Improving farmers' access to irrigation in the buffer zone: An effective way to conserve biodiveristy in the chitwan national park
Journal
Irrigation and Drainage
Journal Volume
62
Journal Issue
5
Pages
592-603
Date Issued
2013
Author(s)
Abstract
Drawing results from multi-scale studies, this paper addresses the important coexistence between the Chitwan National Park and buffer-zone farmers' communities in the East Rapti River basin of Nepal. The relationship between the two is discussed using results of land use change (1978-2010) and water availability analysis (1976-2010). At basin level, though there are indications of losses of the government forest, the utilizable outflow of water in the river is still abundant because the process of depletion of water is very low. Scaling down to local level, irrigation systems originating in the river were evaluated and farmers interviewed across locations. There were statistical differences in irrigation system performance affecting water availability for crop production in the buffer zone. Because irrigation plays a disproportionately greater role in farm income and economic water scarcity could be removed, improvement in access to irrigation could effectively help improve food sufficiency and reduce income disparity in this basin. In the forest of the national park, encroachment seems to be low but frequencies of rhino poaching and timber pilferage have remained relatively high. As the buffer zone is the gateway to the park, and subsistence farm families live on the fringes of the park, helping irrigation development would strengthen farmers' cooperation in enhancing resource conservation of the park. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Subjects
Buffer-zone poverty; National park; Open basin; Water scarcity
Type
journal article