True to its location in Terathum’s Laligurans Municipality is a protected ridgeline that will soon be abloom with rhododendron in dozens of colours and shades of Nepal’s national flower. The Cholung Park is now a tourist destination as mobile wielding youth travel long distances to do video and selfies in the peak flowering season in March. The park is also a centre to document the history and culture of the indigenous Limbu community of eastern Nepal.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240122130140_4389d487bde872d03e73c361959277366aabdd77638f5dbf0cc35dd9667eb862.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20240122130140_4389d487bde872d03e73c361959277366aabdd77638f5dbf0cc35dd9667eb862" data-rendition-name="original" width="828" height="466" loading="lazy" alt="Cholung park NT"> </figure>  Lung in the local language are the mysterious stone pillars that emerge from the ground in abundance across the Yakthung Pangbhe (Limbu villages) in the eastern Himalaya much like smaller versions of the moai in Rapa Nui (Easter Island). The lung are believed to be erected as gravestones, to perform traditional rites, as well as to address border and clan disputes, and there are thousands of them scattered undocumented across the mountains.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240122130140_354a19198afde5f185cce47b055145648d030d80a3803624d9e988b65792e565.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20240122130140_354a19198afde5f185cce47b055145648d030d80a3803624d9e988b65792e565" data-rendition-name="original" width="828" height="1104" loading="lazy" alt="Cholung park NT"> </figure>  The Limbu believe that the spirit of their ancestors resides in the lung, in the soil, mountains, caves, water bodies, plants and animals. The community holds nature as sacred, believing it to be the key to health, prosperity, and mercy. The Mundhum cultural belief system of the Limbu is the basis of the existence of Cholung Park. The scholar Sirijanga Sing Thebe Limbu, who taught Limbu script, and religion, is credited with the revival and reach of Mundhum. The 18th century educator and historian believed that he was descended from yakthung, the son of the earth.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240122130140_9f03c669bcb6552996069f942a0059dbd16bc3acffb6dd9698251c67669c4908.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20240122130140_9f03c669bcb6552996069f942a0059dbd16bc3acffb6dd9698251c67669c4908" data-rendition-name="original" width="828" height="1104" loading="lazy" alt="Cholung park NT"> </figure>  Yuma, the principal deity of the Limbu community, is regarded as the mother of the universe, and the mother of yakthung. Yuma, who liked to weave, is said to have set up a loom on a stone pillar by the side of a river. Parts of that very loom, like the thakkuri, juwa, its yoke, and the water pump, are all on display at the Park, thought to have been left there by the goddess. Visitors can also see stone scales, called pasanga, in the park. During a marriage ceremony, performed by Limbu shaman, the bride and groom are placed on either side of the scale. They can only marry when the scale is balanced, or if they are equal in age.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240122130140_155421f2e4a329968ae0961a2de7caa227f1fe7dcdd5bb7d3e0126ed11e37fc0.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20240122130140_155421f2e4a329968ae0961a2de7caa227f1fe7dcdd5bb7d3e0126ed11e37fc0" data-rendition-name="original" width="828" height="1104" loading="lazy" alt="Cholung park NT"> </figure>  To balance the scales, a khukuri is placed on the groom’s side, while clay ornaments are placed on the bride’s side. Also on display are sacred stone pots and tree trunks filled with water. In the event of a divorce between spouses, an assembly that includes elders announces the separation of the couple after sprinkling the wife with sacred water. The park is also a model for ecological conservation. More than 150 species of plants and herbs have been planted, including bikhma (Aconitum palmatum), and jatamasi (Nardostachys jatamansi). Additionally, 20 out of the 28 rhododendron species found in Nepal are right here.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240122130140_ecf346112afe7bd5b59cd85fd80a34bf33bf083293ae9815e2de6879036a5f1d.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20240122130140_ecf346112afe7bd5b59cd85fd80a34bf33bf083293ae9815e2de6879036a5f1d" data-rendition-name="original" width="828" height="1104" loading="lazy" alt="Cholung park NT"> </figure>  The park has also constructed a traditional village square where Limbu ancestors gathered to share stories and experiences, play the game of suisuila (calling the wind), and sing folk songs.&nbsp; The sacred cholung worok pond inside the park is surrounded by rhododendron, ornamental peach, Himalayan cherry, magnolia, and perfume ginger plants. The Limbu believe that if the water in the pond dries up, it is the harbinger of epidemic and death within the community.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240122130140_70e30581e52ad7ade92adec4803b562ad52dea751e416b7c56e2311c35d5a3a4.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20240122130140_70e30581e52ad7ade92adec4803b562ad52dea751e416b7c56e2311c35d5a3a4" data-rendition-name="original" width="828" height="466" loading="lazy" alt="Cholung park NT"> </figure>  The hundreds of species of plants found within the park are associated with Limbu knowledge, history, and heritage. Some of them include the wadhegangna, morchejha, and paltgada plants used to make the traditional Limbu yeast cake, the pangdu, majiti, and Indian madder used to dye clothes, as well as the danphe and lokta plants used for making paper. The Yuma Museum at the site is an archive of the 2,100-year-old history, heritage, and society of the Limbu people. It showcases recently discovered fossils, inlcuidng one that looks like the jawbone of a mammoth.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240122130148_b25aa1746c74e0d996615a01e3d9c5715e5da22021670980f4d345eccb18d117.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20240122130148_b25aa1746c74e0d996615a01e3d9c5715e5da22021670980f4d345eccb18d117" data-rendition-name="original" width="1400" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Cholung Park NT"> </figure>  Other archaeological artefacts in the museum include Limbu stone beads which are said to have been used as flint stones to make fire. It is believed that the souls of ancestors of the Yakthung Limbus reside within the beads, which is why necklaces made from them are considered sacred. &nbsp; The museum also displays iron, copper, and silver coins of the Lichhavi, Malla, and Shah periods as well as coins depicting the Prophet Mohammad, Shah Sher Shuri of Delhi, and Tibetan kings, showing that the region was influenced by the ebb and flow of empires to the north and south.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240122130140_787574ef07849558109c9066961f02b6e5a9872ea717764e66b1973ceca2bfc6.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20240122130140_787574ef07849558109c9066961f02b6e5a9872ea717764e66b1973ceca2bfc6" data-rendition-name="original" width="828" height="621" loading="lazy" alt="Cholung park NT"> </figure>  Weapons of the Gorkha, Khambu, Limbu and Bhote communities such as bamboo bows, khukuri, knives, shields, swords, and hand cannons are on exhibit. Traditional instruments used by Limbu farmers and shepherds, as well as tools Limbu women used to weave fabric are also up for viewing. Administrative seals used by Limbus and Subbas during the Sen, Shah, and Rana periods have also been preserved in the museum, as have original documents like the sanad and rukka — state order papers given to the Limbu by the Dalai Lama of Tibet, and the Namgyal of Sikkim.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240122130140_578da1b876be4b40a160cbae2d1b37ad9298053cde2d10cf1c00c6d6284c7d07.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20240122130140_578da1b876be4b40a160cbae2d1b37ad9298053cde2d10cf1c00c6d6284c7d07" data-rendition-name="original" width="4000" height="3883" loading="lazy" alt="Cholung park NT"> </figure>  Among the historical papers are documents issued by King Rana Bahadur Shah to the Limbus regarding the kipat land tenure system. Manuscripts by Limbu scholar Sirijunga have been preserved along with genealogy records kept by other researchers.&nbsp; Since its opening, Cholung Park has seen a significant number of domestic tourists, bringing Rs2 million as revenue to Laligurans Municipality. Arjun Babu Mabuhang is the mayor of Laligurans Municipality and started the construction of Cholung Park during his first term.

