through a variety of economic and attitu-dinal surveys. The Reserve had been established for the conservation of wild Water Buffalo and migratory waterfowl, and protects some of the most important wetland habitat in Nepal; it is therefore vital for the conservation of biodiversity on a national and regional level. The results showed that people in the area are dependent on the Reserve for the collection of grasses etc. which they use as building materials, while the Reserve provides fish which are sold cheaply in local markets. Other products, such as fuel-wood, edible and medicinal plants, and seeds, are occasionally collected legally in the Reserve.Despite the measurable benefits, attitudes about the Reserve are generally poor in the region, at least among local inhabitants who do not understand its main raisons d'être. The best predictors of attitudes were the caste or ethnic group and the literacy rate of the family of the respondent, and not the socio-economic standing of, or the direct cost to, the respondent due to crop damage by wildlife. These results suggest that religious inculcation, societal discrimination, and education, may all play a role in shaping attitudes and therefore influencing park-people relations. Short-term solutions to park-people conflicts should include more education and extension programmes on the part of the Reserve's management, and legal efforts to return at least some control to local villages.

Determinants of Attitudes and Perceptions on Resource Use and Management of Marsabit National Reserve, Kenya

“…Further positive change may be attributed to the greater opportunity to gain benefits from the reserve through non-agricultural employment among educated persons since they are less likely to be living at the margin of subsistence. These findings concur with those at Kossi Tappu wildlife reserve in Nepal, where respondents with higher household literacy rates had positive attitudes towards the reserve (Heinen 1993). They are also similar to findings by Akama et al (1995), they reported as the level of education increases, the level of negativity towards the reserve decreases.…”

Crop Protection and Its Effectiveness against Wildlife: A Case Study of Two Villages of Shivapuri National Park, Nepal

“…Similarly, illegal livestock grazing inside the park and transaction of forest products causes this imbalanced relationship (Studsord & Wegg 1995, Tamang & Baral 2008, Shrestha 1994. Among all these issues, damage to crops, livestock, property and also human life because of wildlife interferences have been regarded as one of the severe problems faced by protected areas worldwide (Heinen 1993, Nyhus et al 2000, Perez & Pacheco 2006, Rao et al 2002, Weladji & Tchamba 2003. Park-people conflicts due to wildlife interference in the livelihood of communities often jeopardize the relationship between local communities and the protected area itself.…”

Effects of wild boar (Sus scrofa) on farming activities: A case study of Turkey

“…Substantial economic losses, due to crop damage by wildlife, have been reported in many studies (Parry and Campbell, 1992;Newmark et al, 1993;Heinen, 1993;Studsrod and Wegge, 1995;Udaya-Sekhar, 1998; Naughton-Traves, 1998; Rao et al, 2002). Similarly, the wild boar could have heavily affected the local economy in many areas about 20 to 30 years ago in Turkey (Eroğlu and Baskaya, 1995).…”