Unlocking the tapestry of conservation: Navigating ecological resettlement policies in Nepal
Article
Pandey, Hari Prasad, Maraseni, Tek Narayan, Apan, Armando and Aryal, Kishor. 2024. "Unlocking the tapestry of conservation: Navigating ecological resettlement policies in Nepal." Science of the Total Environment. 946. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174335
Article Title | Unlocking the tapestry of conservation: Navigating ecological resettlement policies in Nepal |
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ERA Journal ID | 3551 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | Pandey, Hari Prasad, Maraseni, Tek Narayan, Apan, Armando and Aryal, Kishor |
Journal Title | Science of the Total Environment |
Journal Citation | 946 |
Article Number | 174335 |
Number of Pages | 18 |
Year | 2024 |
Publisher | Elsevier |
Place of Publication | Netherlands |
ISSN | 0048-9697 |
1879-1026 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174335 |
Web Address (URL) | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969724044838 |
Abstract | Conservation initiatives involve a complex interplay of various ecological, socio-political, and economic factors. Ecological resettlement (ER), implemented within the context of nature conservation policies, stands as one of the most contested issues worldwide. This study aims to navigate the domain of ER policy in conservation through discursive institutionalism and a policy arrangement approach. Focusing on Nepal's conservation policy pathways over the last seven decades, we critically analyze policy ideas and narratives, trends, patterns of policy development, institutional arrangements, driving factors, and responses to contemporary ER policies. Methods involved a systematic literature review (n = 271), a comprehensive review of policy documents and project reports (n > 150), and expert interviews (n = 20). Over the past 50 years, >7600 households in Nepal have been displaced in the name of ER and are still persisting despite the rhetoric of participatory conservation. With changes in political regimes, conservation policy has shifted from a hunting-focused approach to landscape-level and transboundary conservation. Initially influenced by internal factors such as economic and political governance, conservation policies were later shaped by international conservation discourse. Also, the operational sphere of such policy ideas and narratives ? including actors, resources, discourses, and rules ? along with trends, priorities, institutional arrangements, and driving factors of ER policies, has changed over time. Further, the exclusion of deprived communities and the capture of conservation benefits by elites have undermined conservation values. This research stresses the importance of a judicious balance between people's welfare and nature's integrity, emphasizing community-based natural resource management models accredited to a conservation standard. We further urge the revision of displacement-oriented conservation policies to secure the rights of Indigenous people and traditional landholders, thereby ensuring conservation and sustainable development at both national and global levels. © 2024 The Authors |
Keywords | Coexistence; Conservation strategy ; Human displacement ; People and nature ; Policy discourse |
Contains Sensitive Content | Does not contain sensitive content |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 300202. Agricultural land management |
Byline Affiliations | University of Southern Queensland |
Ministry of Forests and Environment, Nepal | |
Chinese Academy of Sciences, China | |
University of the Philippines Diliman, Philippines | |
Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forests and Environment, Nepal |
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https://research.usq.edu.au/item/z9q0x/unlocking-the-tapestry-of-conservation-navigating-ecological-resettlement-policies-in-nepal
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