While the term ‘conservation’ is very vast and has various
meanings, Dalla village and Shiva community forest together provide a very real
example of what naturalists call “the use, management and protection of
resources so that they are available on a sustainable basis.” Dalla village and
Shiva community forest are situated in the Khata biological corridor which
connects two trans-boundary protected areas—Bardia National Park in Nepal and
Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in India. A biological corridor is a path
connecting two protected areas through which wild animals can move freely. The
Khata corridor is a conservation school where it is possible to learn something
new everyday.
A visit to Shiva community forest in Bardia in
mid-western Nepal and a conversation with locals invariably leaves you with a
smile. It is a story of a people who love their forest dearly and proudly
claim that their rhino is their pride. They wholeheartedly agree that the
forest and wild animals have given them more than they could have ever
imagined. The locals have proved to be very committed to conservation. The
forest user group even made it to the top 12 finalists of BBC World Challenge
2011.
The local people reside in a small village where the
indigenous Tharus make up 80 percent of the population. They are less educated
in the conventional sense of the term. The 105 households here once suffered
from wild animals. Now they say they are their best friends. Dalla village is a
place where animals live in harmony with people. Shiva community forest has
four rhinos living there permanently. It is surprising that this community
forest provides a habitat for the endangered animal. The locals’ love for their
rhinos driven by their love for conservation became more visible when they
decided to mark the birth ceremony of a baby rhino which was born on Jan 17 in
the community forest. The delighted villagers aptly named the baby rhino Shivu
after their community forest.
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Shivu with
mother Rhino
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When asked about such an interesting ceremony, the locals
expressed their jubilation and were found to be very enthusiastic. Everyone
from the young to the old was rejoicing. None of them would forget to mention
their baby rhino. A local resident reiterated that the rhino was their pride.
Mangal Tharu, the leader said, “We wanted to spread the key message of
conservation and tell everyone about the conservation initiatives being
implemented at Khata. The celebration became an additional brick in the wall.”
A 95-year-old woman said, “Dalla was a lonesome place earlier. Now, because of
this rhino, we have many people coming to visit us. We really enjoy it much!”
The celebration has many dimensions as Khata is a place where human-wildlife
conflict is always high, and Shiva community forest stands as an example of
people living in close harmony with nature.
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