Bird Conservation Nepal is working with local community groups in managing buffer zone wetlands for sustainable livelihoods at the same time as it is also enhancing wetland biodiversity in the areas surrounding Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve. A three year project entitled "Sustainable Wetland Management for Wildlife and People in the Buffer Zone of Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve" has been initiated since October 2006. The project is funded by UK government's Darwin Initiative with Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT, UK) as the lead partner. Koshi Tappu in the southeast of Nepal is the country's most important wetland system and covers an area of 175 kmē along the Koshi River. It was gazetted in 1976 to conserve the last remaining wild Nepalese population of the globally threatened Asiatic Water Buffalo. It was declared a Ramsar Site in 1987, and is the most important wetland for migratory waterbirds in Nepal. In 2005 Birdlife International listed the area as an Important Bird Area (IBA), a site of international importance for bird biodiversity conservation. A total of 485 bird species has been recorded of which 19 are globally threatened. Koshi is important wetland staging post for migrating waders and waterfowl in Nepal. The site is surrounded by a buffer zone of 173 kmē, in which 80,000 people live, most of whom are dependent on the natural resource for their livelihoods. Wetlands are the major attraction at Koshi which is facing severe problems. This is because of dependence on wetlands resources. Unsustainable methods of fish harvesting and poaching of wildlife have severely depleted resources. Disturbance, encroachment and habitat loss are some of the conflicts between people and wildlife which need to be resolved. Invasive species including water Hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes and weed Mikania micrantha create a threat to the aquatic ecosystem. Since 1995 the buffer zone development programme has encourages the establishment of fish pond just outside the reserve area. However, birds from Koshi wetlands now come to feed at the fish pond and this has led to a significant conflict. Birds are being persecuted and fish farm stocks are threatened. Birds those are heavily dependent on fish stock are declining.
Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN) will train personnel and build capacity in the local organizations and community groups, develop guidelines for wetland management for sustainable livelihoods, develop plan for sustainable fisheries management and community learning and establish a wetlands conservation information center. The project will work with local community groups to identify barriers to making a sustainable livelihood from buffer zone wetlands. It will train staff from local organizations to enable them to pass on best-practice wetland management advice to local people. A small wetland centre will also be based on existing facilities which will provide education and information to local schools and communities as well as to visitors from Nepal and abroad. The other project activities will be driven largely by the needs of people living around the reserve who depend on the wetlands for their livelihood. Fisheries management is one of the most important roles for the people living in buffer zone as they are dependent on fishing. The project will also help to know the value of the Koshi Tappu's biodiversity. The project's aim is to provide some of the expertise and resources to assist communities living around the reserve to manage wetlands outside the reserve which reduce the pressure on reserve and provide the sustainable livelihood. The project is working together with the Buffer Zone Development Committee, a group of local people who represent the interests of all those living in the buffer zone.
This project is supported by:
