Protected areas (PAs) are established to conserve biodiversity and ecosystems. PAs also provide natural resources to local people that support their livelihoods. However, local people residing nearby PAs often face diverse costs that may influence their overall attitude towards PAs. This actually determines the degree of participation and support of local people in nature conservation. This paper assesses the attitude of local people towards PAs taking a case of Parsa Wildlife Reserve (PWR). The research methods employed were household survey followed by focus group discussions, key informant’s interview and participant observation. This study found that the local people in and around the PWR have negative attitude towards it. Only 34 per cent liked its presence whereas 58 per cent of the respondents were not happy to be included in the buffer zone. Reasons for disliking the reserve was mainly due to wildlife damage; restrictions in resource use; and arrest and prosecution by the park authorities. In contrast, reasons for liking the reserve were the opportunities for natural resource use, biodiversity conservation, and tourism/business. The paper concludes that by addressing the negative attitudes of local people helps the reserve authority to enhance long term sustainability of PWR.
The establishment and management of protected areas are costly, and nature conservation authorities especially in developing countries face huge problems in financing these costs. While it is well established that effective biodiversity conservation increases the attractiveness of a protected area for visitors, the management effectiveness in many parks suffers from the lack of funds. This paper deals with the willingness to pay of international visitors for an increase of admission fees in order to cover management costs in a prominent national park in Nepal (Langtang national park). The results of the on-site survey indicate that international visitors would be willing to pay entry fees that are much higher than those currently charged (local visitors are currently exempt from paying entry fees). Compared to the existing entry fees of 30 USD, visitors would -on average -be willing to pay about 64 USD per visit. An econometric estimation of the determinants of WTP shows that visitors whose experience in the park is above average are also willing to pay higher entry fees. In addition, visitors would also accept temporary or spatial restrictions of access if these policies would improve the conservation of biodiversity. With respect to conclusions regarding the management of protected areas, the study clearly shows that entry fees of international visitors may be significantly increased in order to broaden the financial basis for effective and efficient biodiversity conservation with the ultimate goal of sharing the benefits of conservation with the local population.
Ramsar Sites, wetlands of international importance, are an international category of protected wetland areas recognized under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Protected areas around the world are not achieving the conservation objectives for which they were established, often due to a lack in effective management practices. Hence, protected area management effectiveness and its assessments are crucial elements of achieving responsive and pro-active management. Ramsar Sites that are not recognized as a protected area under the national park and wildlife conservation act in Nepal are often ignored for such assessments and receive little attention in terms of conservation and management. This study aimed to fill this gap by assessing Jagadishpur Reservoir Ramsar Site, which falls into the above category. The Ramsar Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool was used to assess the management effectiveness. Transformed into the global standard reporting format, the overall management effectiveness was 0.27 on a 0 to 1 scale. This score is considered to be in an inadequate range, requiring significant conservation intervention from government with support from conservation partners. This first assessment of Ramsar Site outside of protected area in Nepal and its comparison to global and European regional-level assessments provides the benchmark for future evaluation to track progress in management effectiveness. In conclusion, Ramsar Sites outside formally protected areas are often neglected and intermittent projects, and ad hoc implementation of small-scale activities seems inadequate to improve management effectiveness.
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