KCA leading the way in conservation

When the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area (KCA) was under the management of the government, conservation efforts weren’t very effective. Cases of poaching and felling of trees used to come to the police very often.

The situation has changed after the local community took over the management of KCA. The local people keep vigil on the forest, arrest poachers, and hand out punishments to them. This has resulted in a better forest and environment, and an increase in wildlife numbers, according to Khagendra Limbu, chairman of KCA Management Council.

“This is all because the local people themselves are the forest guards. People who used to poach wild animals in the past themselves are protecting the forests now. This is because people have realized that they will be safe as long as forests are safe,” he added. “Had this conservation area been under the management of the government, forests would have been destroyed, and wild animals poached.”

KCA was handed to the local community in Sept 2006, marking the first occasion when the local community was entrusted with the management of a protected area.

Surya Limbu, a local of Phaktanglung Rural Municipality within KCA, said local people have taken ownership of the forests and are protecting them. “Earlier, we used to fell trees for firewood and other purposes. Now, we are protecting the forests,” he added.

Chairman Limbu informed that it took a lot of time to educate the local people that they can become prosperous only by saving forests. “We formed different groups to educate local people on how they can benefit by protecting forests,” he added. “Now, they have realized the importance of forests and are working to protect this natural resource.”

Rabin Samra Limbu, the vice chairperson of Phaktanglung Rural Municipality, said local people now know that conservation efforts will become effective if the local community is involved. “Now people take care of forests because they have realized that they stand to benefit more by protecting forests,” he added. “When we were small, we saw the local people cutting trees. Today, they are protecting the forest as well as the wildlife.”

The creation of local units, however, has created some problems in conservation. “Some problems have been seen due to overlapping of the laws of the local unit and the management council. The government should look into this,” Samra Limbu added.

Conservation Office Ramesh Kumar Yadav said the conservation success of KCA has shown that the local community can be mobilized for the protection of forests in hilly areas. “The number of households in this region is very low, while the forest area is larger. The success in KCA has shown that the local community can be used for conservation,” said Yadav, who worked in KCA for over a year.

Lessons Learned 

Studies conducted prior to the handover of KCA to the local community indicated that conservation efforts would be more successful if the local community were involved. That’s why the government decided to pilot this approach by handing over KCA to the local community. However, KCA’s experience has not been replicated in other areas of the country yet.

Chairman Limbu suggested that the government can reduce its expenses on the protection of national parks, conservation areas, and other projects by entrusting them to the local community. “The government should learn from KCA how to protect natural resources. We have seen significant changes here in the past 17 years. People have realized that forests and natural resources are their own. This is a significant achievement,” he added.

The government has been allocating a budget of Rs 2.5m for conservation efforts in KCA. According to Chairman Limbu, the total budget of KCA, including the salary of government staff, is only around Rs 6-7m. “But the government is spending tens of millions of rupees on national parks and other conservation areas,” he said, adding, “If they could also be handed over to the local community, the government could save money, and conservation efforts would be more effective.”

No human-wildlife conflict

Incidents of human-wildlife conflict are often reported in other places. However, the situation is different in KCA. Locals here are not scared of wildlife, and vice versa. 

Chairman Limbu claims that KCA serves as an example of human-wildlife harmony. “There is no concern of wild animals being chased or killed here. Even when locals and tourists arrive, wildlife graze without any fear. This means that wild animals feel safe,” Limbu added.

Tashi Sherpa of Ghunsa village said poachers have stopped entering the forests after the local community took over the management of KCA. “Earlier, wild animals like blue sheep and deer used to run when they saw humans. Now, they don’t seem to be scared,” he added.

KCA is home to endangered wildlife species like snow leopards, musk deer, and red pandas, as well as hundreds of medicinal herbs. The KCA is home to Mt Kanchanjunga, the third highest peak in the world, as well as tens of other peaks and places of religious importance.