On the night of November 18th, in the village of Kailashi, Gwane Bishwakarma and his family experienced a nightmare that has become all too common in Bardiya’s fringe communities. A notorious wild bull elephant, known for outsmarting barriers, entered the village by breaching once-reliable concrete fences now replaced with electrical poles. In the dead of night, while Gwane’s family was asleep, the elephant raided their freshly harvested crops and left their mud house in ruins. The house lay untouched with layers of dust over everything two days after the incident when our team visited—a stark reminder of their loss and a necessary display for the slow-moving compensation process. Gwane’s family, like many others, faces an uncertain future as they grapple with the devastating impact of this conflict.
Human-wildlife conflict is a growing challenge in the buffer zones of Bardiya National Park (BNP), Nepal. The fringe settlement areas of Pattharbojhi, Dalla, Kailashi, Bindrapuri, and Khata within the Khata bio-corridor are on the frontlines of this crisis. In the fiscal year 2022-2023, 38 people tragically lost their lives due to tiger and elephant encounters, bringing the total deaths to 292 since 1995. During the same period, elephants destroyed 78 homes and damaged the crops of 426 farmers. Over the years, elephants have devastated more than 500 homes and over 100 bighas of crops in these areas.
The conflict intensifies during the paddy harvest season, leaving families devastated by the loss of lives, homes, crops, and livestock. Retaliatory actions also put wildlife at risk. While some initiatives have aimed to mitigate this conflict, there has been no sustainable solution. This fund will support the creation of a Wildlife Task Force dedicated to immediate relief, long-term solutions, and coexistence.
WHO WE HELP
This fund will be donated to Burhan Community Regenration and Conservation Foundation, who will deliver direct support to families and communities impacted by human-elephant conflicts in Bardiya. Specifically, it will:
- Provide emergency relief to families who have lost loved ones or had their homes and crops destroyed.
- Support verified individuals, small businesses, and community-based initiatives impacted by wildlife encounters.
- Fund the establishment of a Wildlife Crisis Taskforce to coordinate response efforts, including preventive measures such as deterrence, crop protection, and safe zones for wildlife.
- Partner with community leaders for long-term solutions and sustainable coexistence strategies.
WHY DONATE TO THIS FUND
Whether it is increasing the number of tigers 7 fold within the record time of twelve years or successfully sustaining the population of the last remaining wild elephants in Nepal, conservation success stories of Bardia have been celebrated worldwide. However, this burden of success has solely been carried by the local communities without much of the rest of the world even knowing about it. We want to present an opportunity for the citizens of the world to partake in this global duty of sharing the responsibilities towards conservation and towards making conservation practice more equitable and socially just.
Human-elephant conflict in Bardiya is a persistent and life-threatening issue, with devastating impacts on vulnerable communities. By donating to this fund, you will:
- Provide immediate relief to families in crisis, ensuring they receive support within days of an incident.
- Help implement sustainable solutions to reduce future conflicts and protect both people and wildlife.
- Contribute to the creation of a Wildlife Taskforce that will lead community-based conservation and conflict-mitigation initiatives.
Your donation will directly impact lives and foster coexistence in one of Nepal’s most critical biodiversity zones.
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