Cycling Fuels Livelihoods In Buffer Zone

The evening air vibrates with the lively chirping of birds, all eager to return to their nests. At this very moment, a few people emerge into view, pedalling their bicycles across a vast, grassy meadow that stretches endlessly along the banks of a channel of the Karnali River.

They ride leisurely, immersed in the bliss of nature. Among the cyclists is Raphael Lambert, a French national. He is delighted to ride through the buffer zone community forests in the vicinity of Bardiya National Park (BNP). Catching his breath, he said, "Riding a bicycle around the park is an amazing experience. It is a great way to enjoy the local rural community along with watching the river, birds and the peaceful natural environment.” 

Many tourists who come to enjoy the natural wonders in Nepal are gradually attracted to BNP, where more than 125 Royal Bengal Tigers are recorded. While Bardiya sees a lower volume of tourists than Chitwan National Park (CNP), there is a steady rise of tourists lately. CNP lies to the south of Kathmandu and is just 170 kilometres away and can be accessed in about a 5-hour drive, while BNP, which stretches to the west of Nepal, is 550 km away from Kathmandu and can be accessed in a 13-hour drive. Bardiya is a bit far, and facilities focused on tourists too are limited.

Recently, three buffer zone community forest groups started cycling, which added a new adventure in Bardiya. The Chitkaiya Buffer Zone Community Forest Group, along with the Thakurbaba and Shivapur Bandarhawa Buffer Zone Community Forest Group, has started cycling since last November.

The majority of the tourists come here to see the tiger. Some get lucky, while others are content with other flora and fauna. One has to wait a few days to see the tiger. So any activities to do in these leisure times would attract tourists. The average stay of tourists in BNP is 3-4 days, while some enthusiasts stay a bit longer.

Last year, 28,000 tourists visited BNP, including 8,000 foreigners. The year before that, 26,000 tourists visited, of which 8,000 were foreigners. "People came here to see the tigers because of the relatively easy sighting, as tigers came to the river to drink water," said Ganesh Prasad Acharya, a hotelier. "So the prospect of cycling has good potential, which will be an added attraction."

The idea of cycling on the natural lane under the canopy of vegetation arises while discussing an alternative and compatible way to generate income for the Buffer Zone Community Forest User Group. "Globally, it is believed that conservation succeeds only when local communities adopt alternative ways of earning," said Dr. Buddhi Sagar Poudel, Director General of the Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation. Despite the primary role of protected areas to conserve biodiversity, protected areas and issues of poverty are interlinked, creating both a moral and ethical responsibility for some action, argued Dr. Babu Ram Lamichhane, an ecologist.

Chitkaiya Community Forest has paved a 6 kilometer cycling lane across four jungle plots in its area. It takes about an hour to complete this loop. Similarly, Thakurbaba Community Forest has also built a cycling lane in its area. The nearly 4 km lane will be completed in roughly one hour. Located on the bank of a channel of the Karnali River, Shivapur Bandarhawa Community Forest's land is plain and full of alluring lawns. So they didn't build new lanes like in other community forests; instead, the existing walking trail was improved. People from the community forests say that so far, there is no threat from animals in these areas. However, wildlife risks cannot be predicted. Therefore, it was made mandatory to do the cycling in groups of at least two people, preferably in the morning.

Cycling was started with six bicycles in each community forest. The rate is Rs. 500 per cycle, for two to three hours. After deducting office operation and maintenance costs, the remaining income will be divided equally among the three community forests. It is agreed that out of the total amount, Rs. 100 each will be allocated for bicycle maintenance and office operations, and the remaining Rs. 300 will be divided equally among the three community forests. There is a plan to connect all three community forests' cycle lanes in the near future, which will cover a distance of about 10 to 12 kilometres.

According to nature guide Ram Bahadur Shahi, apart from globally threatened bird species, the Chitkaiya and Thakurbaba community forests are home to tigers, elephants, leopards, sambar deer, and barking deer, while the Shiva community forest is the habitat of hog deer (laguna), elephants, rhinos, tigers, leopards, and spotted deer (chittal). "We hope cycling brings income to the community forest and also caters to an added service for the tourists," said Namaraj Jaisi, Chairman of the Thakurbaba Buffer Zone Community Forest User Committee.

"As we lack income-generating activities linking tourism, it seems cycling is a suitable way to connect tourism and conservation," Bam Bahadur Budha Magar, Secretary of the Chitkaiya Community Forest User Committee said.

The Small Mammals Conservation and Research Foundation (SMCRF) provided the bicycles to these community forests with the support of the European Outdoor Conservation Association, informed Sanjan Thapa of the foundation. "Along with cycling, we have also set up a new nursery and supported an existing one to grow native plants and have initiated reforestation in these community forests," said Thapa.

Sarah Fennell, a British volunteer teacher working in Nepal, said she found immense joy in cycling along the riverbank during her visit to Bardiya. "The bikes were also good," she said. "We are happy to support this programme, which is a part of the effort to mitigate climate change."

Buffer zone community forests have only been generating income by selling timber and fodder to cover their administrative expenses. Selling those resources doesn't require constant work; just a few weeks will suffice. While cycling requires regular time investment, the staff must continuously monitor the quality of the service. 

Dr. Lamichhane noted that a cycling project similar to this was initiated by the local community in the Tikauli forest of Chitwan, but sadly, that effort was unsuccessful. Later, the same cycling lane was developed for jeep safaris. Therefore, to transform this project into a success story, there is a need to enhance the capacity of the locals and ensure they take its ownership. "Along with cycling, alternative income generation is essential for the community forest user group, other than revenue from the park," said Dr. Lamichanne.

The buffer zone management programme aims to conserve, protect, and promote biodiversity in protected areas, by participating with local people and sharing resources and revenues. "We can expect a positive outcome from this work, since its core objective is also forest reservation," added Thapa. It will affect the households of these community forests. A total of 296 households depend on the Chitkaiya forest, while 300 households depend on the Thakurbaba forest, and 315 households depend on the Shivapur Bandrahawa forest.

To ensure the efficiency of these community forests, proper funding is needed. Protected area tourism can also help address this funding gap if it is managed effectively. However, promoting tourism is not appropriate or feasible in every protected area. "In this regard, cycling could be a promising option in the buffer zone of Bardiya," said Dr. Lamichhane. "But there is still a great deal to be done before it can become a success story."

(Godar is a freelance writer.)