Research Into the Long Term Impact of Development Interventions in the Koshi Hills of Nepal
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RESEARCH INTO THE LONG TERM IMPACT OF DEVELOPMENT INTERVENTIONS IN THE KOSHI HILLS OF NEPAL DOCUMENTARY REPORT Commissioned by Nepal Government’s National Planning Commission (NPC) and The UK Government’s Department for International Development (DFID) [Contract Number PO 5504] August 2013 GRM International Ltd, in association with the Effective Development Group and the Foundation for Development Management GRM International Ltd Effective Development Foundation for nd 2 Floor Group Development Management Turnberry House Level 6 JDA Complex Level II 100 Bunhill Row 444 Queen St Bagdarbar, Sundhara London, EC1Y 8ND Brisbane Kathmandu United Kingdom QLD 4000 Nepal Tel: +44(0) 20 7250 0556 Australia Tel.: +977 1 4263944 Fax: +44(0) 20 7336 8742 Tel: +61 7 3025 8500 Fax.: +977 1 4259104 Fax: +61 7 3025 8555 Annex 1: Total Planned Outlay for National Plans (1956-2010), Nepal Total Planned Outlay (in millions) National Periodic USD (at 2012 Plans NRs. rates) 1st 1956 – 1961 330 4 2nd 1962 – 1965 600 8 3rd 1965 – 1970 2,500 32 4th 1970 – 1975 3,540 45 5th 1975 – 1980 9,197 - 11,404 116.8 - 144.8 6th 1980 – 1985 21,750 276 7th 1985 – 1990 103,014 1,308 8th 1990 – 1995 170,332 2,163 9th 1997 – 2002 372,711 4,733 10th 2002 – 2007 609,823 7,744 11th 2007 – 2010 587,676 7,463 12th 2010 – 2013 1,023,705 12,999 Annex 2: Protected Area Systems, Nepal The efforts to conserve the natural resources undertaken by the government in Nepal can be divided into three types, such as (i) policies and strategies, (ii) acts, and (iii) regulations and guidelines. They are as follows: • Policies and strategies: (i) National Conservation Strategy 1988 (ii) Nepal Environmental Policy and Action Plan 1993 (iii) Master Plan for Forestry Sector 1989 – 2010 (iv) Environmental Assessment in Road Sector of Nepal 2000 (v) Nepal Biodiversity Strategy 2002 (vi) Protected Areas Acts, Regulations and Policies (vii) Wetland policy, wildlife farming policy, infrastructure development policy (viii) Wildlife victims compensation policy • Acts: • Soil Conservation and Watershed Act 1982 • National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1973 and Amendment 1993 • Forestry Act 1992 and Amendment 1998 • Environmental Protection Act 1996 • Plant Protection Act 1997 • Export Import (Control) Act 1961 • Customs Act 2007 • Regulations and guidelines 1. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Guidelines for Forestry Sector 1995 2. Buffer Zone Regulation 1996 3. Environmental Protection Regulation 1997 Of all, two major strategies to be mentioned are Nepal Biodiversity Strategy, 2002 and Sustainable Community Development Programme. They concern with landscape based ecological conservation and protected areas in terms of local people/community participation, indigenous knowledge, institutional strengthening, capacity building, awareness, etc. − Nepal Biodiversity Strategy (NBS) - the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation (MFSC) together with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has prepared for NBS in 2002 has mentioned the following cross-sectoral conservation strategies for ecosystem, species and genetic diversity management: − Landscape planning approach – dealing with protected areas − Institutional strengthening − Strengthening the National Biodiversity Unit − Indigenous and Local communities' knowledge and innovations A. Enhancing National Capacity building B. Biodiversity prospecting C. Women in biodiversity conservation D. Public Education and Awareness E. Biodiversity Integrating local participation F. In-situ conservation and Ex-situ conservation and Biotechnology G. Increase Support for Biodiversity Research and Conservation H. Cross-Sectoral Coordination and Implementation of Policies I. Intellectual Property and Farmers Property Rights J. Environmental Impact Assessment and Biodiversity Conservation K. Ecotourism − Sustainable Community Development Programme - SCDP under its Natural Resources Management Sector has aimed at the following objectives: − Create environment awareness among the poor for better use and management of natural resources, − Establish multi-purpose forest nurseries and plantations and to introduce alternative energy sources such as micro hydro-electricity, biogas and solar energy, and − Support community-based biodiversity conservation initiatives In order to achieve those objectives, the following activities are to be initiated: Restoring degraded land, community forest management, and multipurpose forest nurseries, Awareness through creating eco-clubs at schools Wetland conservation Promoting alternative energy and appropriate technology, and Training and capacity building for environment management Besides, Nepal has signed various international conventions and treaties related to the conservation of biodiversity and forests. Recently, Nepal together with India and Bhutan is moving forward through a transformational program called the ‘Living Himalaya Initiatives’ (LHI). This program aims to ensure the effective management and conservation of natural