Bardiya National Park's land encroached, authorities indifferent

By Jyoti Panthi,Babai, Bardiya, May 13: Land belonging to the Bardiya National Park (BNP) and the Blackbuck Conservation Area, two major tourist destinations in the Bardiya district, is being encroached upon.

Of the park’s total area of 968 square kilometres, around 923 bighas of land have been encroached upon. Similarly, out of the Blackbuck Conservation Area’s 2,550 bighas, around 80 bighas, including the core habitat used by blackbucks, have reportedly been occupied illegally.

Locals have constructed houses inside the protected areas after encroaching on land belonging to the park and conservation area. Although the government provided compensation to residents living there when formal conservation efforts began on March 16, 2009, some of those compensated have still not vacated the area.

The Blackbuck Conservation Area office was formally established on August 26, 2010, to begin blackbuck conservation efforts. However, even after years of conservation work, the encroached land has not been cleared.

Information officer of the conservation area, Ramu KC, said encroachment had taken place in the core area and other parts of the conservation zone.

The Park, established in 1975, has also been affected by encroachment. Encroachment inside the park area has reportedly existed since 2006. 

Park officials said no new encroachment has taken place in recent years, although the land had been occupied 15 to 20 years ago.

Information officer of the park office, Sarojmani Poudel, said the encroachment on park land dates back nearly two decades and that no new settlements have appeared recently.

Despite the encroachment of protected tourist areas, concerned authorities have remained silent on the issue.

Chief Conservation Officer Ashok Ram said the problem has existed since the establishment of the park in 1975. He added that the former Squatter Problem Resolution Commission had even distributed land ownership certificates in some occupied areas.

The Division Forest Office Bardiya has already issued a 15-day notice asking people to vacate the encroached forest land. However, the offices of the Blackbuck Conservation Area and Bardiya National Park have not publicly commented further on the encroached areas.