Conservation Area Management Committee

Empowered lives. Resilient nations. CONSERVATION AREA MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE, PARCHE Nepal Equator Initiative Case Studies Local sustainable development solutions for people, nature, and resilient communities UNDP EQUATOR INITIATIVE CASE STUDY SERIES Local and indigenous communities across the world are advancing innovative sustainable development solutions that work for people and for nature. Few publications or case studies tell the full story of how such initiatives evolve, the breadth of their impacts, or how they change over time. Fewer still have undertaken to tell these stories with community practitioners themselves guiding the narrative. The Equator Initiative aims to fill that gap. The Equator Prize 2014 was awarded to 35 outstanding local community and indigenous peoples initiatives working to meet climate and development challenges through the conservation and sustainable use of nature. Selected from 1,234 nomination from across 121 countries, the winners were recognized for their achievements at a prize ceremony held in conjunction with the UN Secretary General’s Climate Summit and the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples in New York City. Special emphasis was placed on forest and ecosystem restoration, food security and agriculture, and water and ocean management. The following case study is one in a growing series that describes vetted and peer-reviewed best practices intended to inspire the policy dialogue needed to take local success to scale, to improve the global knowledge base on local environment and development solutions, and to serve as models for replication. Case studies are best viewed and understood with reference to The Power of Local Action: Lessons from 10 Years of the Equator Prize, a compendium of lessons learned and policy guidance that draws from the case material. Editors Editor-in-Chief: Joseph Corcoran Contributing Editor: Anne Virnig Contributing Writers Anthony von Arx, Tiffany Challe, Elle Chang, Joseph Corcoran, Lorena De La Parra Landa, Eva Gurria, Kathryn McCann, John Mulqueen, Qiang Li, Maryka Paquette, Deganit Perez, Alejandra Pero, Alan Pierce, Elizabeth Shaw, Martin Sommerschuh, Anne Virnig, Joshua Voges Design Kimberly Koserowski Acknowledgements The Equator Initiative acknowledges with gratitude the Conservation Area Management Committee, Parche, and in particular the guidance and input of Dr. Hum Gurung. Photos on pp. 1, 4, 10, 13, and 14 were originally published in the book Sikles in Focus, courtesy of Dr. Sara Parker. All other photos courtesy of the Conservation Area Management Committee, Parche. Maps courtesy of CIA World Factbook and Wikipedia. Suggested Citation United Nations Development Programme. 2016. Conservation Area Management Committee, Parche, Nepal. Equator Initiative Case Study Series. New York, NY. CONSERVATION AREA MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE, PARCHE Nepal PROJECT SUMMARY KEY FACTS With the aim of sustainably managing local forests, the EQUATOR PRIZE WINNER: 2014 Conservation Area Management Committee, Parche is applying indigenous knowledge to local environment and FOUNDED: 1991 development challenges. In addition to establishing tree nurseries and working with communities to harvest non- LOCATION: Parche Village Development Committee, Kaski timber forest products (NTFPs), the organization has reduced District, Gandaki Zone, Nepal wildlife poaching and is providing alternative energy access for the local population. The committee has planted more BENEFICIARIES: Over 2,400 inhabitants of Sikles, Parche, than 200,000 trees, installed micro-hydroelectric units to and Khilang generate sustainable energy, and is working to sustainably manage water resources in ways that facilitate local AREA OF FOCUS: Community-based conservation and access to fresh drinking water. The committee’s focus on sustainable livelihoods environmental education, with a particular emphasis on children and youth, ensures local ownership and awareness of conservation activities. TABLE OF CONTENTS Background and Context 4 Key Activities and Innovations 8 Environmental Impacts 10 Socioeconomic Impacts 11 Gender Impacts 11 Policy Impacts 12 Sustainability 13 Replication 13 Partners 13 3 Background and Context High in the Himalayan hillsides of north-central Nepal lies Parche, a sea level, while the alpine ecosystem of Kori soars at 3,800 meters. Village Development Committee part of the Kaski District. In Nepal, Biodiversity in the region spans 1,226 species of flowering plants – Village Development Committees (VDCs) are administrative units including 38 species of orchids and nine species of rhododendron similar to a municipality. One of 3,157 VDCs in the country, Parche – 101 species of mammals, 476 species of birds, 39 species of is nestled into