Conservation as Underdevelopment in Nepal

CONSERVATION AS UNDERDEVELOPMENT:
1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8
TOTAL TIGERS KILLED = 90
This is 60% of the last official census of tigers in Nepal at 155!
These hi-fi European colonial murderers should pay for increasing our Tigers for at least extra 90 by aiding in all tiger conservation
costs!!
Here are the details:
1870 Duke of Edinburgh kills 2 Tigers
1876 Prince of Wales later King Edward VII kills 23 Tigers
1894 Duke of Connaught kills 3 Tigers
1890 Prince Albert Victor or Duke of Clarence kills 6 Tigers
1911 King George V and party kills 39 Tigers
1921 Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII kills 17 Tigers
TOTAL KILLED = 90 TIGERS

9
TOTAL TIGERS KILLED = 90
Source:
Diary of Field Marshall Kaiser Shumsher JBS Rana,
in whose donated palace is the Kaisar Mahal or Ministry of Education and the Umar Khayaam poems in the Garden of Dreams housed
in Thamel area, as quoted in the book:
"Notes on Hunting and Wild Life Conservation in Nepal" by Rishikesh Shaha, April 1970. Rishi Kesh Shah, a well read liberal diplomat,
historian, and writer was Nepal's First Permanent Representative to UN; author of many books including "Nepal in Retrospect and
Prospect" which I read and convener of political parties at Jawarhlal Nehru University New Delhi, during 1979 (Nepali 2036 saal kanda
where King Birendra had to declare a referendum between Reformed Panchayat Democracy led by the King or Multiparty Democracy,
led by Nepali Congress and other communist parties banned; among the participants were our last Prime Minister Babu Ram
Bhattarai, his wife Hisila Yami and Nirmal Lama and Pradip Giri...
Historical tid bit, courtesy: Amulya Tuladhar

Studying Forestry to Save Wildlife, India…
10

Shooting Tiger…..With a Camera….For Research
11

12
Amulya Tuladhar's Forestry and Wildlife Days in Twenty_s!
Radio telemetry research on Elephant back with portable antenna to
locate radio collared tigers with particular radio frequencies by a
process of triangulation; note the Elephant grass behind the elephant,
taller than elephant, the hideout of tigers

RadioTelemetry Research inside Elephant Grass
13

14
Tiger for Breakfast?
Tiger for Breakfast? wrote a book on the first hotelier of Nepal Boris, who established Hotel Royal
for King Mahendra's coronation and later Hotel Yak and Yeti and contributed to the Shangrila myth
of exotic Himalayan kingdom to the first hordes of westerners that thronged to exotic Nepal, some of
whom stayed behind to consort with Princes like Barbara Adams or wrote haunting books like Han
Suyin,
The Mountain is Young. Here however, I m conjoining my insignificant canines and incisors to the
max developed canines of the tiger after finishing the measurements of paw, head to tail length, the
weight, and fixing the radio collar, photographing its mug shot under tranquilizer but just before
administering the antidote to the tranquilizer which would give the tiger full facility to yank my neck
off in half hours. This was after my Bachelors in Biology from Ascol, age: 21 years!

Tiger for Breakfast?
15

CONSERVATION AS
UNDERDEVELOPMENT:
NEPAL LOSING??
AMULYA RATNA TULADHAR
PROFESSOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
GOLDENGATE INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE
2018
16

Nepal: Whole and Unmangled…
17

Nepal: Mangled into Big Pieces of Conservation
18

Sacred Hill Landscape:
Nepal: Mangled out in the Eastern Himalayas
19

Nepal: Mangled in the Western Terai, TAL
20

Nepal: Mangled into Ecoregions, Ecotypes etc
21

22
The Terai Arc Landscape project (TAL):
Nepal: Mangled for Metapopulation connectivity and corridors

Kailash Sacred Landscape (KSL)
TRANSBOUNDARY MANGLING, China – India – Nepal, Kailash mountain
• Scientific data gaps
• Fragile ecosystems
• Vulnerable communities
• Transboundary landscape

ICIMOD’s HKH Transects
Transboundary Landscape Initiatives: Conservation surgeries
Transects: Ecoregions, Corridor Connectivity,
North-South Climate Gradient, Arid to tropical
climate scenarios, Unique Cultures/traditions
Kailash Sacred Landscape
(KSL)
Sacred landscape with unique
biodiversity and culture
Karakoram- Pamir
Landscape (KPL)
+ Wakhan
High Alpine arid
endangered species
Kangchenjunga
Landscape (KL)
Corridors and
Connectivity
Brahmaputra-
Salween Landscape
(BSL)
Biodiversity Hotspots
and Endemism
Common Focus:
Conservation, Development and Applied
Research

Landscape conservation complexes in Nepal. Budhathoki,
2005: Mangling out Landscapes, The Start

Shifting conservation paradigms from island networks.
Budhathoki, 2005: Biting Bigger Chunks of Conservation

