Self Sustaining Campaign for Chepang Community
Chuiri, Chamero and Chepang: Biodiversity
Conservation, Livelihoods and Poverty Reduction
Chiuri
Plantation Program: Community-based enterprise for
Chuiri
1. Introduction to Chepang:
The Chepang are one of Nepal’s most disadvantaged
indigenous groups and are classified under the ‘highly marginalized’
category on the basis of a set of socio-economic indicators, such as population
size, language literacy rate, house type, landownership, occupation and access
to higher education. Due to geographical difficulties Chepangs have not been
able to get easy access to food, clothes, and shelter and education facilities
in the community.
2.
Problem Statement
The project will establish
economically and socially sound incentives to conserve and promote sustainable
use of biological diversity by protecting sustainable customary uses and
supporting local poverty stricken Chepang community to implement remedial actions
over the rapidly expanding trade of multipurpose Chiuri (Diploknema butyracea) and highly
threatened Indian Flying Fox (Pteropus giganteus). Chepang
community has important social, cultural and economic ties with Chiuri, which
flying fox depends on for food. Because of chronic poverty, Chepang have
heavily relied on flying fox for meat and selling in local market. Increased
local demand for bat meat has meant that flying foxes, which play an important
role in pollinating Chiuri flowers, are hunted in masses disturbing the
symbiotic relationship between them. This has led to reduced fruit production
in Chiuri trees. Chepang also are over harvesting Chuiri to meet increasing
demand nationally and internationally causing disturbance to its natural regeneration
process and affecting livelihood of the Chepangs. Existence of imperfect
markets, information asymmetry, exploitative supply chain and lack of local
community based enterprises has resulted in most Chuiri trade benefits going to
wholesalers and middlemen, with harvesters not receiving a fair price,
exacerbating a worsening gender and ethnic gap in natural resource management.
3.
Methodology
The project outcome is: institutional
arrangements are researched so that highly threated flying fox bats are protected
together with Chuiri harvested sustainably in case study communities to meet
the challenges of CBD articles 10 (Sustainable Use of Components of Biological
Diversity) and 11 (Incentive Measures). Impact of this outcome will be:
improved and enhanced livelihoods amongst poor people living in these remote
and underdeveloped areas in Chepang community raising incentive to biodiversity
conservation.
Three
phases are planned
First Phase will consist of basic
research and problem analysis.
1. Review of the ethno botany of Chuiri and
bat population survey, extent of bat hunting and exploration of relationship
between bats and Chuiri plants;
2. Assessment of the current system of
Chuiri harvesting, processing and marketing through analysis of supply chain
structure;
3. Analysis of power relations between
harvesters and middlemen through access mapping;
4. Exploration of community mapping of
property right regimes over the forest resources with high concentration of
Chiuri trees.
Second
Phase will comprise community participatory action research with
theory and practice used to propose and iteratively discuss solutions to
problems identified in phase 1.
Outcomes aimed for by the project will be:
1. Identification of key areas for change
in the Chuiri harvesters/bat hunters-middlemen- distributor nexus;
2. Development of sustainable management
strategies for Churi plants;
3. Development of bat community based bat
conservation action plan;
4. Improved management of forest resources
to establish equitable access to natural resources with minimal transaction
costs.
Third
Phase includes implementation of the agreed institutional arrangements will
commence.
1. Negotiating management of forest
resources with improved and equitable access for Chepang communities;
2. Community-based enterprises for Chuiri
harvesting, processing and marketing within which the harvesters are able to
negotiate a fair price for their Chuiri product;
3. Community-based bat conservation.
Stakeholder
meetings will be held at the beginning, mid-point and end of the project in the
case-study villages. Bimonthly coordination meetings will take place in Nepal
with participation of international researchers either during field trips.
Outputs will be geared at three levels: community-level information on project
activities and findings, policy-briefs for national and regional
decision-makers, academic papers for international peer reviewed journals.
4. Changes resulting from the project will be:
1) formation of community-based enterprises
for Chuiri harvesting, processing and marketing; 2) Establishment of community
led conservation strategies for bat conservation; 3) facilitate better access
to forest resources for Chepang communities; 4) improved ability of the
Chepangs to negotiate an equitable price with middlemen and increased
transparency of the supply chain through market information and awareness 4)
institutional design for sustainable harvesting of the Chuiri resources 5)
reduced conflict between communities accessing the resource and 6) improved
management of forest ecosystem for biodiversity conservation and maintenance of
ecosystem services.
