Prevention of human-wildlife conflict

Immediately, the National Park brought an electric fence machine and installed it in Hattisar. The elephant was saved from wild elephants. Male elephants from all over the park were brought there and kept. An electric fence was installed to protect the government elephants. Such a machine only gives a quick shock, it does not take anyone's life. After monitoring for 6 months, a request was made to the park. We asked for the facility of using a similar type of machine. So that the locals around the park and the middle can be protected from wild animals.

However, there was a long debate with the park. The then Chief Conservation Officer Shivraj Bhatt gave permission to wear it. Taking a lead in this, the installation of electric fence was first started in the community. We completed this work as the chairman through Mrigkunj Consumer Committee. We have provided machines in all areas of Kumroz by connecting them in their locality. Since then this technique has become popular. But could not pay attention to maintenance. On the other hand the elephant himself became clever.

Pillars started to be pulled down, demolished when the line was gone. At that time, it was decided that RCC walls should be installed permanently. The first wall was planted in Jankauli Community Forest area of ​​Chitwan and later in Baghmara. After that, it is being taken to Kumroz and other areas under the leadership of the provincial government. It is difficult to control wild animals such as rhinoceros, elephants, etc. that have entered the settlements to harvest crops. People should also stay within their limits. No additional encroachment on the park area. In terms of how to make the park animal-friendly, it can be made a favorable environment by managing sufficient vacant land and grassland.

Animals can be created to live inside the park. Instead, national forests, additional community forests and other forest areas can be better expanded. By strengthening wildlife corridors, animals from one place can gradually move to another. Parsa National Park is connected with Chitwan. Valmiki is connected. If we add intermediate and national forests to this, there is more than 4 thousand square km of forest area here.

The main problem in the park is poaching. Now it is controlled in Chitwan Park. Another problem is the human-wildlife conflict that has been going on for decades. We have set national and international targets to increase the number of wildlife. Especially in Petersburg, in 2011, the heads of state of the world where tigers are found gathered. At that conference, an international commitment was made to double the number of tigers by 2022. At that time, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal participated from Nepal. But rarely did the country meet that goal. Fortunately, Nepal doubled the number of tigers ahead of schedule.

About 45 percent of the area in Nepal is kept in the forest area. Now the number of rhinos and elephants is increasing. For this we have managed security and accommodation. But we didn't do enough homework on how to manage tigers.

because of which we are suffering losses every year due to human-wildlife conflict. Today, more than 25 people die every year. 15/20 years ago, only 10/12 people died.

The human death toll has now doubled. The incident is also doubling. If we take the figures of amputations, damage to livestock and houses and crops, it is even more. In such a situation, the question is whether the local residents can continue to contribute positively to the management of the park for a long time by enduring the fear.

Chitwan Park received the CATS Award for 2015 to 2018. Chitwan was awarded by the World Wildlife Fund as one of the best parks in the world in terms of tiger habitat. Valmiki Aarksha has received that award today. Although it belongs to India, it is connected with Chitwan. Parsa Park is also a park with similar status. Where there are tigers, elephants, rhinoceros, gaurigai, bears, alligators, alligators, and crocodiles in the forest area. It is a prime habitat for large wildlife. It has become a great place from the point of view of animals and forest.

One of the reasons why elephants attack people so much is because they live in slums along the way. The memory of an elephant is immense. If you walked with a mouse as a child, you will remember it even after 50 years. He does not accept it if a settlement has been built by blocking the forest path where elephants used to walk yesterday. I keep walking because it is the way to walk. This is the problem with Jhapatir. Where yesterday there was a forest, later there was a settlement. What the elephant knows is the way from this forest to that forest. That is why herds of elephants walk there. Which is increasing the conflict between wildlife and humans. His behavior varies from animal to animal. Elephants have their own, rhinos have their own. A tiger needs a large territory. A tiger cannot hunt when it is old. Then comes the easy way. The first choice is livestock. If that is not easy, they will enter the settlement and attack people.

Anywhere tiger habitat is a problem. Incidents of two tigers meeting and killing the weak are also happening. By using technology to know how old the tiger is, old tigers can be kept in natural zoos and linked to tourism. Their habitat should be natural. Feel like living in the forest. In the case of elephants, since ancient times, there was no obstacle in the path of walking. A road should be made from one forest to another forest in a small area. Arrangements should be made to shift the settlements on the path of elephants to safer places. After shifting the settlement, the place should be developed as a forest area. A rhinoceros enters the village only to eat sweet crops, otherwise it has no other interests. He does not come to the settlement to kill people. It will come when wheat, lentils are growing. Rhinos can be kept in the forest if good grasslands and open areas are created within the forest, and normal physical infrastructure is built.

Due to the lack of public awareness, communities below the poverty line have been attacked by wild animals. On the other hand, due to the compulsion to collect grass and firewood in the park area, they are also attacked by wild animals. Communities living around parks, medians with modest homes are the most affected. The impact is even greater on marginalized communities. Their dependence is again on forests and parks. Their livelihood has been going on by fishing, searching for firewood, grazing animals, bringing grass. For that you have to go into the forest. The danger of the incident is more in that community. The physical infrastructure should be made better and stronger in the areas other than the

corridor. Income should be made as a means of livelihood for the community living around. A woodcutter, a fisherman can be made a nature guide. A basis for earning should be made by providing training in making wooden elephants and rhinos. So that you don't have to depend on parks and forests. Alternative livelihood should be provided. The park was to be left as it was yesterday. But it needs to change. Policy rules should be simplified. Forest area should be expanded and managed. Now the forest area is decreasing. Animals are the unique creations of the earth. Today people should live in an orderly manner. We have the technology, we have the resources.

If we manage Parsa, Bardia, Shuklaphanta together, it will not be a problem to keep more than 1000 rhinos safe for a long time. If it is not managed in time with awareness and intelligent calculation, it can create undesirable results and conditions. In order to manage the park well, grassland should be increased for wildlife. An environment should be created to prevent wild animals from coming out by managing food within the park. Infrastructure should be built so that wild animals cannot come into the settlement. But while building the infrastructure, the unhindered movement of wildlife should also be taken into consideration. Corridor areas, i.e. where we have to go from one forest to another forest, we should prioritize wildlife over humans and build infrastructure. Instead of keeping wildlife in a certain area, wildlife can be kept from parks to intermediate zones and national forests by increasing the area. Such areas should be increased and its corridors should be organized.

Just like dinosaurs were extinct, if we don't save tigers, rhinos and elephants in the future, human civilization will be destroyed. Is the responsibility of protecting this being fulfilled by assigning only the marginalized communities living near the park? As the number of animals increases, human-wildlife conflict increases in proportion. If the park is an international heritage, international technology and support is needed. Government should have special interest. Let's protect the heritage together. So that future generations can see the rare wildlife. If there were only people on earth without any animals, wouldn't it look beautiful?

– Dhungana is a conservationist.