The Protected Landscape Approach - Centre for Mediterranean ...

6. Landscape conservation initiatives in Nepal:
opportunities and challenges
Prabhu Budhathoki
Introduction
In Nepal, half of the country’s protected areas include settlements and farmlands, and all
national parks are adjacent to areas with high populations. As a result, the need for a broad
landscape approach to conservation has been evident from the very beginning of protected area
establishment. In fact, Nepal has been adopting a protected landscape approach to conservation
in 78% of its protected areas, linking local people with resource conservation and directing the
benefits of resource conservation to them. The expansion of conservation initiatives beyond
protected area boundaries has received extra impetus through the 1996 enactment of Buffer
Zone regulations that allow use of park revenue for community development within these
zones. In addition, landscape biodiversity conservation initiatives have been envisioned that
extend far beyond the periphery of parks and will create networks of protected areas, con -
serving the core and corridor habitats required for the long-term survival of mega fauna such as
elephant, tiger and rhinos. These ambitious and complex initiatives have been adopting the
principles of inclusion, partnership and linkages in order to manage large spatial coverage with
varying land use practices.
This chapter reviews landscape conservation initiatives in Nepal and explores the oppor -
tunities and challenges they present for conservation, for the professionals and agencies
engaged in this work, and for the general public.
Background on Nepal and its conservation policies and
practice
Nepal, on the southern slopes of the Himalayas, has a landmass (147,181km 2 ) only slightly
larger than England, yet the country contains over 2% of the world’s flowering plants, 8% of its
birds and 4% of its mammals (Biodiversity Profiles Project, 1995). This biodiversity richness is
a reflection of the country’s unique geographical position as well as its altitudinal and climatic
variations, ranging from lowland tropical Terai to Mt. Everest, the highest mountain in the
world. The country is also rich in ethnic diversity comprising more than 102 caste/ethnic
groups with about 93 spoken languages (Central Bureau of Statistics, 2002). These people have
rich and diverse socio-cultural practices and possess a wealth of knowledge on the use and
management of biodiversity. One study revealed that indigenous Tharu communities in the
periphery of the Royal Chitwan National Park have been using more than 150 species of plants
for various medicinal purposes (Pokhrel, 2002). This rich repository of natural and cultural
diversity is a characteristic of Nepalese landscapes that has both national and international
significance and is a key focus for conservation.
In 1973, the country embarked on the modern era of conservation by establishing networks
of protected areas. There are now 16 protected areas of different IUCN categories covering
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