The main project beneficiaries are 2,000
poverty-stricken forest dwelling Chepangs residing in 300 households residing
in Chitwan districts, Korak VDC ward no3.
The changes will be enabled through the
close working relationship of the partners with the target communities and
local administration, and involvement of the Government of Nepal through Department
of Forests.
5. LOGICAL FRAMEWORK
Impact
Establishment of community-based enterprises/conservation
for maintaining symbiotic relationship (Chuiri and bats), livelihood
enhancement and poverty reduction from sustainable harvesting of Churi with
equitable benefit shares returning to the Chepang communities.
|
Outcome
Design of institutions for equitable and sustainable Chuiri
harvesting/marketing and bat conservation through community-based enterprises
and negotiation of fair prices from middlemen to benefit the rural poor.
|
Measuring outcome - Indicators
Indicator 1
|
Implementation
of community led bat conservation will reduce incidence of poaching and
increase in bat population.
|
Indicator 2
|
Increased in
Chuiri flower pollinating bat population will result into increased Chuiri
production.
|
Indicator 3
|
Better ability to negotiate for a fair price for Chiuri
from the wholesalers by
the proposed community-based enterprises will translate to increased income
level of the harvesters, lifting them out of international poverty level of
US$ 1.25 per day and improving their livelihoods.
|
Verifying outcomes
Indicator 1
|
Records of incidence of poaching from
local police crime survey, household survey, focus group discussions and
minutes of meetings held with the stakeholders including: community leaders,
middlemen, wholesalers, and ex-poachers.
Current level
of bat poaching of around 20 bats daily per person to complete stoppage in
bat poaching practices.
Comparison
of bat population from the pre project
baseline survey and post project bat population.
|
Indicator 2
|
Amount of Churi
per tree at pre-project base line survey and post project Chuiri production
per tree
|
Indicator 3
|
Current income level from the baseline survey and Nepal
Living Standard Survey. Data from census and Department of statistics.
Current price of Chuiri per kg for
Chepang increased from NRs. 200 to at least NRs. 300 per kg after project
implementation.
|
Risks
and important assumptions
Assumption 1
|
Topographic
difficulty is the major part in project period.
|
Assumption 2
|
Although
the
Chepangs reside in remote areas, they remain open and welcoming to
the project team.
|
Assumption 3
|
Chuiri is harvested twice a year during March-April and
August-September, which is suitable for underking research due to favourable
climate.
|
Outputs
Output 1
|
Survey of bat
population, extent of bat hunting and estimation of Chiuri harvest carried
out.
|
Social
awareness raised amongst the stakeholders about the long-term benefits of bat conservation and sustainable Chuiri
harvest for maintaining local ecosystem and reducing poverty and improving livelihoods through advocacy work
|
|
Output 2
|
Community led
bat conservation activities initiated with participation from Chepang
Community and Department of Forestry.
|
Output 3
|
Enhanced
deeper understanding of the linkages between Chuiri and bat population and
Chepang community through exploring the ecology and ethnobotanical
investigation
|
Output
4
|
Community-based enterprises established
to co-ordinate sustainable harvesting, processing and pro-poor marketing
mechanism for Chiuri products to ensure Chepangs benefit from
Chiuri trade.
|
Output
5
|
Enhanced capacity building at institutional or community
levels in the host country by training NGO Self Sustaining Campaign Team.
|
6. Estimated
Budgeting:
S.N.
|
Particulars
|
Quantity
|
Rate
|
Amount
|
|
1
|
Chiuri Saplings
|
1,500 pcs
|
Rs. 10
|
15,000
|
|
2
|
Supervisor
|
1 person
|
5,000 per year
|
||
3
|
Labour Charge
|
10 people
|
Rs.200
|
2,000
|
|
Miscellaneous Charge
|
5000
|
5,000
|
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Total
|
27,000
|
7. Timeline
of Chiuri Plantation
March
|
1-15
February
|
April
|
Monitoring
|
|
Fund
raising 10 Rs. Per person (interest based)
|
Monitoring
|
Monitoring
|
Monitoring
|
|
Land
Preparation
|
Monitoring
|
|||
Plantation
of Chiuri
|
Monitoring
|
|||
Monitoring
|