the mountains at a soaring altitude of 2,000 meters reptiles, and 22 species of amphibians. The biological diversity of the above sea level. Steep slopes and alpine forests dominate the terrain Annapurna region is equally rivaled by its cultural diversity. Sikles is with traditional stone and mud houses arranged in a ribbon pattern one of the largest villages in Nepal and is predominantly made up against the dramatic backdrop of the Annapurna mountain range. of Gurung people, one of 59 indigenous groups in Nepal. Gurung The Annapurna region lies within the transitional zone between and Magar are the dominant ethnic groups in the south, whereas the eastern and western Nepali Himalayas. The Annapurna massif, Thakali, Manange and Loba are dominant in the north. Each of which includes 6 major peaks, is known as one of the highest in these groups speaks their own dialect, and has unique cultures and the world. Among the peaks in this range, Annapurna I is highest traditions. There are also Brahmin, Chhetri and other occupational at 8,091 meters, ranking as the 10th highest mountain in the castes, though in comparatively smaller numbers. Hindu, Buddhist, world and one of the 14 Himalayan peaks that tower at over 8,000 and pre-Buddhist religions along with a mixture of all these are meters. The region is extremely isolated. The nearest city, Pokhara, prevalent across the region. is 39 kilometers away. Nearly everything brought to Parche must be carried by foot several miles up and down steep terrain. Heavy Life in the Annapurna Conservation Area monsoon rains, flashfloods, and frequent landslides make the construction of roadways and power grids nearly impossible, further Parche is located in the Annapurna Conservation Area which is the isolating resident communities. In Parche, more than 2,400 people first and largest conservation area in Nepal and covers an area of more rely on the area’s natural resources for their subsistence, livelihoods, than 7,629 square kilometers. It was established in 1986 and spans and wellbeing. the Annapurna mountain range, stretching from the subtropical zone in the south to the alpine and dry alpine steppes in the north. Due to its geographic position and unique topography, the area is The Annapurna Conservation Area contains a trekking trail network rich in natural and cultural diversity. Rapid altitudinal gains mean of more than 300 kilometers that weaves its way through a varied that climatic extremes range from subtropical to alpine across a and picturesque landscape of high passes, deep gorges, fast flowing distance of only 35 kilometers, leading the region to support a rich glacial rivers, beehive cliffs, and hot springs. The trekking route is biodiversity. The banks of the Madi River are at 1,000 meters above among the ten most popular trekking destinations in the world, “The view from the roof of the world is breathtaking. The air up here is thin but fresh. White capped peaks and blue, blue skies surround us in every direction.” Man Bahadur Gurung, Chairman, CAMC Parche 4 attracting thousands of tourists every year, more than any other natural resources would fail to be sustainably conserved. destination in Nepal. It is arguably one of the most culturally diverse conservation areas in the world, with more than 100,000 people of Thus, instead of addressing conservation and development as diverse ethnic background inhabiting its steep terraces and barren separate issues, the Nepali government opted for an innovative plateaus. model that not only involves communities, but also seeks their active engagement in resource management and the articulation of Agriculture and livestock farming are the traditional sources of village-level development projects. This model prioritizes traditional subsistence in Parche. The high elevation areas of the region are knowledge, local best practices in environmental management, and covered by dense forests, whereas the middle and lower elevations are community partnership in order to facilitate socioeconomic and used to cultivate rice, maize, millet, wheat, and barley. Environmental ecological sustainability. Community-based resource management, and sociocultural isolation have led to limited economic such as collective management of common pool resources like opportunities, despite the fact that the area was traditionally a forests and water, is a hallmark of the Annapurna region. However, trade route between Tibet and India. The local population has relied mechanisms for community participation vary across villages and heavily on livelihoods such as animal husbandry, crop production, thus require a central body to oversee community-based resource collection of non-timber forest products, and seasonal trade. One management across all communities in the Annapurna Conservation of the

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