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Let’s go to Cholung Park

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230208140216/63e3a17c9c7e80680e0d7084jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1125"/><figcaption>Photos: BISWASH CHEPANG</figcaption></figure>Chepangs are a highly marginalised indigenous group in Nepal with an estimated 70,000 individuals spread across Chitwan, Makawanpur, Dhading and Gorkha districts. King Mahendra during Panchyat renamed Chepangs “Praja”, literally meaning ‘subjects’, which became a preferred last name within the community.<a style="background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/chepang-and-their-chiuri/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Chepangs</a> have long lived close to their forest homes, and practiced hunting, fishing, and foraging. But limited opportunities, subsistence farming and a donor-dependent livelihood have meant the people continue to live on the margins. Around 90% of the Chepang people live below the poverty line, earning just $50 per person a year, restricting their ability to seek education, healthcare and other basic necessities.One way to empower this community is through their participation and representation in politics. The good news is there have been constitutional reforms to support, empower and uplift the disadvantaged and excluded segments of Nepali society.Article 18 of the Constitution has a provision related to the right to equality while Article 42 speaks about the right in relation to social inclusion. Article 56 of the Constitution of Nepal 2015 has provisioned federal, provincial and local levels as key power structures of the country, and these three tiers of government can play a significant role in bringing the problems of Chepangs to the fore.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230208140220/63e3a1809c7e80680e0d7085jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1125"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>But despite major political changes in recent decades, there has been little improvement in the lives of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/chitwans-bote-people-in-a-changing-world/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">indigenous people</a> like the Chepang. The existing extractive national political eocnomy of Nepal has, in fact, become a mechanism for further marginalisation and exclusion for Chepangs, where members of the community are only considered vote banks while decision-making is exercised by socially and economically powerful actors.On the other hand, a lack of critical awareness among larger section of Chepang members specially looking for short term benefit such as cash amounts, foods, relief materials in the lead up the polls will be advantageous to politicians in getting them elected to the office.Political <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/including-the-excluded-in-the-bureaucracy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">representation of an indigenous group</a> is one of the pillars of our Constitution, yet the Chepang have not been able to use its provisions for their good. Even during the Panchayat, Jhyapuram Praja was a member of the district assembly in Chitwan for an extended period of time, but was unable to represent Chepang concerns. In the 2017 general polls, two Chepang lawmakers were elected, Gobinda Ram Chepang and Maya Chepang, but they too failed to bring the wider community issues to the rostrum.Similarly, Santa Bahadur Praja served as Minister of State for Physical Infrastructure Development in Bagmati Province. But his responsibilities were constricted as the provinces were yet to formulate their sector laws under the Local Government operations Act 2017. In addition to this, clear functional demarcation among all government tiers for sector operations are not fully established, leading to confusion on executive powers granted to the provincial units by the constitution..In the 2022 elections, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/the-chiuri-boys-of-makwanpur/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chepangs</a> failed to secure even a single seat in Parliament. They are not even the chair or deputy in any of the municipalities in their home districts. Their political representation is limited to the ward level. Even then, only Chepangs nominated are those elected under the women's reservation quota.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230208140220/63e3a1869c7e80680e0d7086jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="898" height="592"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>There are currently 12 locally elected Chepangs but most do not know sufficiently about their roles, responsibilities and rights. Govinda Ram Chepang, a former member of the Constituent Assembly who is now a chair of the Nepal Chepang Association even requested job orientation training since most representatives had little or no prior job experience.As such, none of the <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/from-nepali-press/First-Chepang-nurse,3143" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chepang</a> representatives are working to solve the larger issues of the community such as funding an undergraduate institution for youths to enroll. All existing colleges are away from their hometown and most are unable to afford a room in the city as well as increased expenses.Similarly, access to easy health care especially for easily curable diseases and pregnancy complications should be the topmost priority as should be market-based employment opportunities for young people. Allowance for senior citizens, people with disabilities and others eligible for government support have to be facilitated.Government apathy has reached such heights that the Chepangs do not have any expectations from the state. They do not know what to ask for, either. It is up to educated people to use various platforms including social media to demand actions from their leaders and in turn, make them accountable.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230208140220/63e3a1899c7e80680e0d7087jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Ward leaders should make sure that the voices from the grassroots are heard in the municipality’s planning process. They should be as involved in decision-making, they are agents of change, after all. They cannot be mollified with the tokenistic model of representation which will only serve to strengthen persisting inequalities.Brazilian educator Paulo Freire said inequality is sustained when the people most affected by it are unable to decode their social condition. It is high time to raise critical consciousness among larger Chepang members such that they are able to recognise all forms of injustice and take action against these systems.Only then we can break the vicious cycle of inequality and social injustice.Biswash Chepang is an MPhil Candidate at Kathmandu University. Bhawana Lamgade is a graduate of law

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Chepang in Nepal’s politics

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230208140212/63e39fbf9c7e80680e0d7008jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"/><figcaption>All photos: SANGITA THEBE LIMBU</figcaption></figure>Nepal’s indigenous peoples continue their collective acts of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/chitwans-bote-people-in-a-changing-world/">remembrance and revival</a> despite being overlooked by the state and media. There is often an exoticised gaze held on indigenous festivals and traditions, but we must not forget their historical, cultural, and political significance. Participating in this year’s Chasok Tangnam or Udhauli gave me an opportunity to understand my heritage, as well as the precarity and potential of such hard-won cultural spaces.The traffic in Kathmandu was heavy and loud. The air was infused with dust and smoke. Motley assortments of shops were open and busy. Vendors and pedestrians filled the sidewalk. Cocooned by the warmth of the winter sun, everyone appeared enmeshed in their daily lives. People had places to reach, work to do, food to put on the table. There was nothing special about the day or so it seemed.And yet, as we traversed the valley to reach the forested area of Hattiban, the environment could not have been more different. It was a burst of colours tangled with varied sounds, smells, and flavours. Like many other members of Kirat communities, my mother and I were there to celebrate Chasok Tangnam, also known as Chaasot, Chaasuwa, Sakela, Udhauli, among others.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/chitwans-bote-people-in-a-changing-world/">Chitwan’s Bote people in a changing world</a>, Sravasti Ghosh DastidarUnder the one roof of Manghim (the house of worship) in Hattiban, there were four different shrines for Yakkha, Sunuwar, Rai and Limbu where respective communities came together to perform rituals to commemorate their relations with land, nature, ancestors, deities, and one another.In Yakthungpan (Limbu language), ‘cha’ means grain and ‘sok’ means to offer. Thus, Chasok is a ritual that is performed to offer a new harvest to Goddess Yuma Sammang, other deities and ancestors. It also entails asking forgiveness from nature for destroying non-human beings during the process of agriculture.Sita Mademba argues in her research paper ‘Reimagining Chasok: Resistance against the State’ that Chasok has become a symbol of resistance and collective identity among Limbu communities. She further observes that the annual Chasok is now a ‘great Tangnam’ (a great festival) as it has transformed from a household ritual into a community festival celebrated in public spaces, both within and outside Nepal. And the celebrations continued this year on 8 December - the day of the full moon in the month of Senchengla.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230208140212/63e39fc39c7e80680e0d7009jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="4032" height="3024"><h3>The past and the present</h3>The sparsely forested hill of Hattiban that overlooked the crowded, concrete settlements of the capital city had a festive atmosphere. Many people were dressed in their traditional attire made from colourful, geometric patterned, handwoven dhaka. The diamond shaped brooches of Silam Sakma, symbolising protection against unnatural death, were ubiquitous.Many women adorned traditional jewelries such as kantha (necklace with golden beads and red felt), samyanfung (huge circular disc worn on the head), nessey (flattened gold earring), sesephung (forehead jewelry), and reji (necklace with coins). Such jewelries not only reflect the traditional fashion, but also the economy of that time and their significance as women’s personal assets and financial security.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/do-nepali-attitudes-need-to-be-decolonised/">Do Nepali attitudes need to be decolonised?</a> Mark TurinCovered by a canopy of smoke from barbecued pork, there were many stalls selling selrotis, chatpate, ‘Singaporey momos’, along with traditional dishes of faksa-yangben (pork with edible lichen), sargemba (pork blood sausage), chaamre (rice with ghee and turmeric), and tongba. There were also homemade potluck lunches that were being shared among friends and relatives.Free drinking water, seating areas and toilets for the festival had been arranged by community organisations, and they made appeals for voluntary donations. A long queue soon formed to donate and support. Meanwhile, the rhythmic beats of chyabrung and jhyamta echoed through the forest.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230208140212/63e39fc89c7e80680e0d700ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2224" height="2224"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230208140212/63e39fcd9c7e80680e0d700bjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2540" height="2540">Both young and old had come together to share stories and traditions. The younger generations were redefining cultural expressions with TikToks and selfies, and new stylistic interpretations of traditional dresses and jewelries. Their practices honored the past, but also reflected their present. They engaged in Kelang dance with their elders, forming a circle, observing and learning from each other, and synchronising their footsteps to the beats of the wooden drums known as ke or chyabrung. However, the traditionally popular paddy dance or Yalang, was a less frequent sight. It required knowledge of Limbu language, which was lacking in most younger generations. It was unfortunate that Limbu and other Kirat languages could hardly be heard in a space dedicated to remembering Kirat heritage. The hard-won space of cultural celebration and resistance embodied the legacy of the Nepali state’s ‘one nation, one language’ policy and its oppressive history.The popular media coverage of indigenous festivals predominantly focuses on images of ‘ethnic women’ adorned in their traditional garb and ornaments. This trend has continued despite growing criticism of the Nepali media’s ‘male gaze’ that perpetuates exoticisation, sexualisation and objectification of indigenous women. There is also much to be said about the limitations of the state’s ‘tolerance policy’ that claims multiculturalism and yet, ends up exoticising non-dominant cultures, making them concerns of specific communities only.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230208140212/63e39fd19c7e80680e0d700cjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2642" height="2642">During the Chasok celebrations, the representatives of community organisations criticised the arbitrary ways in which the state protects certain festivals as ‘national festivals’ and reduces public holidays for those celebrated by indigenous communities. A representative said, ‘We are met with traffic as we leave this place, and with a one-day holiday, neither can we visit our villages nor our relatives.’Through speeches broadcasted over loudspeakers, the organisers were reimagining cultural festivities as a space for collective conscious building.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/unsung-heroes-of-nepals-tiger-recovery/">Unsung heroes of Nepal’s tiger recovery</a>, Smriti DahalHowever, could the given space be more than dance, music, food, and festivity? The intention behind this question is not to undermine the struggles of indigenous movement and the community effort that has created this niche space amidst systemic challenges. Rather, the intention is to critically think about our changing relations with land and nature, and what indigeneity means in the context of migration.How do we expand the repertoire of our cultural expressions such as preservation of language and understanding of our histories and mundhum (the worldviews)? How do we create a space for multicultural identities and collective rights in the post-identity, post-ideology political landscape of today?These questions will be important as we disperse back into the traffic of the city, to the daily grind of life, to our diverse concerns and allegiances.Sangita Thebe Limbu is a PhD candidate at University College London (UCL).

