completed · Food Security

Strengthening community engagement to promote human-elephant co-existence in Bardia National Park, Nepal

The project will respond to the growing population of wild elephants supported by the Bardia National Park complex by scaling up and strengthening community engagement efforts by the Park to address human-elephant conflict in the region and increase tolerance for these wild megaherbivores. The project will establish a sustainable mechanism to operate electric fences along human settlements to deter elephants by providing additional energizer machines and wire, conduct a workshop for stakeholders on electric fence management, and conduct awareness campaigns to educate community members on the benefits of electric fences and cultivate local ownership of the tool. Awareness campaigns will include a slide show, participatory mapping of fences, contracts of commitment to be signed by community members, and the formation of nine five-member Electric Fence Management Groups (EFMG). Two-day workshops on electric fence repair and maintenance will be provided to 15 fence watch guards, with necessary equipment provided, the nine EFMG will hold regular meetings and organize fence repair and site clearance for optimal performance of the fences. A three-day workshop will be held at Bardia National Park to share knowledge and lessons learned across the Terai Arc Landscape, participants will include park representatives and buffer zone management committees. The project will provide non-palatable crops to buffer zone farmers and a distillation plant to produce aromatic oils for market. Conservation awareness programs will include at least 40 awareness sessions in impacted communities, performances of youth street theaters, and an FM-radio program.