Protected Area Coverage in Nepal (2011): Years & PAs
932
3,444
4,054
2,518
9,129
7,554
1,149
5,208
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
8,000
9,000
10,000
1970-75 1976-80 1981-85 1986-90 1991-95 1996-00 2001-05 2005-10
Area(km²)
10,853
979
1,325
15,426
5,405
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
18,000
NP WR HR CA BZ
Area(km²)
23.23%
10 3 1 6 12

Distribution of Protected Areas in Nepal: Not Much in Midhills
High
Himal = 10
Mountain = 3
Terai = 7

Paradigm Shift in Conservation Approaches:
Conservation gobbling bigger chunks of Nepal
• 1970s
• Centralized and protection oriented conservation
• Ecological and eco-system approach
• 1980s
• Centralized and protection oriented conservation
• Ecological and eco-system approach
• 1990s
• Introduction of participatory approach
• Introduction of buffer zone
• 2000s
• Income generating activities in conservation
• Community development activities
• 2010s
• Climate change: mitigation and adaptation
• Payment for environmental services including REDD+

May 2, 2018
Paradigm shift in conservation: Theoretical Excuses for Conservation
1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
Environment
protection
Sustainable
development
Climate
change
Species
conservation
Ecosystem
conservation
Landscape
conservation
Integrated
development
Protection
approach
Participatory
approach
Multi-stakeholder
approach
Protection
approach
Ecosystem
conservation
From beginning…….Poaching and Illegal Trade……

May 2, 2018
Landscape Level Conservation:
Legal Mangling for Conservation
Sacred Himalayan Landscape
• Five PAs in Nepal
• India
• Bhutan
• China
Terai Arc Landscape
• Seven PAs in India
Kailash Himal Landscape
• India
• Bhutan
• China

Protected area policy:
Power of the State for Conservation Domain
• National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1973
• National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Regulations 1974
• Chitwan national Park Regulation
• Bardia National Park Regulation
• Khaptad national Park Regulation
• Himali National Parks Regulation
• Wildlife Reserve Regulation
• Important policies
• Wetland policy-2003
• Wildlife Farming and Research Policy-2003
• Domestic Wildlife Management Policy-2003
• Construction of Infrastructure inside the Protected Area Policy
• Compensation to Wildlife Victim Policy
• Research Policy
• National Trust for Nature Act
• Conservation Area Regulations (ACAP, MCAP and GCAP)

Major activities and trend of annual budgeting:
State Power in Money and Expertise for Conservation
Major activities
1. Habitat management
2. Poaching and illegal trade control
3. Monitoring and research
4. Human conflicts management
5. Tourists and revenue collection
6. Capacity building and buffer zone activities
7. Hunting and License
8. Species conservation
9. Conservation education
10.Cultural and historical conservation
156,914
196,814
378,972
35,320 43,035
129,119
192,234
239,849
508,091
0
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
2065/66 2066/67 2067/68
AnnualBudgetinNrs.(1000)
Fiscal year
Regular
Development
Total
Tiger
Conservation
Special
program

May 2, 2018
Tiger Monitoring in Nepal:
Conservation of Species, Successes here & there @ What Costs?
98 109
126 121
155
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
1995 2000 2005 2008 2010
TigerNumber

Rhino Monitoring in Nepal:
Oh those exotic charming animals the West loves so much
800
400
300
100 108
147
310
358
147
446
534
435
409
484
612
503
408
372
100 108
544
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1950
1957
1959
1966
1968
1972
1978
1988
1994
2000
2005
2008
2011
Fiscal year
RhinoNumber Population Nepal Population CNP

May 2, 2018
Status of Some Wildlife Species:
And so many more to Conserve??
Wild buffalo
219
Tiger 155
Gaur 333
Black buck 213
Swamp Deer 1715
Crocodile 81
Rhino 435
Elephant 129-180

Time Line Of Nepal Conservation History
1. Pre-Modern Era:
Before 1950’s Conservation during the Rana Regime;
Hanuman Dhoka Museum of Hunting Trophies;
Central Zoo, established in Rana time.

2. Start of Modern Era:
Early 1950s on: How much biodiversity in Nepal?
Answering continuing.
Natural History Museum for records of Animal biodiversity
specimens;
Godavari Herbarium for dead plant specimens and
Godavari Botanical Garden for live plant specimens.

3. First systematic effort:
1973 National Park and Wildlife Conservation Act,
subsequent amendments, National parks and protected
areas systems, Buffer zones, and Ramsar sites.

4. First World Level conservation work:
World Conservation Strategy 1980,
its influence in Nepal National Conservation Strategy 1988,
and other international conservation policy adaptations in Nepal like
Convention on Biodiversity Conservation, 1992 viz Nepal Strategy
on Biodiversity Conservation 2002 and updated to 4rth Report 2014.