Remembrance and revival of Udhauli

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101116/637208209c7e80680e0b54cejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1119"/><figcaption>Takam village (above) in Dhaulagiri Municipality is a model for how federalism should function. Photos: JOY STEPHENS</figcaption></figure>Bal Bir Biswakarma from the village of Lulang at the lap of Mt Dhaulagiri in Central Nepal is a 68-year-old subsistence farmer, descendants of metal smiths who settled here centuries ago to smelt copper ore.When the copper ran out, he became a high altitude porter, summiting Mt Lhotse and even rock climbing in Wyoming in the United States. But, as Joy Stephens <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/the-clouds-are-lifting-below-dhaulagiri/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">writes in her travelogue</a> most of his life Bal Bir Biswakarma has been living hand-to-mouth in this Dalit village high up in the mountains.Since 2017, Lulang is a part of Dhaulagiri Municipality and elected Thamsara Pun as mayor who took the revolutionary step of moving the headquarter from the traditional power centre of Takam to Muna village to make it better accessible to the region’s indigenous and Dalit populations.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101116/637208239c7e80680e0b54cfjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="792"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>In the past five years, villagers have begun to see improvements in healthcare, education and jobs, thanks to political devolution gained through Nepal’s new federal structure. Pun is <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/all-politics-is-local/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">looking forward to fast-tracked local elections</a> on 18 May, and the chance to serve five more years.This is what federalism means in practice: giving voice to the voiceless, letting under-served communities take charge so they can better take care of themselves. Dhaulagiri Municipality is also a reminder to the squabbling political class in faraway Kathmandu, some of whom have prematurely declared federalism dead without even letting it prove its worth.Excitement about <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/think-nationally-vote-locally/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">local elections</a> is already palpable across rural Nepal, but a cynical and pessimistic political class in the national capital does not want to let go of power and resources. In fact, despite a federal Constitution, political decision-making is more centralised than ever before.While the rights of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/polls-in-the-time-of-pandemic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">local governments</a> are enshrined in the Constitution, it is not followed in the spirit with access to resources for them to actually perform.“Federalism is the sum total of everything we Nepalis have gone through, from various governing structures to the Maoist conflict, the Madhes Movement and everything in between,” explains Khimlal Devkota, recently elected to the National Assembly.“Federalism stands for stability, development and devolution and we had high expectations, expecting quick results,” he adds. “In some ways we have succeeded, people don’t have to rely on Kathmandu for everything. But the centre is still involved in everything from hydropower plants to erecting view towers.”The 2015 Constitution <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/trial-error-democracy,3713" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">devolved rights to local and sub-national governments</a>, but the necessary laws were not in place until after elections. This meant a confusing transition regarding jurisdiction which threatened to undermine past gains in areas like community forestry, public health and education.“Coordination between the governments, vertical and horizontal, is a pillar of federalism and so is functional demarcation,” says Balananda Paudel who headed the Local Bodies Restructuring Commission. “Our laws are riddled with lack of clarity in some places and elsewhere there is a problem of overlapping functions for different levels of government.”This results in a perpetual blame-game between different levels of government, and a lack of accountability. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/the-f-word/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Federalism</a>, therefore, is still work in progress and this year’s series of elections will hopefully result in greater devolution.One of the reasons federalism got a bad name is that in the past years, it also decentralised corruption. Of the 753 local governments, one-third have elected chairs and mayors who are contractors and have awarded themselves <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/hiding-their-head-in-the-sand/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">sand-mining</a>, road-building and quarrying  contracts.Which is why upcoming local elections are even more important -- to reward elected municipal governments who have worked for the people with another five-year term and reject those who did not.This might also be a time to question the purpose of retaining a parallel power structure composed of the District Administrations and the Chief District Officers. Its job of issuing citizenship papers and passports allows this unelected office of centralised bureaucrats to wield extraordinary power over ordinary people.Federalism has also multiplied central-level politics by seven. Bagmati Province recently set a new record with 70 mini-ministries in Hetauda to allow the coalition to keep power. Much of the last five years were wasted in <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/editorial/The-f-word-again,1426" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">endless debates about demarcation</a> of provincial boundaries and designating capitals. It took four years for Madhes Province to get its name, and Province 1 is still just a number.“We have made some headway in formulating laws and regulations, now we must bring it into practice, improving staffing for service delivery at local levels and promoting better coordination between and within levels by activating intergovernmental relations,” says Balananda Paudel.Just as democracy is only as effective as politicians, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/federalism-rule-of-law-and-the-judiciary/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">federalism</a> too will only function if it follows the true spirit of devolution of power and resources to the periphery. It needs political will at the centre to provide technical and financial support – something we have not seen in the last five years.Says Khimlal Devkota: “Citizens should be placed at the centre of all decision making. This can be done only by nurturing and strengthening federal practice.”

