Ecotourism is often viewed as effective for promoting the conservation of endangered species and habitats in developing countries. By creating economic incentives for impoverished villagers or their communities, ecotourism is thought to encourage local guardianship of biological resources. To assess ecotourism's effect on the income of villagers living near Royal Chitwan National Park, Nepal, one of the most heavily visited parks in Asia, we randomly surveyed 996 households in 7 of the 36 Village Development Committees adjacent to the park. Despite a 1994 visitation rate exceeding 60,000 tourists-most from industrial nationsthe economic impact of ecotourism on household income was minimal and limited to villages closest to the main park's entrance. Of the estimated 87,000 working-age people living near the park, less than 1100 were employed directly by the ecotourism industry. Only 6% of the surveyed households earned income directly or indirectly from ecotourism; the average annual salary of these households from ecotourism was $600. Ecotourism in Royal Chitwan National Park, as it is currently structured, provides little employment potential, has a marginal effect on household income, and offers few benefits for local people. Thus, it is not a panacea for long-term biodiversity conservation in this case. New policy changes, coupled with alternative approaches to the privately owned ecotourism industry, however, have the potential to redirect an appreciable amount of revenue to local development and strengthen local guardianship of endangered species and habitats. We urge that conservation biologists working in other areas ensure that well-defined mechanisms for profit sharing with local communities are in place before advocating ecotourism development. Where ecotourism programs already exist without such profit-sharing mechanisms, we urge conservationists to press for legislation that permits a percentage of profits to be spent on local community development. Soporte del Ecoturismo a la Conservación de la BiodiversidadResumen: El ecoturismo es frecuentemente visto como un medio efectivo para promover la conservación de especies y hábitats amenazados en países en desarrollo. Se cree que el ecoturismo promueve la custodia de los recursos biológicos locales al crear incentivos económicos para pobladores de bajos recursos en las comunidades aledañas. Para evaluar el efecto del ecoturismo en los ingresos de los pobladores que habitan cerca del Parque Nacional Royal Chitwan, en Nepal-uno de los parques más intensamente visitados en Asia-encuestamos al azar 996 familias en 7 de los 36 Comités de Desarrollo de Villas adyacentes al parque. A pesar de que la tasa de visitas en 1994 excedió los 60,000 turistas-la mayoría provenientes de países industrializados-el impacto económico del ecoturismo en los ingresos familiares fue mínimo y limitado a las villas más cercanas a la entrada del parque. De las 87,000 personas en edad de clase trabajadora que viven cerca del parque, menos de 1,100 fueron empleadas directamente por l...
The Chepangs of Nepal are rich in knowledge regarding the use of different plants and this knowledge has been transferred verbally through the generations. This study analyzed traditional knowledge regarding plant use among the Chepang communities from ward number 3 and 4 of Shaktikhor Village Development Committee located in the central mid hills of Nepal. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants like traditional healers for medicinal plants, and elder people and women for edible and other useful plants. The 'artefact/interview' approach was also used. People were using 435 different plant species for 845 various uses. Eleven of these species belong to different IUCN threat categories. Stems had the highest number of uses (180) followed by whole plants (163) and leaves (134). Fodder had the highest number of species (198) followed by edible plants (136) and medicinal use species (115). 246 species had single-uses while 189 had multiple-uses. Fifty-six plants in use among Chepangs, were not reported in any previous documents from Nepal.
Rural households throughout the Himalayas are regarded as dependent on nontimber forest products (NTFPs), but very few studies have quantified this dependency. This case study, undertaken in two villages in the Central Himalayan foot hills in Nepal, documents the absolute and relative importance of commercial NTFPs to rural household economies. Data were collected in a one-year period and included interviews with 250 households using a semi-structured questionnaire and monthly interviews with four sublocal NTFP traders, two local traders and two central wholesalers. The conservative estimate of NTFP-derived cash income showed this to be a cornerstone in poorer household livelihood strategies and thus in poverty prevention. An annual average of 578 kg of commercial NTFPs was collected in the wild per household, providing poorer households with a cash income share of 44-78%. Better off households are not NTFP dependent but rely on income from crop production and livestock. Based on a net marketing margin analysis, showing that harvesters capture a large share of the Indian wholesaler price, it is argued that there is scope for pursuing NTFP-based strategies for poverty reduction through leasehold forestry and agroforestry. Both these options are compatible with conserving forest cover and forest corridor functions and may thus present a win-win scenario for livelihood improvement and conservation.
Contribution of indigenous knowledge in developing more effective drugs with minimum or no side effects helped to realise importance of study of indigenous remedies and the conservation of biological resources. This study analysed indigenous knowledge regarding medicinal plants use among the Chepang communities from ward number 3 and 4 of Shaktikhor Village Development Committee located in the central mid hills of Nepal. Data were collected in a one-year period and included interviews with traditional healers and elders. Chepangs are rich in knowledge regarding use of different plants and were using a total 219 plant parts from 115 species including one mushroom (belonging 55 families) for medicinal uses. Out of these, 75 species had 118 different new medicinal uses and 18 of them were not reported in any previous documents from Nepal as medicinal plants. Spiritual belief, economy and limitation of alternative health facilities were cause of continuity of people's dependency on traditional healers. Change in socio-economic activities not only threatened traditional knowledge but also resource base of the area. Enforcement of local institution in management of forest resources and legitimating traditional knowledge and practices could help to preserve indigenous knowledge.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.