Letters (Spotlight Weekly)

Humanitarian Crisis

Every year along with the rainfall, monsoon also brings with it great misery to rural and poor folks of the country ("Perennial Destruction" SPOTLIGHT August 8). The news of deaths and destruction due to floods and landslides are commonplace in the country. The problem has been assuming the level of humanitarian crises. Not only Nepal, but other countries of the region like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh also suffer similar fate. Maybe these countries can cooperate with each other in finding ways of preventing and mitigating the natural disasters.

Kiran Bista
Hattisar

Resettle The Population

The one viable solution to this persisting problem of deaths and destructions due to floods ands landslides could be the resettlement of the population ("Perennial Destruction" SPOTLIGHT August 8). It is pretty clear which areas suffer due to floods and landslides, so why cannot a massive awareness be generated to make the people understand that their location could be hazardous. Though this is a very strenuous job, it can be carried out. Once the people know about the disaster-prone zones, they will voluntarily resettle. It could, however, take many years to complete. And, for the time being, disaster management operations will be vital.

Shreeya KC
Baluwatar

Open Letter

I would like to emphasize that any changes to the current status quo must be careful not to undermine Royal Chitwan National Park's position as one of the very best visitor experiences in Asia. Chitwan visits are a crucial element to support Nepal's hard-earned and much-sought after reputation as a premier ecotourism destination (ecotourism meaning styles of tourism that support environmental conservation and benefit local communities). Honored internationally as a World Heritage Site, wildlife viewing in Chitwan is consistently rewarding with elephant safaris providing the highlight of many tourists' visit. Chitwan offers a wide spectrum of tourism services from the seven concessionaires to the Saurah operations to suit all budgets and styles. The concessions are recognized as good examples of partnerships between the private sector and HMG. The concept has been worked on for nearly 40 years since the beginning by Tiger Tops in 1964. The wider Chitwan partnership now includes NGOs, scientific research agencies and local people on the perimeter of the Park. The concession arrangements forged in Royal Chitwan National Park are considered a model in Asia proving resource managers and tourist operators can work together within a protected area to strengthen conservation management and involve indigenous communities in the process. A crucial part of this relationship is the significant revenue contributed to HMG by tourism. To put it in perspective, revenue generated for DNPWC from Royal Chitwan National Park (Rs 39 million or US$520,000) represents 55 percent of the total of all Nepal's protected areas combined (Rs 71 million or US$950,000) (DNPWC Annual Report 2001-2002). Even in these difficult times, Chitwan earns three times more than the next closest protected area Sagarmatha National Park (DNPWC statistics 2002-2003). The seven concessionaires alone estimate in a good year that they contribute a significant US$1.9 million (Rs 140 million) to HMG in fees, royalties, and corporate taxes (HMG statistics and concessionaires' records 2001). This figure does not include international promotion, marketing, awareness raising (eg Chitwan elephant safaris feature in Hilary Clinton's recent biography). Local employment and other revenue generation dependent on tourism such as produce sales, dancing and handicrafts, and fundraising for anti-poaching, conservation and community development work, are also not included. Royal Chitwan National Park has developed a system in the complex business of protected area visitor management that not only works pretty well for all the stakeholders, but is considered an exemplary model partnership in Asia. Why are we jeopardizing this by even considering radical changes? All domestic elephants in Chitwan are currently controlled and licensed by DNPWC, which is exactly how it should be in order to manage impacts and preserve the environment of this precious resource. Allowing unrestricted access to any domestic elephant is fraught with potential impact issues. We strongly support the call by scientists and conservationists that the DNPWC undertakes an Elephant Conservation Action Plan study that reviews both wild and domestic elephant policies, and fully examines all the environmental, social and tourism impacts before any changes are even considered. On behalf of all of us who love the great wild areas of Nepal and appreciate Chitwan's supreme natural value, please ensure that Nepal's role as a leading ecotourism destination be well considered before any changes are made.

Lisa Choegyal
Ecotourism Specialist
(This letter was addressed to DNPWC director general)