Hostname: page-component-89b8bd64d-dvtzq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-05-09T09:03:17.269Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Multi-stakeholder identification and prioritization of human–tiger conflict reduction measures in Chitwan National Park, Nepal

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 September 2024

Rajendra Dhungana*
Affiliation:
Ministry of Forests and Environment, Singha Durbar, Kathmandu, Nepal
Tek Maraseni
Affiliation:
University of Southern Queensland, Institute for Life Sciences and the Environment, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia
Benjamin L. Allen
Affiliation:
University of Southern Queensland, Institute for Life Sciences and the Environment, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Queensland, Australia Nelson Mandela University, Centre for African Conservation Ecology, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Ram Chandra Kandel
Affiliation:
Ministry of Forests and Environment, Singha Durbar, Kathmandu, Nepal
Pashupati Nath Koirala
Affiliation:
Ministry of Forests and Environment, Singha Durbar, Kathmandu, Nepal
Ganesh Pant
Affiliation:
Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Kathmandu, Nepal
Rishi Ranabhat
Affiliation:
Tribhuvan University, Institute of Forestry, Pokhara, Nepal
*
*Corresponding author, rajendra.dhungana2@gmail.com

Abstract

The identification and implementation of conflict reduction measures are necessary to reduce predator attacks on people and livestock and to minimize human encroachment into predator habitats. We identified potential human–tiger conflict reduction measures and prioritized these measures for Chitwan National Park, Nepal. We identified these measures through a literature review, key informant interviews and a local stakeholder workshop. We prioritized the identified measures using a questionnaire survey of victims of tiger attacks (farmers, forest users and fishers), beneficiaries of tiger conservation (tourist guides, Jeep and elephant safari operators, tour and hotel operators and business operators) and National Park managers. We identified 22 measures (12 preventative, five reactive and five mitigative) as having potential for reducing negative interactions between people and tigers. Amongst these, we identified compensation payments, tiger-proof fences and habitat and prey management as high-priority measures. Conflict reduction priorities also varied amongst stakeholder groups. The victims assigned the highest priority to the construction of tiger-proof fences, whereas beneficiaries identified the management of habitat and prey as their highest priority. Compensation payments were the first preference of National Park managers and were amongst the top two priorities of all stakeholder groups. We recommend the adoption of the identified stakeholder priorities for reducing human–tiger conflict around Chitwan National Park and encourage consideration of the variations in priorities between stakeholder groups during policy development and decision-making.

Information

Type
Article
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International
Figure 0

Fig. 1 Location of Chitwan National Park, Nepal, and its surrounding buffer zone, depicting land cover, the four management sectors (units) and 22 buffer zone user committees. (Readers of the printed journal are referred to the online article for a colour version of this figure.)

Figure 1

Table 1 Details of the various stakeholder groups who participated in the workshop for the identification of human–tiger Panthera tigris conflict reduction measures in Chitwan National Park, Nepal (Fig. 1).

Figure 2

Table 2 The 22 potential human–tiger conflict reduction measures for Chitwan National Park, Nepal (Fig. 2). Asterisks (*) mark the nine measures identified by workshop participants as potentially being the most useful.

Figure 3

Fig. 2 Prioritization of the nine human–tiger conflict reduction measures (Table 2) by four groups of stakeholders (Table 1) in Chitwan National Park, Nepal, identified using questionnaire surveys. The score of each measure on a scale of 1–9 indicates its priority within the corresponding stakeholder category; the higher the score, the higher its priority (see text for details).