TIME LINE OF NEPAL CONSERVATION HISTORY
5. Emerging New Concepts:
Expanding conservation beyond Protected Areas by reducing
park people conflict:
Buffer zone Management Concept, Conservation Area project;
Community Management of conservation.

TIME LINE OF NEPAL CONSERVATION HISTORY
6. Emerging new concepts:
Conservation beyond Protected Areas:
Landscape Approach viz Terai Arc Landscape Project (WWF);
Western Terai Arc Landscape Project (UNDP);
Sacred Himalayan Landscape Project,
Kailash Himalayan Landscape Project,
Transboundary Conservation in Eastern Himalayas (ICIMOD).

BUFFER ZONES VS MILITARY PROTECTION:
State Force behind the Benign Smile of Conservation
43

Nepal Army: Major Costly Player in Conservation
44
The main responsibilities of the Nepalese Army in conservation of nature
have been broadly outlined as follows:
• Protection duties for Nature Conservation:
• Patrolling inside National Park and Wild Life Reserves.
• Controlling encroachment, illegal poaching and deforestation.
• Support in Nature Conservation Research Works:
• Providing manpower in counting wildlife census.
• Providing necessary information regarding nature conservation
• Supporting rehabilitation of wild species

Nepal Army Webpage:
45
The locations of various protected areas and the table shows the current deployment
of Nepalese Army in conservation of nature:
Name of Protected Area Location
1 Kosi Tappu Wildlife Reserve Kushaha
2 Sagarmatha National Park Namche
3 Chitwan National Park Kasara
4 Parsa Wildlife Reserve Adhabhar
5 Chitwan National Park, Western Sector. Nawalaparasi
6 Langtang National Park Dhunche
7 Rara National Park Mugu

Nepal Army Webpage:
46
The locations of various protected areas and the table shows the current
deployment of Nepalese Army in conservation of nature:
8 Shey-Phoksundo National Park Dolpa
9 Bardiya National Park Bardiya
10 Khaptad National Park Bajura
11 Suklaphata Wildlife Reserve Kanchanpur
12 Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park Nagarjun
13 Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park Shivapuri

Nepal Army Webpage:
47
Nature Conservation
In the late 1960s, according to the releases of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife
Conservation, Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation, the total rhino count was less than a hundred
individuals. With the efforts of the Army in protecting the Chitwan National Park, backing the Rhino
project, the 1994 count estimated about 466 individuals and this figure increased further to 544
individuals in 2000.
The Department credits anti poaching operations for the rapid rise in the numbers. However, the
demands of internal security duties constrained the conservation efforts of the Nepalese Army and as a
result the numbers of rhinos in Chitwan National Park fell to 372 individuals according to the census of
2005. With the improvement in the internal security scenario and consequent enhanced conservation
efforts of the Army, the rhino population has shown some recovery and is now estimated at 446
individuals. The graph displays the total rhino count in Nepal, highlighting the growth since the
deployment of the Nepalese Army and the drop in numbers when the Army efforts have been constrained.

Nepal Army Webpage:
48
APRIL 23, 2014 | 159 VIEWS
1. COAS General Gaurav SJB Rana felicitates the Nandabox Battalion, Narsinghdal
Battalion, Garuddal Battalion, Ranadal Company and Ajayadal Company for their
outstanding contribution in nature conservation, amidst a special ceremony at auditorium
hall, Army HQs, organized to mark the "Second Zero Poaching year 2013" on 23 April
2014.
2. COAS Gen Rana handed over the Certificate of Appreciation to the best contributing
units. Brigadier General Aamod Narasingh Rana, Director of National Park and Wildlife
Conservation Directorate, delivered the welcome speech during the ceremony.
3. Nepalese Army was entrusted for the security of Chitwan National Park in 1975 A.D with a
mission to protect endangered species, floras and faunas. At present, a total of 7,627 NA
personnel are deployed in 138 outposts. All together 7 Battalions and 7 Companies have
been deployed for the protection of 10 National Parks, 3 Wildlife conservation areas and 6
protected forests.

Nepal Army Webpage:
49
APRIL 23, 2014 | 159 VIEWS
Nepalese Army has been performing its duty of security of Nature Conservation and
endangered species despite of adverse weather conditions and difficult terrain from the
beginning.
This contribution of NA has been applauded annually by several national and international
awards.
Present in the ceremony were Generals of Nepalese Army, Acting Defence Secretary, Director
General of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Directorate, media persons, related
officials from Nature and Wildlife Conservation sector and officers & other ranks of Nepalese
Army.

