Basanta Corridor towards Extinction

Ek Raj Sigdel
Dhangadi

Basanta forest locally called "Badhkaban" is the largest chunk of Kailali district with 17,500 hectare. It serves as an important wildlife corridor connecting Churia hills in north and Dudhwa National Park of India in south. The area is endowed with rich biodiversity resources. It is a dispersal habitat of endangered wildlife species, like tiger, rhinoceros, and wild elephants. Besides, Ghodaghodi Lake, a Ramsar Site of Nepal is also situated adjacent to Basanta Corridor. Dolphins and 43 species of fish species are available in various river systems around the Corridor. The forest is a source of various products like firewood, timber and non timber resources for over 50,000 households of 14 Village Development Committees of Kailali District.

However, about 2,000 hectare of the forest is encroached mainly in the name of freed labour, flood victims, and landlessness for human settlement development and agriculture expansion. Analysis of Basanta forest reveals that 17,560 hectare forest was lost between 1958 and 2001 which was 408 hectare forest reduction per year. If the existing deforestation trend continues, then the Basanta forest which has been an icon of national and international conservationist for few years will be vanished forever by the next 40 years.

The encroachment issue has become a prime agenda of discussion for wide ranged people including policy makers to implementers for few years. To understand the ground reality, the area has already been visited by higher level officials including Minister, Parliamentarians, Director General, District Forest Coordination Committee and many conservation experts. Besides, local and national media have brought out the issues in lime light forcefully.

Programs
To address the issues, the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation has implemented conservation activities through Terai Arc Landscape Program for over eight years. Conservation work has been initiated through community forestry program as an entry point since 2001. Thus far, a total of 38 community forests covering about 2,000 Hectare land have been handed over to local communities. To make the conservation efforts more effective, a Range Post level Community Forests Coordination Committee has been formed.

Contrary to this, deforestation trend has been on raise. The trend has aggravated even after peace building process in the country. With this encroachment the once intact wildlife habitats got fragmented. The land which was registered in the name of landless people in 2002 has already been purchased by elite people. It resulted in trapping the poor and landless people in a poverty vicious cycle. Besides, flood and siltation are other problems which have threatened the very life of local people in this area. Therefore, it seems that neither real poor and marginalised communities nor wildlife realised benefits from conservation and development work thus far.

Underlying causes
Policy is one of the major factors that have stimulated encroachment in Basanta Corridor. In the absence of clear role and responsibilities between Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation and Freed Labour Resettlement Council under the Ministry of Land Reform, about 6,000 Phyllenthus emblica in Radha Krishna Community Forest was removed to resettle freed labours without consultation and field verification in 2008. Kailashpuri Check Dam has posed great threats of over flowing of water in Dhansingpur, Narayanpur and other adjoining VDCs of Basanta Corridor during rainy season. It compels flood victim to refuge in Basanta Forest.

In the given resources, Kailali District Forest Office has not been able to discharge their responsibilities effectively and efficiently. For instance, the law enforcement mechanism has been badly hampered owing to the lack of adequate weapons and funding. In the program level, people participation in planning, implementing and benefit sharing mechanisms seems to be very poor. The local people are yet to be represented fairly in the decision making positions. Various NGO and INGOs in the name of humanitarian ground, has been flushing huge amount of money to supply onsite relief package including plastic roofs, water pump, among others. It resulted in increasing encroachment. Over and above, people opine that even the donors' money committed for conservation has not been reached to the real beneficiaries thus far.

Magnitude of Issue
The issue of encroachment is extended from local to national to international level. Therefore, the solution should be sought from these three tiers. From international level, the issues of flood are associated with ever degrading Chure Watershed and Kailashpuri Check Dam. Therefore it should be resolved through bilateral discussion between Nepal and India From national level, the government should formulate corridor policy and regulations that prohibit settlement in high conservation valued sites like corridor and connectivity areas. Even, policy of provisioning conditional land tenure to local people for promoting agro-forestry program could be an innovative option. The policy should emphasize on integrated land use planning that gives importance to partnership approach to conservation and development. In the changing socio-political scenario, the government should fix its knot and bolts so that it helps discharging its services effectively and efficiently. Likewise, principle of no free lunch should be strictly followed. A mechanism that requires performance based donor and government support to local communities should be designed.

The forest should be managed in multiple use concepts. Core area should be strictly protected while the fringe area should be managed scientifically so that both local communities and wildlife can be benefited. Alternative income and employment generation activities like non timber, timber and ecotourism management programs should be implemented effectively. Likewise, conservation communication strategy should focus on over all ecosystem benefits instead of existing strategy of focusing more on tiger and elephants. To address the issues of poverty, social mobilisation through saving and credit program should be implemented. Utmost efforts should be made to represent locals, Dalit and women in the decision making positions of user and coordination committees. If these efforts are made sincerely, then the issue of encroachment can be halted. It ultimately makes the corridor more functional.

Conclusion
Basanta Corridor encroachment issue has been in a lime light for few years. It is a prime concern of conservation as well as development workers. To maintain intrinsic value of Basanta Corridor, a package program that addresses conservation and poverty issues should be implemented at the earliest. Over and above a separate corridor conservation policy should be formulated timely. If government comes with the aforementioned policy and programs sooner, then there is a better chance for reviving Basanta Corridor.