Nripal Adhikary

In 2010, tiny in area but ambitious in hope, ABARI conducted an experiment whereby it procured around 2 hectares of land in an area that was completely destroyed by the flood in order to demonstrate that the land can be completely rehabilitated through bamboo plantation. With its extensive root system, phenomenal growth rate, unparalleled strength and historical cultural association, bamboo was an ideal candidate for land restoration, biodiversity conservation and livelihood generation. Ten years later, the area has turned into a vibrant bamboo forest. Hundreds of farmers have joined hands with ABARI to transform their degraded land into a productive one. It has created habitat for plethora of birds. Moreover, this pilot project has demonstrated that biodiversity conservation, sustainable production and livelihood can have a healthy intersection.
Madi valley is situated in the foothill of the Chure region and lies inside Chitwan National Park. Being at the back end of the Park, the area has not enjoyed any economic fruits of conservation. In fact, the region manifests the dark side of the conservation efforts. For years, in the name of 'conservation' native indeginious people were and still continue being forced out of their ancestral lands. Their access to common resources are denied and even criminalized by the State. With their access to resources being curtailed, their traditional knowledge systems are getting lost and their livelihood further exacerbated. The traditional medicine men, shamans, weavers, foragers and musicians are now forced to work as unskilled laborers in industrial construction sites. Despite living in a vibrant Sal forest, they are not allowed to harvest them in order to make houses- they are forced to live in makeshift houses. While tourists enjoy scenic safari rides in the frontier of the famous national park, the indigineous people are struggling in the periphery.