Nepal Army Webpage:
50
Nature Conservation
Though small in area, Nepal, as a result of varied geographical conditions is blessed
with very diverse flora and fauna. Today, forests occupy 25.4% of the land area of
Nepal, but deforestation is rampant. FAO estimates that Nepal lost about 2640 sq km
of forest cover between 2000 and 2005. In this bleak scenario, the protection of forests
and their biodiversity is a great challenge to Nepal.
Hence the Nepalese Army was called upon to meet this challenge in 1975 with a
mission to protect endangered species, plants and the natural heritage. Since then, the
Nepalese Army has been responsible for the protection of 12 out of the 22 protected
forests. 12 Battalions and Independent Companies with some 6,778 troops protect
forest areas measuring some 9,767 sq km. The impact of the mobilization of the Army
is very visible in the rhino census in Chitwan National Park.

The Nepal Army: Conservation by Intimidation
51

Conservation: Social Costs on the Weakest
52
The dark side of Nepal’s national parks
9 min read | May 01, 2017: WRITTEN BY SHRADHA GHALE
As the elites profit from natural resources, the poor and marginalized
pay the price of conservation with evictions, fines, and jail sentences
The above anecdotes are taken from Samrakshit Chhetra ka Dwanda
(Conflicts in Protected Areas), a recent book by Chhabilal Neupane and
Chitra Bahadur Majhi, activists from Chitwan and Nawalparasi
respectively.

53
• The dark side of Nepal’s national parks

54
• The dark side of Nepal’s national parks
• Krishna Bote belongs to a highly marginalized indigenous fisher community. His people
have lived in the forests of Chitwan for generations. In 2014 Bote was arrested by an
army patrol on the charge of killing a vulture. A court case was filed against him even
though he claimed the bird was dead and starting to decompose when he found it.
• Thereafter every month he had to report to the army post in Kasara. The case hadn’t
even been settled when, months later, the army arrested him again. Three of his
neighbours, also from the Bote community, were arrested with him. Their crime: they
were collecting kusum and tama in a buffer zone forest across the Rapti. The two court
cases, pending indefinitely, have brought Krishna Bote’s life to a halt. He feels trapped
and hopeless. His plans to migrate abroad for work have fallen apart.

Conservation: Economic Opportunity Costs
55
Gigantic enclaves are not a solution –
Oped - The Kathmandu Post
Shradha Ghale, April 27, 2018
Nearly one fourth of the total area of Nepal falls under the ‘protected’
category. It includes ten national parks, three wildlife reserves, one
hunting reserve, six conservation areas, and 12 buffer zones. These
areas contain productive lands, forests and water sources to which
local populations have limited or no access.

Conservation: Political Costs of Alienating Locals
56
Other types of protected areas have been created in recent years. In July
2014 the government declared the Chure region a conservation area in
accordance with the Environment Protection Act 1997.
Although the decision was made to control the degradation of the Chure
region, several scholars criticised the move for being top-down and apathetic
to the needs of local communities.
The programme has so far failed to achieve its goal. It subjected the local
forest users to increased bureaucratic surveillance and curtailed their access
to resources, but the crusher industries that are primarily responsible for
denuding the Chure hills continue their business with strong political
protection.

Conservation INGOs Dictating National Agenda
57
Big conservation organisations have the money and scientific-technical
wherewithal to shape environmental decision making at every level.
They have the power to classify and demarcate the natural world and
determine who can access it and under what conditions.
Some scholars argue that big organisations are increasingly creating the
terrain for expropriating land and resources across the globe in the
name of conservation.

Conservation: Global Green Grab over Development
58
As part of this process, sometimes referred to as “green grabbing,”
large, resource-rich areas are cordoned off and given new types of
economic value—through ecotourism, for instance, or finance
mechanisms like REDD+, and the global carbon market.
These enclosures can then be harnessed to serve the interests of
transnational and national elites, often at the expense of local rural
populations. The continuing expansion of protected areas in Nepal can
be understood as part of this broader phenomenon

Landscape Conservation: Global Green Grab: Biggest Chunks
59
• Over the last two decades, sprawling forested landscapes in the Terai
have been demarcated as conservation zones.
• The currently popular “landscape-level conservation” encompasses
areas that extend across national boundaries (and not just specific
sites within a country).
• Its main goal is to protect forests on a much larger scale, expand
wildlife habitat and increase wildlife population. Needless to say,
there is a lot of money involved.

Landscape /Wildlife Corridors: Global Green Grab: Local Harms
60
• Initiated in 2001, the Terai Arc Landscape is WWF’s biggest landscape-level
conservation project in Nepal.
• The project covers 24,710 sq.km spread across 18 districts. A large stretch
of land between Bardiya National Park and India’s Katarniaghat Wildlife
Sanctuary has been reclassified as a “wildlife corridor” under this project.
• Incidents of wildlife attacks on crops, livestock, property and humans have
increased since the establishment of the corridor.