Sonia Awale

Power to the periphery

<figure><img width="1500" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111410118/637205929c7e80680e0b28c4jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Two nature reserves in Nepal have been recognised for their success in <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/villagers-step-up-to-protect-nepals-tigers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">involving local communities</a> to conserve their tiger habitats. 
<a style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/its-a-jungle-out-there/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bardia National Park</a> in Nepal and the Khata Forest Corridor in the western Tarai have been awarded for contributing to Nepal becoming the first tiger range country to fulfil an international pledge to double its tiger population.
Bardia and Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in India won this year's TX2 Award for doubling their population of wild tigers since 2010, while Khata Forest Conservation Area in Nepal that serves as a transboundary <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nature-without-borders/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">connectivity for tigers between Nepal and India</a>, won the Tiger Conservation Excellence award.
“They demonstrate what can be achieved through long term commitments to tiger conservation,” said Stuart Chapman of the Tiger Alive Initiative of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). “The dedication of field teams, conservation partners and communities living with tigers are behind these extraordinary results.”
WWF Nepal Country director Ghana Gurung said the award is a testament to the continuous effort, dedication and commitment shown by the government, communities, buffer zone and the national park for tiger protection. "I also deeply appreciate the enormous role communities of Khata corridor that live alongside the tigers and thrive under challenging conditions have played in establishing Khata as a globally recognized and functional corridor," he added.
The awards celebrate the upcoming launch of the 2022 Lunar Year of the Tiger. In September, tiger range countries will convene at the second Global Tiger Summit in Vladivostok to assess progress towards the ambitious TX2 goal to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-tiger-conservation-too-successful/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">double the number of tigers</a> in the wild. The conference will also identify tiger conservation priorities for the next 12 years.
The tiger population in Bardia National Park did not just double, but increased almost five-fold from less than 20 tigers in 2009 to almost 90 in 2018 — an astounding achievement given it is situated in one of the most densely populated regions of the world. 
“Successful <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/unsung-heroes-of-nepals-tiger-recovery/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tiger conservation</a> involves continuous management and improvement of habitats at the landscape scale, rigorous monitoring of tigers and their prey, and working extensively with local communities, said Sugoto Roy of the Integrated Tiger Habitat Programme at the International Conservation Union (IUCN). “All of these criteria have been met with excellence, giving us these globally significant results.“
Sathyamangalam, which India designated a Tiger Reserve in 2013, was home to only 25 tigers in 2011 but today there are an estimated 80 individuals in the area. Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, located in the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot, connects with two other protected areas, supporting one of the most important and largest tiger populations in the world.
The transboundary Khata corridor was also recognised for its <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepali-women-at-forefront-of-saving-tigers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">community-based conservation efforts</a>, including a network of 74 community forests covering 202 km2 which have secured safe passage for tigers between Bardia National Park in Nepal and Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in India. 
Over the last five years 46 individual tigers have been detected on camera traps using the corridor together with other iconic and threatened mammal species including the Asian elephant, and the greater one-horned rhino.
The TX2 goal is one of the most ambitious <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/habitat-destrcution-of-tiger-in-Tarai,3423" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">conservation goals</a> ever set for a single species and the second Global Tiger Summit in Vladivostok, September 2022, offers the opportunity to set a new vision to secure their future. 
Tigers numbered perhaps 100,000 a century ago but dropped precipitously to as few as 3,200 in 2010. Their numbers have slowly recovered to approximately 3,900, based on estimates from tiger range countries compiled in 2016. 
Nepal is currently conducting a tiger census, and the number are expected to be even higher than in the last census. The last  census in 2018 showed that Nepal's tiger population had doubled to 235 from the previous tally in 2009. This made Nepal the first country to attain the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=16820#.W6d_Atcza71" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D16820%23.W6d_Atcza71&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1643365111069000&amp;usg=AOvVaw18lnqEeRRRTPh00Thfo-8P">TX2 target of doubling its wild tiger population</a> adopted at the St Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010.  
The awards are presented by the Conservation Assured Tiger Standards (CATS), Fauna and Flora International (FFI), Global Tiger Forum (GTF), IUCN’s Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Programme (ITHCP), Panthera, UNDP, The Lion’s Share, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and WWF.
Said Dale Miquelle of the Wildlife Conservation Society: “The results demonstrated by these three sites demonstrate what tiger conservation success can look like when government agencies, non-governmental bodies, and local communities work together to create a better future for both tigers and people.”
<a href="https://tx2tigeraward.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://tx2tigeraward.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1643365111069000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0l2Whdc1RYg_1r9WcKdKPr">https://tx2tigeraward.org/</a>

