The Protected Landscape Approach - Centre for Mediterranean ...

The Protected Landscape Approach: Linking Nature, Culture and Community
Fig. 2
Shifting conservation paradigms: from island to networks
strategies have changed from ‘island’ to ‘network’ approaches, which integrate various social
as well as ecological dimensions (Figure 2).
Development of the protected landscape approach and
community-based conservation
In Nepal, resource management strategies have been heavily influenced by the fact that the
protection, maintenance and development of natural resources are neither possible nor practic -
able through government effort alone (Budhathoki, 2001). There has been a major shift in the
management paradigm of protected areas from the protective to the collaborative, with the
introduction of the conservation area and buffer zone concepts (Maskey, 2001). Since the
mid-1980s, the approach to protected area management has recognised the existence of
settlement and private farming rights within the protected area boundaries, initiated comanagement
of natural resources, and supported initiatives for community development.
The buffer zone concept was introduced in 1994 as a key strategy to conserve biodiversity
by addressing both the impact of local people on protected areas, and the impact of protected
areas on local people. In Nepal buffer zones are conceived as areas where land resources are
managed and used within sustainable limits and where communities and conservation au -
thorities work together to promote development which is not inimical to conservation (Sharma,
2001). The buffer zones include a mosaic of forests, agricultural lands, settlements, cultural
heritage sites, village open spaces, and many other land-use types. The buffer zone regulations
(1996) allow park authorities to invest 30–50% of the park’s income in community de -
velopment in the buffer zone areas. The introduction and implementation of this buffer zone
approach has been a landmark in protected area management, enabling the change from
conventional park management to a more collaborative approach (Maskey, 2001).
The Buffer Zone initiative also has served as a stepping stone to the empowerment of local
people and has enhanced their involvement in conservation and provided for the distribution of
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