61
KCAMC team and mother group meeting:
Homegrown Conservation: Cheap, Effective, Sustainable

State of Nepal’s Forests, DFRS 2015:
Forests Increase: Getting it Right after 40 years
5/2/2018 APRIL 29. 2017 GGIC MSC AMULYA TULADHAR 62

Conservation: IN 25 B, Return: 2 billion (Roughly)
63
The Himalayan Times > Kathmandu >
Rs 15.34bn allocated for forest conservation
The forest of forest conservation comprised: stopping deforestation, minimising wildfires,
promoting forest conservation, carbon trade, watershed conservation, natural lakes
conservation and establishment of zoological garden, among others.
Along with forest conservation, the government has allocated a sum of Rs 1.92 billion for
conservation of the fragile Chure land as per the approved master plan of President Chure
Terai Madhes Conservation Development Board. The government has also managed a sum
of Rs 7.65 billion for environment conservation for the coming fiscal year.
TOTAL = 15.34+1.92+7.65 = 24.91 ~ 25 BILLION; TOTAL INCOME = 2 BILLION

My own contribution: Conservation Education
64

Training Batches of Conservation Officers
65
Bed Kumar Dhakal,
A former student of my subjects Biodiversity Conservation, Ecology and
Environmental Management and Natural Resources Policy and Law in
the Masters of Natural Resources Management at the Nepal
Engineering College, Center for Advanced Studies, and earlier my
student of Forestry at Institute of Forestry in Pokhara.
He was a Chief Warden for Langtang National Park, when I met him at
the Park Headquarters in Dhunche.
In 2018, he is Chief Warden of Chitwan National Park

CONSERVATION AS UNDERDEVELOPMENT: my conservation product:
Bed Dhakal, Conservation Officer in National Parks: Langtang to Chitwan
66

Training Foresters in Biodiversity Conservation Masters
67

Training Forestry and Wildlife Management to KU & Forest and Wildlife DG KP Acharya
68

Promoting love of Birds of Nepal even in 2017
69

Earning Autographed copies from Pradhan
to Flemings
70

My conservation research experience: Rhesus
71

My early college conservation research
72
EarthWatch Monkey Rhesus Project led by Harvard University and Johns
Hopkins University Primatologist Bernadette to find out why Nepalese semi
feral monkeys, shown here Rhesus macaques of Pashupati, survived healthily
on a combination of wild and puja foods while their medical experimental
monkeys whose diets were carefully designed by PhD nutritionists died
more.
I learned a lot of monkey ecology and dining in 5 star hotels and
relationships across nations here, art in my college days, hizo matra, he he
he

Species focused Conservation Rhesus Research
73

About 40% of Tourists visit PAs, ~ 1% of Tourism Dollars Rs 200 B in 2018
74

About 5 lakh Tourists visited PAs in 2071/72
75

Tourists visiting Parks ~ 1% of Total Tourist Revenues
76

Tourism Revenue from Parks: Looks Big, Small really, Less than Rs 2 B/yr
77
• NEPAL TOURISM STATISTICS:

Tourists and revenue collection:
Increasing but not so High!!
139 148
163 161
124
110
172
154
165
245
291
349
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
3
2055/56
2056/57
2057/58
2058/59
2059/60
2060/61
2061/62
2062/63
2063/64
2064/65
2065/66
Fiscalyear
Touristnumber(1000)
792
902 935
1,340
711
603
785
558
646
946
1,178
1,354
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
1,600
2054/55
2055/56
2056/57
2057/58
2058/59
2059/60
2060/61
2061/62
2062/63
2063/64
2064/65
2065/66
Fiscalyear
Revenuecollection(NRs.Million)
May 2, 2018
Tourists Revenue

What Conservation Expenses Are…
79

Botanical garden Earn = 6.3 million Rupees 2016
80

Conservation Income from forestry: Rs 258 M
81
• Though proper production and distribution of forest products (timber
firewood, medicinal herbs etc.) has been made, revenue collection
faces fluctuation due to the number of tourists visiting conservation
area.
• Revenue collected from forest sector had been doubled in fiscal year
2009/10 in comparison to fiscal year 2012/13 while decrease in
revenue is experienced in fiscal year 2014/15. In first 8 months of
current fiscal year Rs. 258,542,000 revenue has been collected.

Forestry sector income in 2016 ~ 260 million rupees
82

Forest Earn Rs 258 M; Cost at least Rs 630 M
83
2016 Budget:
Policy of applying scientific and planned use of forest resources will be
adopted. Sustainable system will be developed for conservation,
development and use of forest. Scientific forest management program
will be expanded from 6 districts to 11 districts that will help to
increase production of timber and substitutes of its import.
I have allocated Rs. 630 million for national forest development and
management.

Conservation costs more: nearly Rs 2 Billion+
84
• 2016 Budget
• Conservation and planned utilization of natural resources available in
26 district of Chure and Terai-Madhesh region will be carried out as
envisioned in the master plan. In this respect, additional program will
be implemented under Rastrapati Chure Conservation Program. I
have allocated Rs. 1.88 billion for this purpose.

