The incidence of conflicts among communities over the collection of Yarsagumba, the high value ca... more The incidence of conflicts among communities over the collection of Yarsagumba, the high value caterpillar fungus, has increased after the Government of Nepal has lifted a ban on its collection and trade in 2001. In most cases, conflicts over Yarsagumba harvesting persist either between locals and outsiders, or between collectors within a local community. In the Api Nampa Conservation Area in Darchula District, Nepal, conflicts are primarily caused by the competi-2 Basant Pant et al. tion for control over resources. The rights of the indigenous Shauka community (migratory herders), the Api Nampa Conservation Authority, and the non-Shauka communities of lower villages are at odds due to a lack of clarity, and the absence of coordination regarding the access to resources in the landscape. The Shauka community has restricted the Yarsagumba collection by 'outsiders' to specific and limited areas of their community forest and traditional grazing land. The lowland, non-Shauka community who are dissatisfied with the restrictions have excluded the Shauka people from the utilization of their winter pasture for animal grazing possible through the introduction of a community forestry programme. In this conflict, both communities suffer as the migratory lifestyle of the Shauka has been adversely affected, and earnings of the lowland community from Yarsagumba collection have been reduced. This is a no-win situation. Our study suggests that the Government of Nepal should prepare a national Yarsagumba management policy and local Yarsagumba management guidelines to address conflicts by clearly defining the roles, responsibilities and rights of local institutions and actors, while ensuring the provision of particular services in the community forestry programme to distant and seasonal users. Acknowledgment: We would like to thank the respondents and informants for their time and information provided during the interview.
... Copyright: ?? Hem Sagar Baral, Ashok Kumar Ram, Badri Chaudhary, Suchit Basnet, Hathan Chaudh... more ... Copyright: ?? Hem Sagar Baral, Ashok Kumar Ram, Badri Chaudhary, Suchit Basnet, Hathan Chaudhary, Tika Ram Giri and Dheeraj Chaudhary 2012. ... of studies have been carried out since then, notably in Suklaphanta and Bardia (Weaver 1991), Bardia (Pokharel & Dhakal ...
Asian Elephants Elephas maximus in Nepal are known to have habitats and movement corridors in Par... more Asian Elephants Elephas maximus in Nepal are known to have habitats and movement corridors in Parsa National Park (PNP) and its buffer zone (BZ), located east of Chitwan National Park. A study was conducted in this area to assess the suitability of PNP and BZ as elephant use areas, and to determine factors relevant to the presence of elephants in PNP. Field measurements were carried out in 67 plots for vegetation analysis. Boosted Regression Tree (BRT) analysis was used to examine the relationship of habitat suitability and variables including topography (slope, aspect, altitude), climate (precipitation, temperature), habitat preference, ground cover and crown cover. The results indicate that elephant habitat suitability is mainly determined by the dominant plant species, temperature, altitude, habitat preference and precipitation. Slope, ground cover, crown cover and substrate have lesser effects. Elephants were recorded up to 400m in the northeast and southeast aspects of the study area. Most suitable habitats were low slope forest dominated by Acacia catechu and Myrsine semicerate that received 300mm annual precipitation. The model emphasizes environmental suitability, and contributes to knowledge for conservation of elephants in PNP and BZ by delineating sites that require specific planning and management.
The incidence of conflicts among communities over the collection of Yarsagumba, the high value ca... more The incidence of conflicts among communities over the collection of Yarsagumba, the high value caterpillar fungus, has increased after the Government of Nepal has lifted a ban on its collection and trade in 2001. In most cases, conflicts over Yarsagumba harvesting persist either between locals and outsiders, or between collectors within a local community. In the Api Nampa Conservation Area in Darchula District, Nepal, conflicts are primarily caused by the competi-2 Basant Pant et al. tion for control over resources. The rights of the indigenous Shauka community (migratory herders), the Api Nampa Conservation Authority, and the non-Shauka communities of lower villages are at odds due to a lack of clarity, and the absence of coordination regarding the access to resources in the landscape. The Shauka community has restricted the Yarsagumba collection by 'outsiders' to specific and limited areas of their community forest and traditional grazing land. The lowland, non-Shauka community who are dissatisfied with the restrictions have excluded the Shauka people from the utilization of their winter pasture for animal grazing possible through the introduction of a community forestry programme. In this conflict, both communities suffer as the migratory lifestyle of the Shauka has been adversely affected, and earnings of the lowland community from Yarsagumba collection have been reduced. This is a no-win situation. Our study suggests that the Government of Nepal should prepare a national Yarsagumba management policy and local Yarsagumba management guidelines to address conflicts by clearly defining the roles, responsibilities and rights of local institutions and actors, while ensuring the provision of particular services in the community forestry programme to distant and seasonal users. Acknowledgment: We would like to thank the respondents and informants for their time and information provided during the interview.
... Copyright: ?? Hem Sagar Baral, Ashok Kumar Ram, Badri Chaudhary, Suchit Basnet, Hathan Chaudh... more ... Copyright: ?? Hem Sagar Baral, Ashok Kumar Ram, Badri Chaudhary, Suchit Basnet, Hathan Chaudhary, Tika Ram Giri and Dheeraj Chaudhary 2012. ... of studies have been carried out since then, notably in Suklaphanta and Bardia (Weaver 1991), Bardia (Pokharel & Dhakal ...
Asian Elephants Elephas maximus in Nepal are known to have habitats and movement corridors in Par... more Asian Elephants Elephas maximus in Nepal are known to have habitats and movement corridors in Parsa National Park (PNP) and its buffer zone (BZ), located east of Chitwan National Park. A study was conducted in this area to assess the suitability of PNP and BZ as elephant use areas, and to determine factors relevant to the presence of elephants in PNP. Field measurements were carried out in 67 plots for vegetation analysis. Boosted Regression Tree (BRT) analysis was used to examine the relationship of habitat suitability and variables including topography (slope, aspect, altitude), climate (precipitation, temperature), habitat preference, ground cover and crown cover. The results indicate that elephant habitat suitability is mainly determined by the dominant plant species, temperature, altitude, habitat preference and precipitation. Slope, ground cover, crown cover and substrate have lesser effects. Elephants were recorded up to 400m in the northeast and southeast aspects of the study area. Most suitable habitats were low slope forest dominated by Acacia catechu and Myrsine semicerate that received 300mm annual precipitation. The model emphasizes environmental suitability, and contributes to knowledge for conservation of elephants in PNP and BZ by delineating sites that require specific planning and management.
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