2 Nepal tiger reserves awarded

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141148/636d01739c7e80680e0a362djpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"/><figcaption>Renuka Sunar was killed in a tiger attack on 10 March earlier this year. All photos: AMIT MACHAMASI</figcaption></figure>1 0 March 2020. It was an ordinary day for Renuka Sunar collecting fodder in a forest near her home in Kathariya village. Suddenly, a tiger leaped out of the undergrowth and dragged her screaming and kicking. Neighbours heard her cries, and rushed out to help.“When we heard the screaming we ran to where the sound was coming from, but she was nowhere to be found,” recalls mother-in-law Kaushila Sunar. “Later the police found her, but she was dead.”At 60, Kaushila has been living in Kathariya for more than four decades but has never before experienced such increased frequency of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/close-encounters-with-tigers-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tiger attacks</a>. There was another close shave last month.“I suddenly saw a tiger read to pounce on my grandchild, I screamed and managed to scare it away. They are attacking us in our homes following the smell of livestock, the fear keeps me awake all night,” she adds.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141148/636d01779c7e80680e0a362ejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427"><figcaption>Kaushila Sunar wasn't able to reach her daughter-in-law Renuka on time to save her.</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141148/636d017a9c7e80680e0a362fjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427"><figcaption>Sunar now has to raise her young grandchildren as well as protect the goats all by herself.</figcaption></figure>Kaushila is a widow and her only source of livelihood is now at risk due to the fear of tigers. She now has to raise her young grandchildren as well as protect the goats all by herself. But since the attack on Renuka, she has been afraid to venture into the jungle to collect fodder for the goats.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141148/636d017e9c7e80680e0a3630jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><figcaption>Kathariya village in Bardia.</figcaption></figure>Four months before Renuka was killed, Dinesh Tharu of the nearby village of Madhuban who had gone into the forest to collect mushrooms was also attacked and taken by a tiger. His brother-in-law Ramesh who went looking for him suffered the same fate.Ramita Chaudhari lost both her husband and brother on the same day due to the tiger attack. Dinesh, a construction worker in Kathmandu, and Ramita were married for 10 years and have two daughters. The family is landless.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141148/636d01829c7e80680e0a3631jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><figcaption>Ramita Chaudhari lost both her husband and brother to a tiger attack.</figcaption></figure>“He took us to Kathmandu for a visit once, and wanted to enroll our children in a school there but now after his death I cannot even afford to send them to a government school here,” says Ramita whose older daughter is in Grade 2.She adds: “I’d never known of a tiger attack before. It took both my husband and my brother together and left my family destitute. I wish someone could help me educate my daughters.”<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141148/636d01859c7e80680e0a3632jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><figcaption>Ramita Chaudhari with her young daughters.</figcaption></figure>Dinesh and Ramesh had married each other’s sisters, so like Ramita, 25-year-old Puja also lost both her husband and brother on the same day. The couple has two daughters aged three and one, and the family relied on Ramesh's income as a construction worker.After the deaths, Puja took training in making potato chips but because of the Covid-19 lockdowns, she is yet to start a business. “Work is difficult to come by. But I want to send my children to school no matter how difficult.”<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141148/636d01899c7e80680e0a3633jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><figcaption>Puja Tharu also lost both her husband and brother to a tiger attack. She struggles to send her children to school</figcaption></figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141148/636d018d9c7e80680e0a3634jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141148/636d01929c7e80680e0a3635jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427">All these three attacks took place along the Khata Wildlife Corridor that links Nepal’s Bardia National Park with India’s Katarniyaghat Wildlife Sanctuary. The corridor is used by endangered mammals like tigers, elephants and rhinos, and the wildlife in the two-country sanctuary frequently move back and forth across the border.There were a total of 87 tigers in Bardia National Park and buffer zone in the 2018 census. Another 28 big cats were recorded in Katarniyaghat in India. Similarly, a 2021 census registered a total of 120 wild elephants in Bardia and Katarniyaghat. There are also <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/where-have-bardias-rhinos-gone/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">four rhinos translocated to Bardia</a> from Chitwan which have moved over to the Indian side.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141148/636d01959c7e80680e0a3636jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><figcaption>A route frequented by tigers in the Khata Wildlife Corridor.</figcaption></figure>“We have installed a camera trap in the Khata corridor to monitor wildlife movement,” says Rabin Kadaria of National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) Bardia. “The corridor has made mating between the wildlife across the border possible, resulting in new offspring, and preventing genetic degradation, which means biological diversification and healthier newborns.”<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141148/636d01999c7e80680e0a3637jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427"><figcaption>Bardia National Park office</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141148/636d019d9c7e80680e0a3638jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427"><figcaption>Rabin Kadaria of National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) Bardia</figcaption></figure>The Khata Corridor actually lies outside Bardia National Park and beyond its buffer zone, but is a protected area under the Forest Act 1993 but Nepal’s law doesn’t recognise it as a separate entity. Presently, it is managed by the Division Forest Office, and local communities have established a conservation committee for the corridor.But the corridor is suffering from encroachment and human disturbance. It has been bifurcated by the Postal Highway, which has disrupted the north-south movement of wildlife. Though a 45m-wide wildlife bridge has been proposed in Madhuban to allow animals to cross, construction work has not started yet.Khata Corridor has contributed to wildlife conservation, but increased frequency of animal attacks have added to the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/in-conservation-nepal-is-not-out-of-the-woods-yet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">conservation challenges </a>of endangered species in Nepal.In the past two years, 23 people (20 in Bardia, two in Banke and one in Kailali districts) have lost their lives to tiger attack, according to Bardia National Park. Of the 20 in Bardia, seven were from the Khata Corridor."The human-tiger contact has become a bigger challenge than poaching. Conservation programs should look into reducing such conflicts," adds Kadaria of the NTNC Bardia.Moreover, indigenous people and local communities rely on the forest for firewood, fodder and food, and it is impossible to prohibit them from entering the forest."Indigenous peoples have a right to forest food in the national parks, they should not be deprived of it. It is unacceptable that 23 people have been killed by wildlife in the past three years,” says Bharti Pathak of the Federation of Community Forestry Users.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141148/636d01a19c7e80680e0a3639jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000">The Chief Conservation Officer of Bardia National Park Bishnu Prasad Shrestha agrees, and is seeking federal government support for local communities with alternative livelihood options instead of barring them from the forest."Conservation efforts will be incomplete and unsuccessful unless <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/the-unsung-heroes-of-conservation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">people living near the protected areas</a> take ownership for their protection," he says.Nepal is <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/fixing-what-aint-broke/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">an international model for wildlife conservation</a>. It is the first tiger range country to meet the target of doubling its big cat population and is well on its way to achieving its commitment to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/how-many-tigers-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">increase that number</a> to 250 by 2022, up from 121 in 2009. But this also means an increase in the frequency of tiger attacks, especially along the Khata Corridor.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141148/636d01a49c7e80680e0a363ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141148/636d01a79c7e80680e0a363bjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427">In fact one-third of all wildlife attacks in the Banke-Bardia area have occurred in the municipality alongside the corridor, increasing from only three between 1993-2013 to seven since 2019.In the 2021 <a href="https://bit.ly/2UA9fx8">journal article</a>, 'Complex Consequences of Conservation Success: Emerging Human-Tiger Conflict in Nepal', conservationists have warned that the current level of human-wildlife contact in the Bardia-Banke complex will pose a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/villagers-step-up-to-protect-nepals-tigers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">serious risk to tiger conservation </a>if not addressed on time.However, <a href="https://bit.ly/3zl8dEF">another article</a> published in the journal Oryx in 2016, 'Are Corridor Good for Tiger But Bad for People? An assessment of the Khata Corridor in Low Land Nepal', concluded that wildlife route was not any more problematic for <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/rise-in-tiger-numbers-make-leopards-raid-livestock/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">locals and their livestock </a>than in other national park buffer zones in Nepal.But the recent attacks and deaths in the corridor have raised questions locally about the modality of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/unsung-heroes-of-nepals-tiger-recovery/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tiger conservation</a>. Kaushila Sunar, who lost her daughter-in-law to a tiger attack in March, says, "The government is only concerned about <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/its-a-jungle-out-there/">saving tigers</a>. No one cares how we survive."(Translated by Sonia Awale from the Nepali language original in Himal Khabar.)<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141148/636d01aa9c7e80680e0a363cjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><h2>Corridors of (nature's) power</h2>If not for the pandemic and successive lockdowns, Bardia National Park this time of the year would be crowded with national and international visitors. The homestays along the Khata Wildlife Corridor that connects wilderness areas in India and Nepal used to be packed.But in the absence of tourists, wild animals have reclaimed nature and their space. Villagers have reported coming across a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-wild-elephants-are-also-on-the-move/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">large herd of elephants on the move</a> and some have even sighted tigers in the wildlife corridor.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141148/636d01ad9c7e80680e0a363djpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="537">Salik Ram Chaudhary of the Khata Wildlife Corridor Homestay Management Committee grew up roaming these forests near his home. Every season, he used to guide tourists and organise safaris and wildlife excursions in Bardia National Park.On 10 June, Chaudhary was on his way into the forest when he saw a herd of about 40 elephants, ranging from calves to adults, on the move just half a kilometre from the village.<iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fsalikram.chaudhary.71%2Fvideos%2F492020552133087%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=560" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>“To say it was a sight to behold is an understatement — it is extremely rare to see such a large herd of elephants this close to human settlements,” he said.Every year during September and October, Bardia elephants travel through the Shiva Community Forest in Madhuban Municipality to the Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in India’s Uttar Pradesh. They return to Nepal when the monsoon approaches. Ancestors of these great herds have been taking this annual migratory route for tens of thousands of years.But because of lack of human movement, the herd this year did not bother to stay within the jungle corridor, and instead marched right through the village, lumbering peacefully past farms and stopping to graze along the way.<iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fsalikram.chaudhary.71%2Fvideos%2F471588867509589%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=560" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>The elephants, however, were not the only wildlife sightings that Chaudhary had. On 28 May, the wildlife guide came across a tiger 400m away in the outskirts of the village.“I threw caution to the winds and followed the tiger from a distance, taking photographs. The tiger knew I was there, but left me alone — both of us were at peace with the world,” says Chaudhary, who had never before seen a big cat from up close despite being a wildlife tracker and guide.Half a kilometre away from the Dalla Homestay village, the tiger stopped at a watering hole in the buffer zone of Bardia National Park. It drank deeply.During the hot summers, the water sources within the Bardia National Park that fill the natural watering holes dry up, forcing many wild animals into rivers and ponds near towns and villages.Nepal’s <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-tiger-conservation-too-successful/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">conservation success</a> has also led to overcrowding of big mammals in protected areas and national parks, in turn resulting in scarcity of prey populations. This has compelled tigers and elephants to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/how-humans-can-live-with-wild-elephants/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">venture into human settlement</a>.There has been an increase in human-animal confrontation. This is more prevalent in Khata Wildlife Corridor (read the report above) compared to other parts of western Nepal.Conservation models need to include strategies to<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/remembering-nepals-conservation-heroes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> reduce human-animal conflict</a> and local governments should introduce alternative livelihood options for the communities living near the protected areas to reduce their dependence on the forest. Similarly, infrastructure, new and those being upgraded need to include <a style="background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/nepal-needs-wildlife-friendly-highways/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wildlife passes to reduce road kill.</a>On the flipside, the proximity of endangered species to human settlements has made frequent sightings quite common, boosting local eco-tourism and providing indigenous communities engaged in homestay business with extra income.This was possible with the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/empowering-nepalis-during-covid-19-crisis/">combined conservation effort</a> of communities, local governments and environmentalists, and there are lessons to be learned.Says Salik Ram Chaudhary: “As in Bardia, we need to ramp up conservation efforts across Nepal so that we can use the lockdown to share space and live with Nepal’s rich biodiversity.”<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141148/636d01b19c7e80680e0a363ejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="810" height="540">Read Also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepali-women-at-forefront-of-saving-tigers/">"</a><a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepali-women-at-forefront-of-saving-tigers/">Nepali women at forefront of saving tigers",</a> Kanchan Thapa