Community Forestry Conservation costs Rs 380M
85
• 2016 Budget
• "Leasehold Forest, Poor's Wealth" program will be extended in 39 districts.
Livelihood improvement, forest and environment conservation, capacity
development, animal husbandry, horticulture, and sustainable rural
financial mobilization programs will be implemented under leasehold
forest. These programs will help to conserve forest and environment. In
addition, I have expected that this program will help improve livelihood
and increase income of 60,000 households of 7000 groups.
• I have allocated Rs. 380 million for the community and leasehold forest
program.

Donor contributions are a smaller portion
86

Conservation costs to Govt ~ 85% ; Donors~15%
87
Sources and Trends of Funding for Biodiversity Management in Key Sectors
In the absence of a dedicated budget code and monitoring system, it is
difficult to assess the exact funding trends for biodiversity management. An
analysis of the program budget allocated for the Ministry of Forests and Soil
Conservation shows that it continuously and substantially increased during
the last decade.
A bulk of the funds (i.e. 84.4%) came from the government or internal
sources, and the remaining amount from foreign assistance in the form of
grants (14.1%) and soft loans (1.5%). Similar positive trends were found in
allocation of budget for management of agrobiodiversity and climate change
adaptation and management. CBD 2014

Livelihood is 18% vs Biodiversity /CC+ is 56%
88
• Mount Kailash Management plan
• Out of a total of USD three million allocated for program cost of CSIP,
about 35% of the total budget has been allocated for biodiversity
sector, followed by 21% in climate change, 18% in livelihood and
indigenous knowledge, 15% in enabling environment and 11% in
tourism.
• It is noteworthy to mention that four thematic areas (biodiversity,
climate change, enabling environment and sustainable tourism) also
separately support livelihood and indigenous knowledge sector.

National Parks.. Earned Rs 550 million~1/2 B, 2016
89

National Parks Expenses in 2016 = Rs 1.2 B ; Income Rs 0.6 B,
90

Conservation Incomes: Much Hype, little substance
91
MOVIE MAKING IN CONSERVATIOIN AREAS
KATHMANDU: The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) has earned
USD 25,000 and Rs 170,000 in revenue from the film shooting in national parks and reserves
areas in the current fiscal year. A foreign film is charged USD 1,000 to shoot inside the area while a
movie makers from the SAARC region has to pay Rs 25,000 for each movie. Likewise, a Nepali movie
is charged Rs 5,000.
A total of 49 films— 25 foreign, one South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and 23 Nepali
movies— have been shot in the national parks and wildlife reserves so far in the current fiscal year,
said the Conservation. In the last FY, altogether 36 movies, 35 foreign and one Nepali, were shot
inside the area, informed the DNPWC Undersecretary Bishnu Prasad Shrestha.
Govt earns over Rs 2.5mln from film shooting in nat’l parks, wildlife reserves

Future Plans, Conservation Expense $672 M, 2020
92

Conservation Investment in 2020 = 55% Govt
93

Forestry expense, 2014=75% Govt, ~$ 70 M/yr
94

More Government Opportunity Costs
95
• Aiichi Targets for 2020…
• An analysis of the programme budget allocated for the MoFSC during
the last decade shows that bulk of the funds (i.e. 84.4%) came from
the government source. Ploughing back part of the revenue
generated by respective protected areas (30-50%) remained an
important source of funding for implementing conservation
programmes in buffer zones and conservation areas. Foreign
assistance contributed 15.6 percent of the total cost.

More Government Opportunity Costs
96
• Aiichi Targets for 2020…
• The REDD programme, FRA project, Chure conservation programme and
the Multi-stakeholder Forestry Programme made substantial contributions
to forestry sector funding in recent years. Funds of the NTNC, CFUGs and
NGOs/INGOs, which are not included in the government’s Red Book, were
some other internal sources of funding.
• NTNC uses its funds mainly to manage Conservation Areas under its
management. Corporate bodies’ contributions relate to the payments
made for implementing mitigation measures as prescribed in EIA reports of
development projects. It is even more challenging to assess the funding
available for management of biodiversity by other sectors.

Conservation Expenses load: 84% Govt
97
• Aiichi 2020 book
• An analysis of the programme budget allocated for the Ministry of
Forests and Soil Conservation shows that it continuously and
significantly increased during the last decade.
• Bulk of the funds (i.e. 84.4%) came from the government or internal
source, and remaining from foreign assistance in the form of grant
(14.1%) and soft loan (1.5%) (Table 20).

Forest Conservation Expenses TODAY: Rs 15 B+
98
• Nepal | April 28, 2018
• The Himalayan Times > Kathmandu > Rs 15.34bn allocated for forest conservation
• Rs 15.34bn allocated for forest conservation, Reading the budget speech Finance Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara
emphasised the conservation of forests and their utilisation for the sustainable development.
• The forest of forest conservation comprised: stopping deforestation, minimising wildfires, promoting forest conservation, carbon
trade, watershed conservation, natural lakes conservation and establishment of zoological garden, among others. Along with forest
conservation, the government has allocated a sum of Rs 1.92 billion for conservation of the fragile Chure land as per the
approved master plan of President Chure Tarai Madhes Conservation Development Board. The government has also managed a
sum of Rs 7.65 billion for environment conservation for the coming fiscal year.
• Similarly, the government has tried to assure the denizens of Kathmandu Valley claiming that the water supply from Melamchi will
begin from October this year on the occasion of Dashain the greatest festival of Nepal.

