Community Development for Bote in Chitwan National Park, Nepal: A Political Ecology of Development Logic of Erasure

Abstract

The conflict between development and conservation concerns is a perennial topic in sustainable development, and especially significant for marginalized social groups. In Nepal, fortress conservation in protected areas (PA) gave way to a community-based development and natural resource management (CBNRM) narrative of inclusion and participation in so-called buffer zone (BZ) initiatives around national parks. Studies to date show mixed outcomes of the community-based model for marginalized communities, especially for traditional indigenous river and forest dwellers. Academic and government reports of successes and failures of community-based projects in Nepal assume progress is based on traditional indigenous livelihood practices being abandoned and participation in state modernization initiatives in parks and reserves. Thus, despite promises of participation, evidence to date shows a de facto continuation of fortress conservation thinking and erasure of customary knowledge and livelihoods. Based on an ethnographic inquiry informed by political ecology conducted in two villages of Bote IPs (in the buffer zone area) of the Nawalparasi District of Chitwan National Park (CNP), we describe how state interventions and regulations under the guise of community-based participation actively ignore the moral ecology of traditional riverine livelihoods while pursuing a modernization project. Echoing calls by other scholars and stakeholders, we argue that a new approach to conservation and development that respects the environmental ethics of traditional livelihoods is long overdue in Nepal.

Comparative analysis of soil organic matter fractions, lability, stability ratios, and carbon management index in various land use types within bharatpur catchment, Chitwan District, Nepal

“…Comparing land cover changes between 2000 and 2020, there was an overall increase in Sal-dominated forests (7.6%), developed areas (31.34%), and mixed forests (37.46%), and a decrease in riverine forests (11.29%), barren areas (20.03%), croplands (29.87%), and grasslands (49.71%) [ 31 , 32 ]. A significant portion of the forested land in the district is the Chitwan National Park, which is protected as a habitat for various wildlife and other ecological benefits, and attracts a large number of tourists [ 33 ]. The grasslands and pastures primarily cater to domestic buffalo, dairy cattle, sheep, goats, and other wild animals such as rhinoceros.…”