and cultural heritage of the Himalayan region through the combined actions of the three governments of Nepal, India and Bhutan and to raise awareness about climate change globally (WWF 2011). Protected Area Systems, Nepal (CBS (2004), Handbook of Environment Statistics-2003) Area Protected areas No. coverage Names of the National Parks km² % • National Parks 10 10,853 31.7 Chitwan, Bardia, Sagarmatha, Langtang, Shey Phoksundo, Rara, Khaptad, Makalu Barun, Shivapuri Nagarjun, and Banke • Wildlife 3 979 2.9 Suklaphānta, Parsa, and Koshi Tappu Reserves • Conservation 6 15,426 45.1 Annapurna, Manaslu, Kanchenjunga, Areas Apinappa, Gaurishankar, and Krishnasar CA (Blackbuck – Antilope cervicapra) • Buffer Zones 12 5,603 16.4 • Hunting Reserve 1 1,325 3.9 Dhorpatan Total 32 34,186 100.0 23.23% of Nepal’s area. Ramsar Sites Beeshazar Tal, Ghodaghodi Tal, Jagdishpur Reserviour, Gosainkunda, Phoksundo Lake, and Mai Pokhari In recognition of the magnitude of biodiversity the Government of Nepal has established a network of 32 protected areas since 1973, consisting of 10 national parks, 3 wildlife reserves, 6 conservation areas, 1 hunting reserve, and 12 buffer zones (Table 2). Additionally, three Ramsar sites were declared in 2003. The buffer zone concept was conceived for the first time in 1996 for the Chitwan National Park, primarily to resolve the park and people conflicts. Size of the Protected Areas (CBS (2004), Handbook of Environment Statistics-2003) Protected Areas: National Area (km²) Declared Date Park/Wildlife Reserve PA BZ Total Protected Area Buffer Zone • Chitwan NP 932.0 750.0 1682.0 1973-09-20 1996-12-02 • Langtang NP 1710.0 420.0 2130.0 1976-03-22 1998-04-27 • Sagarmatha NP 1148.0 275.0 1423.0 1976-07-19 2002-01-01 • Rara NP 106.0 198.0 304.0 1977-08-08 2006-09-25 • Shey Phoksundo NP 3555.0 1349.0 4904.0 1984-08-06 1998-10-19 • Khaptad NP 225.0 216.0 441.0 1986-06-23 2006-10-30 • Bardia NP 968.0 507.0 1475.0 1988-12-05 1996-12-02 • Makalu Barun NP 1500.0 830.0 2330.0 1991-11-18 1999-02-08 • Shivapuri Nagarjun NP 159.0 - 159.0 2002-02-18 - • Banke 550.0 343.0 893.0 2010-07-12 2010-07-12 • Suklaphānta WR 305.0 243.5 548.5 1976-07-19 2004-05-22 • Koshi Tappu WR 175.0 173.0 348.0 1980-02-25 2004-08-30 • Parsa WR 499.0 298.17 797.7 1984-05-21 2005-06-27 Total 11832.0 5602.7 17434.7 Per cent 67.9 32.1 100.0 Notes: PA = Protected Areas; NP = National Park; WR = Wildlife Reserve. The protected areas having vast depository of invaluable biodiversity constitute 23.23% of the country’s total area. The buffer zone of 12 national parks and wildlife reserves make up 32.1%. There are 12 Buffer Zone Management Committees (BZMC) for the operation and maintenance of buffer zones. The BZMC receives 50 of the total revenue being generated from own national park or wildlife reserve. There are altogether 206 User Committees and 4,093 User Groups in the buffer zones. The following are the features of the buffer zone: − The income of the community forest is largely based on eco-tourism and fund provided by the BZMC − In the recent years, the trend of BZCF formation seems similar to normal community forestry user group − This dependency on forest and other natural resources has increased along with several broader issues. Some of the critical examples of wide issues associated with broader and longer conservation and the sustainable livelihood. − The buffer zone area comprises 27 districts, 83 VDCs and 0.7 million population. Annex 3: Distribution of Land use Categories by Koshi Hill District (1986, 1996 and 2000) Arable Forest Shrub Grassland Others District 1986 1996 2000 1986 1996 2000 1986 1996 2000 1986 1996 1986 1996 2000 Bhojpur 65,087 74,634 64,728 70,085 64,763 59,738 8,088 5,867 21,599 7,368 3,572 1,697 3,490 20,760 Dhankuta 46,765 50,429 46,052 30,440 29,340 25,603 6,333 4,694 14,198 3,974 2,871 2,341 2,520 1,494 San_asabha 50,195 59,088 69,385 137,541 127,518 155,486 42,854 48,097 47,148 44,081 11,144 72,225 101,049 63,728 Terhathum 37,355 35,536 33,960 21,301 24,297 19,484 3,266 3,288 12,147 3,831 3,131 1,287 787 606 Total 199,403 219,688 214,126 259,366 245,918 260,311 60,541 61,946 95,091 59,254 20,718 77,550 107,846 86,588 Total District 1986 1996 2000 Note: Area in hectare (ha); *No category of grassland with the 2000 land Bhojpur 152,325 152,326 166,825 use category. Dhankuta 89,854 89,854 87,347 Source: LRMP 1986; Department of Survey (DoS), 1996; JAFTA 2001. Sankhuwasabha 346,896 346,896 335,747 Terhathum 67,040 67,040 66,197 Total 656,115 656,116 656,116 6 Annex 4: Percentile Distribution of Land use Categories by Koshi Hill District (1986, 1996 and 2000) Land use Bhojpur Dhankuta Sankhuwasabha Terhathum Total categories 1986 1996 2000 1986 1996 2000 1986 1996 2000 1986 1996 2000 1986 1996 2000 Arable 42.7 49.0 38.8 52.0 56.1 52.7 14.5 17.0 20.7 55.7 53.0 51.3 30.4 33.5 32.6 Forest <.0 42.5 35.8 33.9 32.7 29.3 39.6 36.8 46.3 31.8 36.2 29.4 39.5 37.5 39.7 Shrub 5.3 3.9 12.9 7.0 5.2 16.3 12.4 13.9 14.0 4.9 4.9 18.3 9.2 9.4 14.5 Grassland 4.8 2.3 ∗ 4.4 3.2 ∗ 12.7 3.2 ∗ 5.7 4.7 0.0 9.0 3.2 ∗ Others 1.1 2.3 12.4 2.6 2.8 1.7 20.8 29.1 19.0 1.9 1.2 0.9 11.8 16.4 13.2 ∗ No category of grassland by 2000 classification of land use.