Human-animal interface in Nepal wildlife corridor

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141144/636d00be9c7e80680e0a35f3jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"/><figcaption>Piprahar in Chitwan. Photo: MUNA THAPA/WWF NEPAL</figcaption></figure>Indigenous people and local communities provide the best long-term outcomes for conservation at a time when environmentalists debate strategies best suited for the world experiencing increasingly drastic impact of climate change, according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and partners in France.The study, published today in the journal <a href="https://www.ecologyandsociety.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ecology and Society</a>, found that conservation success is “the exception rather than the rule” but suggests the answer could be equitable conservation, which empowers and supports the environmental stewardship of indigenous people and local communities.The research team studied the outcomes of 169 conservation projects around the world –from restoring national forests in Taiwan and community forests in Nepal, to watershed restoration in the Congo, sustainable fisheries in Norway, game management in Zambia, and preserving wetlands in Ghana. They investigated how governance - the arrangements and decision making behind conservation efforts - affects both nature and the well-being of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/chitwans-bote-people-in-a-changing-world/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">indigenous people and local communities</a>.“This study shows it is time to focus on who conserves nature and how, instead of what percentage of the Earth to fence off,” says Neil Dawson, UEA’s School of International Development and lead author of the study.Dawson adds: “Conservation led by Indigenous Peoples and local communities, based on their own knowledge and tenure systems, is far more likely to deliver positive outcomes for nature. In fact, conservation very often fails because it excludes and undervalues local knowledge and this often infringes on rights and cultural diversity along the way.”Here in Nepal, everything that has worked well since the 1990s has the word <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/fixing-what-aint-broke/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘community’ attached to it</a> and it’s truer in conservation. Nepal’s model community forestry program has restored canopy cover in the country and has nearly doubled forest area in the past 40 years.Similarly, indigenous people living near the national parks in the southern plains of Tarai are the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/unsung-heroes-of-nepals-tiger-recovery/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">unsung heroes of Nepal’s wildlife successes</a>. They played a central role in doubling the number of tigers before the 2022 target as well as in minimising rhino poaching, all despite a decade-long civil war, floods and earthquakes, and now the Covid-19 pandemic.International conservation organisations and governments often lead the charge on conservation projects, excluding or controlling local practices, most prominently through strict protected areas.But the study, which is a part of the <a href="https://justconservation.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">JustConservation</a> research project funded by the French Foundation for Research on Biodiversity (FRB) recommends indigenous peoples and local communities at the helm of conservation efforts, with appropriate support from outside, including policies and laws that recognise their knowledge systems.“Current policy negotiations, especially the forthcoming UN climate and biodiversity summits, must embrace and be accountable for ensuring the central role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in mainstream climate and conservation programs. Otherwise, they will likely set in stone another decade of well-meaning practices that result in both ecological decline and social harms,” explains Dawson.The authors of the study found that 56% of the studies investigating conservation under 'local' control reported positive outcomes for both human well-being and conservation.For 'externally' controlled conservation, only 16% reported positive outcomes and more than a third of cases resulted in ineffective conservation and negative social outcomes, in large part due to the conflicts arising with local communities.However, simply granting control to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/villagers-step-up-to-protect-nepals-tigers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">local communities</a> does not automatically guarantee conservation success. Community cohesion, shared knowledge and values, social inclusion, effective leadership and legitimate authority are important ingredients that are often disrupted through processes of globalisation, modernisation or insecurity, and can take many years to re-establish.Additionally, factors beyond the local community can greatly impede local stewardship, such as laws and policies that discriminate against local customs and systems in favour of commercial activities. Moving towards more equitable and effective conservation can therefore be seen as a continuous and collaborative process.Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ knowledge systems and actions are the main resource that can generate <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-tiger-conservation-too-successful/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">successful conservation</a>. To try to override them is counterproductive, but it continues, and the current international policy negotiations and resulting pledges to greatly increase the global area of land and sea set aside for conservation are neglecting this key point.Adds Dawson: “Conservation strategies need to change, to recognise that the most important factor in achieving positive conservation outcomes is not the level of restrictions or magnitude of benefits provided to local communities, but rather recognising local cultural practices and decision-making.”

The unsung heroes of conservation

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181112/636bdffb9c7e80680e083dcfjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"/><figcaption>Piprahar in Chitwan. Photos: MUNA THAPA/WWF NEPAL</figcaption></figure>Nepal serves as a global tiger conservation success story. Despite a decade-long civil war, floods and earthquakes, tumultuous politic, the tiger population across the Tarai have witnessed <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/nepal-nearly-doubles-its-wild-tiger-population" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/nepal-nearly-doubles-its-wild-tiger-population&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1604629028048000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEz-FVE3JyzeuisUUkNabEsGcqJoQ">remarkable</a> recovery.The unsung heroes of this <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/its-a-jungle-out-there/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/its-a-jungle-out-there/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1604629028048000&amp;usg=AFQjCNH-mlOQoGWj8bEFL464pYqHWg3zhg">remarkable achievement</a> are Nepal’s indigenous people who live near national parks that are tiger sanctuaries. They are the primary stakeholders, and contributors to conservation who played a central role in Nepal achieving the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-tigers-now-number-235/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-tigers-now-number-235/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1604629028048000&amp;usg=AFQjCNH5weE3A_CdJivrnYV5SSYxJoJ4uA">TX2 goal two years ago of doubling its tiger population</a> before the 2022 target.However, there is also a pressing need to protect the rights of the indigenous communities, and to ensure that Nepal’s legislation aligns with various international treaties that the country is a signatory to — particularly concerning the rights of indigenous peoples to their land and resources.This has become urgent as Nepal has seen an <a href="https://wwfnepal.exposure.co/c4f87dbbd969790b2c6f98538ca9f710" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://wwfnepal.exposure.co/c4f87dbbd969790b2c6f98538ca9f710&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1604629028048000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEtSd8ooszTtvW7YszSo6KivFKRwQ">uptick</a> in forest-related crimes and with economic <a href="http://tigers.panda.org/news/covid-conservation-we-cant-wait-to-welcome-you-to-nepal-again/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://tigers.panda.org/news/covid-conservation-we-cant-wait-to-welcome-you-to-nepal-again/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1604629028048000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHqNPkzZrAD9bMof0aFgjY1Cv_iFQ">losses</a> throughout the country and in major tiger-bearing habitats during the Covid-19 crisis.These communities, including the Tharu, Bote, and Musahar people, among others who have lived alongside wildlife long before national parks were established, applying their ancestral knowledge to coexist with the natural world. And yet over time, their way of life has been disrupted by curtailed access to natural resources, relocations, and a lack of legislative agency.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181112/636bdffe9c7e80680e083dd0jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>There is a false dichotomy that pits indigenous communities against park protection. Nepal formally adopted a protected park management system via the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act (NPWCA) in 1973 — a decision made to address the Tarai’s rapid development, in-migration from the hills, and the loss of biodiversity in the preceding years. Rules and regulations were devised to augment conservation priorities, but in the name of protection traditional users’ rights were thrown off balance, and indigenous people were deprived of their ancestral access to natural resources.In 1993, Buffer Zones were established via the fourth amendment of the NPWC Act. The concept of Buffer Zones gave rise to benefit-sharing mechanisms for communities living around protected areas as a tradeoff for access restrictions. Under these provisions, 30-50% of park revenue would be channeled for community benefits and sustainable use rights for natural resources were also provided.Buffer zone user committees also allowed impacted communities around parks to engage in formal dialogue with park authorities while also playing an active role in the conservation of natural resources within parks.While these provisions do not explicitly delineate the role of indigenous people, many community leaders living near tiger-bearing parks have worked within these groups to bring change. One of them is <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/close-encounters-with-tigers-in-nepal/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/close-encounters-with-tigers-in-nepal/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1604629028048000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGdv3ZDWh3BZEfwezBqTT2OBYvWMg">Bhadai Tharu</a>, a well-known conservationist in Khata wildlife corridor in Bardia.Despite losing an eye in a tiger attack, he continues to lead his community in natural resource protection, inspiring youth and fighting illegal wildlife crime in his area. Recognising the importance of <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=19647#.X6KtHy8RoWo" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D19647%23.X6KtHy8RoWo&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1604629028048000&amp;usg=AFQjCNE9gV3AYfcKxugqC9a5gvAYFcdrTA">traditional knowledge and leadership of indigenous people</a> in conservation, WWF Nepal, in partnership with the government has also worked with them to develop homestays that celebrate their cultures. These add to their household income, and in turn brought change in attitudes towards tiger conservation.Despite these steps, Nepal’s legislative model in park protection continues to foster approaches that pit traditional rights of indigenous peoples against natural resource protection. Legislation needs to recognise indigenous people as primary stewards of conservation, while also providing them with traditional user access in response to their contributions.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181112/636be0029c7e80680e083dd1jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Although the establishment of buffer zones, revenue sharing, and limited access to resources are steps forward in meeting the needs of local communities that live around the area, they still fall short of providing indigenous people with decision making power.The Buffer Zone Act only legally recognises fishing rights of traditional communities like the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/chitwans-bote-people-in-a-changing-world/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/chitwans-bote-people-in-a-changing-world/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1604629028048000&amp;usg=AFQjCNH133jlxEdgR0S1h9C8LjrisGotig">Bote</a>. While informal agreements between park authorities and indigenous communities for use of resources within certain areas exist, not accepting this access as a legal right leaves room for conflict between the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/atrocities-against-tharu-expressed-in-art/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/atrocities-against-tharu-expressed-in-art/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1604629028048000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGPzYEz6Su822koTdEzkYmrqL-tGg">Tharu</a>, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/chitwans-bote-people-in-a-changing-world/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/chitwans-bote-people-in-a-changing-world/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1604629028048000&amp;usg=AFQjCNH133jlxEdgR0S1h9C8LjrisGotig">Bote</a> and Musahar communities and park authorities.There are also cases of ‘elite capture’ within the Buffer Zone Committees which have marginalised indigenous communities who are the rightful owners and stewards of these protected areas.Nepal is a signatory to various international treaties and conventions related to the rights of indigenous people, including <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=17961#.X6KszS8RoWo" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D17961%23.X6KszS8RoWo&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1604629028048000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFFjYBPoLnYSfO9yR1ileK-k6EiRQ">ILO169</a>, UNDRIP, and article 8j of the CBD — all of which highlight the need for conservation interventions to respect, preserve, and leverage traditional knowledge and practices while also ensuring equitable benefit mechanisms.However, much work needs to be done to translate the spirit of these treaties on the ground. While there are examples of successful conservation models led by indigenous peoples — the handover of Kanchenjunga Conservation Area being one — a lot more could be done to respond to these examples of conservation co-ownership with legislative agency.Nepal’s path to TX2 must better recognise the role and contributions of indigenous peoples in doubling the country’s tiger population. Recognition begins with addressing the requirements of indigenous peoples, and expanding a rights-based approach to conservation.Indigenous people need to be allowed full co-management of the resources in a manner that does not undermine the objective with which the protected areas were established. Sustainable conservation is achieved only when there is a balance between protecting wildlife and safeguarding the rights of indigenous peoples.Smriti Dahal, PhD, serves as the Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Specialist at WWF Nepal.