Conservation Expense for Army, not in Army budget of $ 57 million ??
99
• Nepal | April 28, 2018
• Similarly, the government said air pollution monitoring stations will be established in various parts of the
country, new technology will be introduced to minimise pollution from vehicles, and smoke free house
programme, which will promote solar energy across the country will be launched.
• Besides, for the disaster risk reduction, the government will establish early warning systems, weather
• monitoring stations, lightning monitoring station and emphasise on climate change adaptation related
programmes.
• Nepal Military budget from Wikipedia 2018
• Military expenditures - dollar figure: $57.22 million (FY02)
• Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.1% (FY02)

Conservation: Laudable policy to Continue…
100

Landscape Conservation Approach in Nepal
101

Conservation Critique Starts in 2011,,, continues
102

103
• With the beginning of 20th century, the governments around the
world started on setting the core habitats aside as the solution to
the dwindling wildlife population, the charismatic ones at first.
• This management approach of protected areas did progress
fundamentally from the twin tradition of conservation and
ecological discourse. As the scientific knowledge expanded and
practical experiences matured, we find the conservation approach
undergoing a fundamental shift.

104
• The protected areas are now planned with local people,
and featured with ecological corridors and other
landscape characters to provide more space for species
movement and natural processes.
• Nepal set up its first national park in 1973, but very soon it
not only realized some of the adversities faced by the
local people living around the park but also the space
constraint for population distribution and dynamics.

• Despite much experimental and supposedly secular and non-ideological
experimentation with different governance regimes, institutional
innovations to co-opt the locals in the biodiversity conservation across a
landscape, there is much negative international and national baggage of
being perceived as external (outside country, outside village) interests on
esoteric biodiversity benefits over local (internal) needs to survive on the
local natural resources without interfering external legislation, policy, other
demands.
• Landscape approach is, therefore, an attempt to enlist a larger cross-
section of people in between the networks of protected areas in the cause
of biodiversity conservation.

Landscape Management
• The Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation has been implementing
landscape management programs in three important landscapes, namely the
Tarai Arc Landscape, Sacred Himalayan Landscape, and the Kailash Sacred
Landscape.
• Another landscape management program has been initiated by a consortium
of INGOs and NGOs in the Chitwan-Annapurna Landscape since 2011 under
USAID funding (Figure 11). These landscapes provide connectivity to several
protected areas and have helped enhance ecological processes and
conservation of threatened species
WTLCP, Ajaya, Govinda and Nabin 106

Key Problems: Addressing the eternal
conflict between people and nature

Biodiversity and Livelihood
The country’s biodiversity is also an important source of revenue.
Nature-based tourism is the second most important source of
foreign exchange for Nepal.
The revenue from protected area based tourism has been
continuously increasing since 2003 (DNPWC, 2012).

Biodiversity and Livelihood
This has provided incentives to conserve biodiversity for the
government, conservation agencies and local communities. Income
from protected areas is directly contributing to management of buffer
zones and conservation areas.
It is still a net loss, earning less than one-tenth of what is
invested!?

110

111
• Cost of Environment and Biodiversity welfare over Human Welfare.
• This young boy of about 8 yrs was lifted by a mother leopard with 3 cubs, from
the barbed wire borders of Surya Binayak forest, a religious forests that had been
protected in the midst of dense human habitations out of respect and fear for the
Surya Binayak deity and later also by the rules and regulations of Forest
Department. The forests had come back so well that top predators, always
around have prospered despite close human habitations at the borders, so that
some leopards would find a meal of a young boy's limbs in the following picture.
• This area is now proposed as the replacement to the Central Zoo as a Safari Park
where the animals roam around free while visitors view them from caged and
protected vehicles as in Gir National Park for lions in India.

112
• The gory remains of the little 8 yr old Tamang boy eaten by the
mother leopard with 3 cubs in a matter of few hours when the village
search party discovered the remains, the thighs and the head had
been chewed off before the leopard was disturbed and abandoned
the kill which it would have taken up a tree to devour for a few more
days.

113

Like the SuryaBinayak boy: Conservation has mutilated Nepal’s
development possibilities
114

Conservation has infringed our Rights to Develop
115
Landscape Conservation Approach..
Unconstitutionally limiting the Fundamental Rights (See Article 17 (2) (f) of the Nepal
Constitution 2015 below) of Nepali citizens "practice any profession..." to enhance
his/her economic welfare to the maximum?
"Part-3 :Fundamental Rights and Duties
17. Right to freedom:...(2) Every citizen shall have the following freedoms:...
(f) freedom to practice any profession, carry on any occupation, and establish and
operate any industry, trade and business in any part of Nepal."

