Household Dependency on Buffer Zone Community Forest and its Implication for Management of Chitwan National Park, Nepal

Household dependency on buffer zone community forests, such as Panbari in Chitwan National Park, Nepal, is significantly influenced by wealth status, family size, livestock population, agricultural income, and education. Poor households with larger families and greater livestock dependence are more likely to rely on forest resources for subsistence. The study used a logistic regression model to analyze data from 130 randomly selected households, revealing that policy interventions aimed at reducing this dependency—such as expanding educational opportunities, increasing agricultural income, generating off-farm employment, and promoting alternative fuel sources or agrisilvicultural systems—are critical for the long-term conservation of Chitwan National Park. These findings underscore the need for landscape-level conservation strategies that address socioeconomic factors to alleviate pressure on protected areas.

Bhandari, D., & Jianhua, Z. (2017). Household Dependency on Buffer Zone Community Forest and its Implication for Management of Chitwan National Park, Nepal. International Journal of Sciences, 3(03), 68–80. https://doi.org/10.18483/ijsci.1214