Managing wetlands for sustainable livelihoods.
WWT is working on a three year community project in Nepal in collaboration with five Nepalese and two British partner organisations.
The project will work with local community groups to identify barriers to making a sustainable livelihood from buffer zone wetlands, and train staff from local organisations to enable them to pass on best-practice wetland management advice to local people. A small wetland centre will also be established by enhancing existing facilities, which will provide a focus for education and information exchange.
Through this project WWT will provide some of the expertise and resources that are lacking, and embed a system of management that provides sustainable livelihoods well into the future.
The people who live around Koshi Tappu have the most intimate understanding of their wetland resources, but might lack the technical expertise and resources to manage them for the long term. Through this project WWT will provide some of the expertise and resources that are lacking, and embed a system of management that provides sustainable livelihoods well into the future.
Background
The Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve in the lowlands of eastern Nepal was declared a Ramsar site in 1987, and is the most important wetland for migratory waterbirds in Nepal, and one of the most important in Asia. It is also home to the last remaining wild Asiatic water buffalo in Nepal, as well as Gangetic dolphins and Gharial crocodiles. The site is surrounded by a buffer zone in which over 100,000 people live, most of whom are dependent on the natural resource base for their livelihoods. Fish is the main source of protein and the Koshi River is a significant means of transportation. Wetland plants provide fodder for farm animals, as well as a source of vegetables for people, and houses are constructed using wetland plants and riparian trees.