Conservation has infringed our Rights to Develop
116
Hard Questions must be asked by all in Environment and Development Sector: Are
we limiting the economic potential of our citizens and our lands for the sake of
"locking up" more than 25-50% of our lands in non-economic, legal protection as
various categories of "protected area" for wildlife, forestry, environment and
biodiversity and landscape conservation under the legal provisions of the National
Park and Wildlife Conservation Act 1973 and its amendments?
"National Parks" by its original definition, later legally endorsed were any land where
no economic activities were permitted in order to let wildlife, their habitat prosper
without the competition of human welfare.
This definition was relaxed to permit livelihood subsistence activities in the
Himalayan regions where indigenous groups such as the Sherpas had been living in
harmony for centuries, but not huge money making activities such as big hotels like
Tiger Tops or big tourism undertakings.

117
So we had evicted original Magar inhabitants of Rara and shifted them to Nepalgunj where many died…
Conservation is the Engine of Underdevelopment:
The Ugly costs of Beautiful Rara National Park
Be sure to watch Al Jazeera video in the article:
https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/living-shadow-nepal-rara-national-park-180323090225428.html
"I despise the national park," says Rup Bahadur. "If it had not been there, I would not have been reduced to
this." He doesn't mean only his face.
Two villages with more than 250 families were evicted and resettled several hundred kilometres away when
the Rara National Park was established in 1976. The displaced will sometimes trek across the mountains to
what used to be their village, now a wilderness, to worship their ancestral gods. Across the country, wild
animals from national parks have claimed more than 150 lives in the past two decades. Many more people
have been injured and maimed.

118
• So we had evicted original Magar inhabitants of Rara and shifted them to Nepalgunj where
many died and there was a continual struggle to uproot Padampur village from inside
Chitwan National Park; but now we look the other way when Tamang villagers inside the
Shivpuri National Park live and produce 80% of the illegal home brew alcohol supply for
Kathmandu as long as blatant deforestation and poaching was not happening right under
the nose of the Warden and his helping Army contingent.
• Now, however, we are facing mounting challenges of national scale development
imperatives versus locking up national parks, and landscape for protected conservation.
Shall we and can we permit the development of massive hydroelectric dams, reservoirs,
power transmission lines, Chinese One Belt One Road railroads cutting through national
parks for great economic payoff to the Nation?

119
https://www.slideshare.net/…/landscape-conservation-article…
Just how much are we getting in economic upliftment as a nation is so locking up over 50% of land in such non-economic
protection besides pats on our back and lucrative consultancies, trainings, capacity development aids to the enclave of
Nepali technicians who are doing the biddings of the Convention for Biological Diversity, CBD, which Nepal signed on in
1994ish?
These are questions i have impregnated into the minds of the current policy makers, many of whom are actively managing
landscape in the book "Leveraging Landscapes... 2011" co-edited by Krishna P Acharya, my former Student Advisee at
Institute of Forestry, Pokhara, and now Director General of the Department of Forests that leads the landscape
conservation on behalf of the Government of Nepal and also to future managers and current students of Masters of
Wildlife Conservation to whom I taught "PWM 803 BIODIVERSITY AND LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT" this semester.
I feel very happy to be a small part of the solution.

120

121

122

Introducing Critiques in Wildlife Curriculum, 2018
123

124
January 12 • Kathmandu •
Masters in Wildlife Management and Biodiversity Conservation at Institute of Forestry of Tribhuvan University is a new program that
is opening this Jan 29 or Magh 15, after a long long time gestation, almost a lifetime!
I still remember the day after my college, I announced that I wanted to study Wildlife Management, except there was no such subject
in Nepal or India except in USA and I did not have the money to go there. Today there is one in Nepal. Despite the lack of a formal
specialization in Wildlife Management at the Masters level in the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation have been
carrying on for 45 years and expanded protected areas to nearly23.23% of Nepal's area with the help of foresters who gained their
further degrees abroad, from India, New Zealand, Norway to USA. And this core specialists have had copious help from other ancillary
professionals in civil sectors, NGOs and INGOs, and proper legislations and army help properly managed with plenty of trial and error
institutional mistakes and learning along the way.
So it is deep satisfaction that i have been part of something larger than my personal gains and satisfactions and today the faculty of
Institute of Forestry where I began as Department Head of Silviculture and Wildlife Departments, teaching there for nearly two
decades and then continuing this teaching outside Tribhuvan University in other Universities of Nepal for last two decades is now
gaining institutional traction and momentum to develop and fine tune itself.

CONSERVATION AS
UNDERDEVELOPMENT:
Cheers from Amulya Tuladhar!!
125

Conservation as Underdevelopment in Nepal

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