Features

“The first she goat kid is already 11 months old. She is already pregnant and will give birth in next two months. By July 2007, I have planned to repay back the loan of Rs. 1,500 to our group by selling the goat”, says Sita Chaudhary, a user of Ganga Jamuna Women Community Forest User Group who has started goat farming as a potential source of cash income.

Thakurdwara VDC, Bardia is known to be popular for Mentha oil production, not only in Bardia but through out the country. Bardia Integrated Conservation Project initiated the cultivation of Mentha since 1999. with a prime objective of compensating crop depredation by wildlife in Buffer Zone. The cultivation of Mentha is expanding year by year as it has given high economic return than that of other traditional crop. For the purpose, a total of seven distillation plants have already been provided by the project. As an impact of cultivation and benefit from Mentha farming in Thakurdwara, now the farming of Mentha has extended beyond bufferzone to Khata and Khairapur/Gularia Municipality, Bardia; Lamahi,Dang and Banke.l.

“Eh…. its is a threatened wildlife, don’t kill it, National Park will fine you otherwise, better go and handover it to the Park”, this is the statement made by a Chairperson of Jagadamba Eco-Club Mr. Indra Bista of Jagadamba Secondary School, stopping the Tharu farmers killing wild animal. Instead, he was insulted and scolded by the farmers saying “you little boys, mind your own business, nothing happens with the National Park, we will take it and eat as a meat” and were very reluctant to handover the Lizard to the authorities. After long discussion and convincing power of the eco-club student, farmers handed the lizard to Mr. Bista and later submitted to the National Park authorities.