Electric fencing: new hope for minimizing park people conflict in Bardia National Park

Ek Raj Sigdel

With the objectives of protecting representative ecosystems and conserving tiger and its prey base, the government of Nepal established the Bardia National Park in 1984. The park harbors a herd of 50-60 wild elephants regularly. However, during the winter season it refuges over 100 wild elephants. The increased number could be due to seasonal migration of Wild Elephants from Corbett, Rajaji and adjoining Dudhuwa National Park of India.

With the increasing number of wild elephants, people abut to the national park are facing a problem of crop damage and even human casualties. According to the National Park record, over the last one year a total of 7 people were killed by the wild elephants around the Bardia National Park. In the absence of wild life compensation mechanism and lack of effective devices for chasing away of the problem animals, people in the buffer zone have been suffered a most. Various indigenous technologies like watch tower, ditches, walls, and solar fencing have been tested. But, no devices were found effective to get rid of the problem of the seasonal migrants.
Because of the escalating problems of wild elephants, people in the buffer zone have ventilated their dissatisfaction over the national park by organizing rally, and making delegation to the national park authority and at the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation. They have a demand of policy that mandates at least one million rupees as compensation for a bereaved family. Likewise, they had a demand of free treatment for the wildlife victims and income and employment opportunities for the survival. In addition, they demanded electric fencing on the border between the national park and its buffer zone.

In response, as an immediate measure, the National Park, with the financial support of Western Terai Landscape Complex Project (WTLCP) has recently erected a two lined electric fence in some parts of the border area between the national park and buffer zone that extends about 10 km. It is estimated that the electric fence will benefits to a total of 1730 households, including 11081 people of Ward No 5 of Thakurdwara and Ward No 2 of Shivapur VDC.

Electric fencing could be one way of managing problem animals in order to reduce conflict between people and animals. Other ways may be just as effective, for example, physical barriers which were in practice such as ditches and walls, and solar fencing which have had limited success but they were not easy to construct and were costly too. Compensation payments could be made but were difficult to assess and tend to be unfair and sometimes abused. Electric fencing as a practical solution is working well in the private sector in African Countries. However, its use under public land has yet to be fully demonstrated. Therefore if it works well in the Bardia National Park, then it would be a model for the entire wild elephant conflict prone protected areas.

The fence has been constructed following a very simple technology and hence any one having interest in the electricity can manage the machine very properly. Being established close to the park head quarter and adjacent to the buffer zone settlements; regular monitoring can be ensured by the Park Officials as well as buffer zone communities. As the construction involved clearing of bushes, it has worked as a fire line between jungle and the settlements. Further, as it was to respond the community need, it is likely that the parogramme would get a continuous support and cooperation from the buffer zone communities and hence it leads towards a success. According to the local people, they will not face the problem of wild elephants in the future as in the previous days.

While observing the fencing and interacting with local communities, it was realized that to some people the fences has represented a physical and psychological barrier to their use of resources behind the fence. To others they represent a solution to the conflict between people and wild elephants. In fact, the fencing projects must have reconciled these differing views if they were to be successful.

Maintenance is the number one problem with any type of wildlife fencing. A fence is only as good as its maintenance, which has to be continual. Vigorous growth of vegetation underneath of the fence line in the growing season could be a perennial problem. Vegetation contact causes power leakages and overgrowth conceals the fence from being an obvious barrier to elephants.

To ensure a long term management of the electric fencing, local communities need to be well aware on its objectives. Also, school children who play around the fences should be informed on the importance of the fencing timely. In this regard, the park authority in partnership with the buffer zone community should conduct awareness raising campaign on the importance of managing the electric fencing. Moreover, in consultation with the park impacted communities, the buffer zone management committee should be mobilized to prepare a fencing maintenance plan. The plan should include details about daily maintenance, tools and components required, clearing of underneath vegetations, role and responsibilities of stakeholders, and sustainable financing mechanism. It can be hoped that, if the project get success, then the new hope can be expected for resolving ongoing park and people conflicts in the near future in the Bardia National Park.

In conclusion, the electric fencing is a milestone activity of the Bardia National Park to respond the buffer zone communities' demand. If the strength and opportunities of the fencing are up scaled and weaknesses are minimized timely, then the project, no doubt will be one of the successful programs in protected landscape that help minimizing park people conflicts. Ultimately, it provides an opportunity for replicating similar kind of project in other parts of the wild elephant people conflict prone areas.