Unsung heroes of Nepal’s tiger recovery

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171156/636bdc859c7e80680e08031ejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1523" height="1000"/><figcaption>All photos: Sravasti Ghosh Dastidar</figcaption></figure>A tourist trip to Chitwan National Park usually includes interaction with the Tharu community. But most visitors do not get to see the region’s lesser known indigenous people, the Bote.The Tharu are known for their unique culture and artistic decorations manifested on walls, verandahs and household items. And while the Tharu are known as the people of the forest, the Bote are the river people.They mostly live along the East Rapti and Narayani rivers bordering Chitwan National Park, although there are some Bote settlements in Gorkha, Tanahu and Lamjung. The Bote are one of the least known and dwindling indigenous groups in Nepal. According to the 2011 census, there are only 2,830 speaking the Bot language as a mother tongue.Whereas transmigration of mountain settlers in the 1960s cleared the forests and displaced the Tharu, the expansion of Chitwan’s highway towns and a tourism boom encroached on the habitation of the Bote along the riverbanks. When traditional fishing and foraging of the Bote was restricted after the Chitwan National Park was established, the community moved to agriculture.Lately, they have also adapted to other trades like carpentry, motorcycle repairs and even auto rickshaw driving. However, in a Bote village near Sauraha three or four households still fish among the rhinos and crocodiles at the edge of the Chitwan National Park.Dusk settles stealthily on the banks of the meandering East Rapti which marks the boundary between the Chitwan National Park and the tourist village of Sauraha, semi-deserted these days because of the pandemic.Asian Pied-Hornbills, spotted doves and kingfishers flit from one branch to another of tall sal trees surrounding the tiny village. A group of men loiters around the thatched mud hut of Rishiram Bote (right).Rishiram’s wife and daughters go about the household chores of feeding their pet dogs, hen and goats, sweeping mud floors and washing utensils at the tube well. The boys play football. In between all the activities, everyone keeps looking towards the river expectantly.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171156/636bdc889c7e80680e08031fjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="514">The sun is now low in the hazy sky, and in the golden light two small dugouts carved out of simal logs pull up at the bank. Unlike the longer canoes that ferry tourists and forest department personnel, these boats accommodate only two people.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171156/636bdc8a9c7e80680e080320jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1546" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>The women and children run towards the canoes with plastic basins and sharp machetes. Rishiram and three fishermen jump off the boats with small handheld fishing nets that are brimming with bighead carps, silver carps, rohu, naini, mrigal, silver fish, catfish and eels.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171156/636bdc8d9c7e80680e080321jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="395" height="300">There are 120 species of fish found in the cool, slow-moving waters of the Rapti. Some of them are big, and there have been catches of up to 10kg. The licensed Bote fishermen are not allowed by the national park to use longer nets which would entangle crocodiles, and also make fishing unsustainable. The Bote fish for their own community, and have to be satisfied with whatever they can haul in their smaller nets.The women unload the fish, weigh and sell them to the men who have gathered to inspect the evening catch. They are regular customers, mostly hotel and restaurant owners from Sauraha who wait around for the boats to return. They can resell the fish at triple the cost price in town. Within minutes, the entire lot is gone. It has been a good day.On other days when there are some unsold, the Bote dry the fish and consume it themselves. The catch varies from day to day, with fewer fish in winter. Rishiram leaves at 6AM when it is still dark, paddling into the thick fog of the Rapti and returning late. The national park rules do not allow them to fish at night, and the Bote existence is hand-to-mouth.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171156/636bdc8e9c7e80680e080322jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="169" height="250"><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171156/636bdc8f9c7e80680e080323jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1546" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110918110/636bdc949c7e80680e080324jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1572" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Living on the edgeThe Bote literally live on the edge – the edge of jungle, and the edge of the rapidly urbanising inner plains of Chitwan Valley. Modernisation has pushed them to adapt to a monetised, mostly tourism dependent economy of the district. And the national park, with its endangered and protected animals, keeps them out. This is life along the periphery of human habitation, and at the fringes of a protected nature reserve.It can be dangerous floating along these crocodile infested waters and the tall grass of the Rapti floodplain which is the favourite habitat of tigers and rhinos. Sometimes, fish-eating gharial crocodiles get entangled in the nets, and although setting them free can be dangerous, the Bote are forbidden from harming the rare reptiles.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110918110/636bdc989c7e80680e080325jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1573" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Gharials, with their long snouts and razor sharp teeth have to be disentangled with great care, and there are always park rangers watching through binoculars from sentry towers along the river. The Park warden has trained them to follow instructions on fishing, the do’s and dont’s. For example, after disentangling them, the gharials have to be taken to the breeding centre at Kasara.The larger mugger crocodiles are even more dangerous, and the Bote have lost friends and family to them. A few months ago, Rishiram’s friend’s body was found 50km downstream from where he was last seen. During the monsoon, the Rapti’s waters rise and the crocodiles come right up to the huts. They are shooed away with sticks, sometimes unsuccessfully.In the misty winter mornings, the tall, thick elephant grass has rhinoceroses, tigers and sometimes even wild elephants, lurking in them. The fishermen and rhinos frequently cross paths. On one such cold morning, Rishiram’s uncle had gone into the forest with his nets, and he saw the rhino too late. It charged, and gored him.Encountering tigers and wild elephants can be a risky affair. Especially if it happens to be Ronaldo, a rogue elephant which keeps himself entertained by entering villages and mauling inhabitants every year. Villagers usually ward off the wild elephants that come in search of food with electrified barbed wire fences.However, the intelligence quotient of elephants is legendary. They know when there is a power cut and listen to the sounds of generators, and vibrations in the wires, to determine when the wires do not carry a current. The villagers then have to resort to lighting fires to keep the animals out, as well as keep themselves warm.Sidelined existenceThe main livelihood of the Bote is fishing, paddling boats, gold-panning, collecting wood, and harvesting elephant grass and edible ferns from the forest. However, since the Chitwan National Park was established, fishing activities have been regulated with strict guidelines. Some now grow crops in their limited land by the river. They also sell chicken, eggs and elephant grass, and buy dal, rice and buffalo meat to supplement their own supply of fish, mutton, chicken and homegrown vegetables.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110918110/636bdc9b9c7e80680e080326jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1017"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>They now have solar-powered lights, but the homes are still plastered with mud and cow dung. The roofing is made from elephant grass, which is harvested once a year in spring when the Park is open for collection, and have to be rethatched annually. Rishiram and his brothers Parshuram, Dipak and Pardeep are the last few members of the Bote community in Sauraha. There are a few more Botes living down the river in Pathiani. Chitwan is, however, dominated by the better-known Tharu who have cleverly showcased their culture to attract tourists.Very few people have heard of the Bote, even in Nepal. Being  more under-served than the Tharu, the Bote and Majhi communities of Chitwan are at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder. The Bote language, dress, dances and songs are indigenous, and endangered as the way of life of these people is transformed.The Bote language is Indo-European but does not have a script, and is distinct from the Tharu and other indigenous languages here. The link language with other communities is therefore Nepali, and as children go to school, they are losing touch with their mother tongue.Origin and relocationThere are two possible origins of the name ‘Bote’. Besides fishing, the community was known for laying tree trunks or branches across rivers to build makeshift seasonal bridges to allow people to cross. ‘Bot’ means a tree, and it could be that Nepali speakers started calling them Bote.The other possibility might be that since they did not own land or houses, and took shelter under trees on the waterfront, they  came to be known as Bote, since their existence revolved around the river.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110918110/636bdc9f9c7e80680e080327jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1504" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Many members of the community have moved on from Chitwan in search of greener pastures. The traditional livelihoods are being gradually replaced by agriculture and other trading activities that generate better income. The Chitwan National Park, which restricted their fishing tradition, has given some of them auto-rickshaws under an instalment scheme as an alternative to their traditional lifelihood.But Rishiram’s family has stayed on, and is one of the few that still make a living from fishing. He could not continue his studies as he had to become the provider of the family from a young age. But he encourages his own children to get an education and pursue their dreams.The four children and Parshuram’s two sons want to continue their studies though they are yet unsure of their professional goals. Their school timings do not allow them to go fishing with their fathers, hence their interest in the traditional occupation of their community has waned. The girls go to school where they learn Nepali, English and Mathematics. They also help in the housework. They speak a smattering of Hindi, thanks to watching popular Hindi movies on television.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110918110/636bdca29c7e80680e080328jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1558" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>The transformation of Bote lives, their adversities and poverty, have not been able to erode their filial bonds. Community ties are still strong. Bote families find dignity in working together, and they approach life with plenty of smiles and pride in who they are.As with other communities in Nepal, change is rapid and relentless. Literacy and income generation can help Rishiram Bote and others lift themselves from their subsistence lifestyles without erasing too much of their precious culture, heritage. Programs to uplift their socio-economic status involving tourism and conservation could combine their traditions with modernity, and help preserve what is best in the Bote way of life.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110918110/636bdca69c7e80680e080329jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1391" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Distance from Kathmandu to Chitwan: 175 kmFly to Chitwan: Daily flights from Pokhra and Kathmandu to Bharatpur airport, NepalFlight duration: 20 minsBy road: Prithvi Highway from Kathmandu, turn south at MuglingDriving time: 4-5 hoursBest time to go: October to MarchWildlife viewing: April-MayJungle Tours: Half-day, Full-Day Jeep Safaris, Overnight homestays in the jungle, Jungle treksBote village: Your local guide can take you (no scheduled tours)Tharu cultural village tour: 3 hours any day, any seasonSauraha and Pathiani: Auto-rickshaws available on hire<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110918110/636bdcaa9c7e80680e08032ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1523" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Sravasti Ghosh Dastidar is a photographer, travel and lifestyle journalist. She has a content writing firm Sravasti's and <a href="https://sravastis.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://sravastis.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1604192000570000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEwF63inGYoIyzYQ86L-Rp1vRFRIw">an e-commerce website</a> for eco-friendly greeting cards and pens.

