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In developing countries, participatory conservation initiatives have been criticized for many reasons, mainly for excluding marginalized groups which have led to unequal benefits. Using concepts from the literature on participation, conservation, and political ecology, this research explored the participation of marginal groups, i.e., poor, women, lower caste, and landless, in management institutions in Nepal’s Annapurna Conservation Area. Field work for this research was conducted through the use of interviews and participant observation during August–October 2010. Results show that although marginal groups were involved in local management institutions, their representation was minimal and had not led to meaningful participation or empowerment to influence the decisions being made in conservation and development programs. Our study findings indicate that the involvement of marginal groups in local initiatives is complex and influenced by several factors. The study concludes that the Annapurna Conservation Area Project needs to re-orient its conservation projects by adopting a more inclusive form of participation and move beyond the quota system.

Human–wildlife conflict (HWC) presents a growing challenge to conservation and development worldwide. World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and experts on human–wildlife coexistence strategies have responded to this challenge by developing a holistic, globally applicable approach to HWC management that can be tailored to specific local, regional, or national contexts. Its framework addresses the complexity of essential HWC management and long‐term coexistence strategies and is implemented in a structured yet contextualized step‐by‐step sequence by a team of facilitators and multiple stakeholders. The C2C: Conflict to Coexistence Approach centers on four principles (tolerance is maintained, responsibility is shared, resilience is built, holism is fundamental), four outcomes (wildlife thrives alongside human presence, habitat sufficient to maintain viable wildlife populations, people able and willing to live alongside wildlife, livelihoods/assets secured against presence of wildlife), and six HWC management elements (policy and governance, understanding interactions, prevention, response, mitigation, monitoring) that are to be implemented in an integrated way. It is currently undergoing testing in diverse pilot sites across three continents and demonstrating positive initial results. Here, we share the framework and methodology of the approach and initial results and experiences from these pilot sites. We introduce the C2C:Conflict to Coexistence Approach, with its holistic and integrated framework and globally applicable methodology for the management of human–wildlife conflict (HWC) that can be tailored to specific local, regional, or national contexts. Its framework addresses the complexity of essential HWC management and long‐term coexistence strategies and is implemented in a structured yet contextualized step‐by‐step sequence by a team of process facilitators involving multiple stakeholders. The video summary is uploaded to our website on human‐wildlife conflict, which can be found here: Human Wildlife Conflict

Participation has been promoted and studied in diverse disciplines including tourism, development, planning, health, politics, and others. In natural resource conservation, the shift from centralized to decentralized decision making which emphasizes community involvement in planning, implementation and monitoring of programs has been broadly encouraged, especially in developing countries. Although considered a more effective alternative to top down decision making, participatory conservation initiatives have been criticized for many reasons, mainly the exclusion of marginalized groups in programs which lead to unequal distribution of socio-economic benefits. This inequality is conditioned by social, physical and political structures which act as barriers to sustainable development of resources and communities. Using a political ecology approach, this research explored the participation of marginal groups (poor, women, and lower caste) in Nepal’s Annapurna Conservation Area. The main objectives of this study are: 1) To examine the perceived benefits of Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) and how marginal groups fare in the distribution of benefits; 2) To analyze the level of participation of marginal groups in local management institutions; and 3) To identify the barriers to participation as perceived by marginal groups. Field work for this dissertation was conducted during August–October 2010 using both quantitative and qualitative data, and employing participant observation and semi-structured interviews. Results indicate that benefits of the project were distributed unequally, and targeted towards elite members of the community. Findings also indicated that although marginal groups were involved in local management institutions, their representation was marginal and had not led to empowerment. Lastly, barriers to participation of communities were complex and deeply rooted in traditions and social norms. Overall, the findings indicate that the definition of marginal groups go beyond gender and caste, and are more significantly defined by wealth, poverty, education, and access to information. The study concludes that ACAP needs to re-orient its conservation and development projects by adopting a more inclusive form of participation and that these projects should aim to overcome the barriers identified by the marginalized households.

Background. Our eating practice is generally based on the food we choose to eat. The selection of unhealthy food, high cost of healthy food items, and easy availability of fast food may have negative impact on our health and eating behaviour. This study aims to access the gender difference in food choice and eating practice and their association with health among students in Kathmandu, Nepal. Methods. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 385 randomly selected undergraduate BBA (Bachelor in Business Administration) students of Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu by using semistructured self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire included sociodemographic characters, health status, behaviour factors, eating practice, and food choice which were measured using Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ). The data was analysed in SPSS. Frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation were calculated, and chi-square test and logistic regression were used to measure the association between two variables. Results. The study is comprised of 50.4% female and 49.6% male with mean ages of 20.04 and 20.75, respectively. A gender difference was observed in food choice but no gender difference was observed in eating practice. There was no significant association of food choice and eating practice with health. However, food choice and eating practice showed an association with the current living status of the respondents. Sensory appeal and health were the most important food choice motives among males and females, respectively. Conclusion. The study concluded that no gender difference was observed in food choice. However, gender difference was observed in eating practice. There was no association of food choice and eating practice with health.

The indigenous people highly dependent on the natural resource base are adversely affected by its impact. In response to climate change, these communities have utilized their indigenous practices to cope with this challenge. With an objective to assess the climate change perceptions and adaptation strategies taken by the highly marginalized Chepang communities of Nepal, this study was conducted in the Dhading district of Nepal. Open and close-ended questions were asked to these communities on climate change perception, impacts, and adaptation strategies besides analyzing observed climatic data. Climate change has been observed and perceived in the area in the form of increased temperature and change in rainfall patterns, further verified by the climatic parameters' analysis. It has adversely affected agriculture, income, and livelihood. These communities have also suffered from different climate-induced hazards. Despite these impacts, they have adapted to this changing scenario by changing their cropping pattern, relying on foreign remittance, and other institutional supports. In response to these findings, policymakers should prioritize solving the agricultural problems these communities face by utilizing their indigenous knowledge and integrating it with scientific techniques.

Multiple use water system (MUWS) is an approach to water services planning and design of new and rehabilitated systems. It is informed by input on people's multiple water uses, reuses, and needs at their preferred sites within communities. Although MUWS has been implemented in different parts of Nepal to address water security, the motivating factors in adoption of MUWS have not been previously clear. To better understand farmers' interests, the socio-economic context, and severity of water scarcity problems, we analyzed determinant factors in adoption of MUWS related to the extent of area under vegetable production in Annapurna rural municipality of Kaski district. We surveyed 150 households and conducted eight key informant interviews. A binary logistic regression model showed that five variables, namely: households sharing a tap, water tariff, water volume used, availability of a water storage system, and water sufficiency during the dry season have significant positive influences on the adoption of MUWS. In contrast, two variables, namely: caste and access to water have significant negative influences on the adoption behavior of farmers. Likewise, the linear regression model showed agricultural crops grown, total landholdings, and water quality influenced the extent of vegetable production. Thus the socio-economic condition, access to resources and the institution affect the adoption behavior of farmers. Agriculture policy intervention at provincial/national level should highlight the importance of adoption of MUWS and its benefit in terms of securing water, economy and food in a changing climate.