Chitwan’s Bote people in a changing world

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141132/636bac6c9c7e80680e077f2fjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="780"/><figcaption>Himani Tharu is so frustrated with her job as the only female mahout in a Bardia National Park elephant camp that she mustered the courage to speak to a journalist. Photo: MUKESH POKHREL</figcaption></figure>Himani Tharu may be the first female elephant mahout serving in Nepal's national parks, but her story is hardly inspirational.Instead, it exposes a system that is unable to welcome gender inclusivity. She faces double discrimination: first because she is a woman and second for belonging to an indigenous community.Harassed by her lower-level co-workers, and ignored by senior staff, Himani says she hopes no one will follow in her footsteps and become a female mahout.“I wouldn’t wish this much suffering upon anyone,” she says.Born on the outskirts of the Bardia National Park, Himani Tharu, 27, grew up close to elephant sanctuaries, and was familiar with both elephants and the people who cared for them.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/3-4th-of-the-sky/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">3/4th of the sky</a>, EditorialDespite that, Himani did not really want to become a mahout. She had plans to graduate from school and get a regular office job. But ten years ago, the Public Service Commission put out a notice for the position of a female mahout, and her family encouraged her to apply because it supposed to be a stable government job.Himani struggled to keep up with the demands of her new profession: she had to learn to take care of elephants, collect grass, take the elephants out to graze, constantly feed them, and clean up after them. She was also required to ride the elephants on the Nepal Army’s jungle patrols.She loved the elephants, especially a baby one, and made friends with them. It was her human co-workers who were unhelpful, disrespectful and ordered her around.“Sometimes they would leave me alone in the middle of the jungle and I would get lost. Other times they would lead my elephant into the river and leave it there,” she says.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/nepals-better-halves/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepal’s better halves</a>, Anil ChitrakarAs the only female among 30 mahouts at the national park, she is often targetted for bullying and harassment, but there is no one she could talk to because of the park's hierarchy.“Had there been about three or four of us women, they would not have dared misbehave but I am the only woman,” says Himani, recalling how her colleagues would deliberately make loud obscene conversations when she was around. When she told them to stop, they scolded her instead.Himani faced constant attacks on her character and integrity. Every time she even spoke to a fellow-mahout or asked for help from a male co-worker, she would subject to vicious teasing.“One of the senior male mahouts used to help me, but after other men in the camp started associating us he was intimidated and stopped coming near me,” says Himani.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/betterforbalance/">#BalanceforBetter</a>, Namrata SharmaAll complaints to senior officers at the camp were ignored, and Himani felt there was no point reporting her colleagues anymore when they engaged in lewd conversation when she was around.The whole system is gender-blind. The elephant camp does not have separate quarters for women, and she has to sleep in a dorm with 15 other men. It is worse when she had to go on overnight jungle patrols in Bardia National Park.Fed up with the treatment and frustrated with her job, Himani mustered the courage to speak frankly to a journalist. She said she had packed up to quit her job many times, but was always persuaded by her relatives and friends to stick it out.She says: “I am determined to find another job, and finally resign during this lockdown. I have put up with everything for so long, I don’t know how long I can take this.”Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/epidemic-of-online-sexism/">Epidemic of online sexism</a>, Shusma Barali<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Online-violence-against-women,2915" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Online violence against women</a>, Sahina Shrestha

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