Project Detail

Community Biodiversity Register for Acquisition and Utilization of Biodiversity

Nepal as a signatory nation to CBD (1992) and member of WTO (1995) through its TRIPS has to register and patent for all biological products and process. By 2006, Nepal has to protect her bio-resources, local knowledge, skill and technologies. Community Bio-diversity Registration (CBR) for that purpose is equally concerned with the documentation of local species along with the associated knowledge and practice. CBR refers to "A record kept in a paper or electronic format by community members, of the genetic resources (landraces) in community, including information their custodians, passport data agroecology, cultural and use values."

To implement CBR project, two project sites namely Begnas and Rupakot VDCs of Kaski district is selected. These VDCs represent typical middle hills agro-ecosystem between 670 and 1400m from the sea level. The VDCs are rich both in terms of terrestrial and semi-aquatic diversity. In an study, species diversity of Begnas and Rupa (two renowned lake of Pokhara) watershed recorded are 85 harbaceous species, 32 introduced plant species, 80 species with religious importance, 40 fodder trees, 44 edible wild furits and 128 medicinal species (Oli, 1996). Likewise, Shrestha (1998) assessed aquatic diversity in terms of submerged (18), free floating (7), rooted floating leaved species (6) and emergent species (34). The site is very rich in agro-biodiveristy. More than 64 rice, 24 Taro, 24 sponge gourd and 34 millet landraces are found grown in Begnas village alone. Highly valued Anadi, single sticky rice of Nepal and the most popular Basaune Ghiroula (Luffa cylindrica) are grown for home consumption. On the whole, the site is rich in bio-diversity, however, the question of linking them into people's livelihoods are hardly discussed. Through this project the valued bio-resources will be promoted as a means of enhancing people's livelihoods.

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Project Snapshot

Grantee:

Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development

Country:

Nepal

Area Of Work:

Biodiversity

Operational Phase:

Phase 2

Grant Amount:

US$ 40,000.00

Co-Financing Cash:

US$ 24,481.00

Co-Financing in-Kind:

US$ 3,191.00

Project Number:

NEP/02/10

Start Date:

12/2002

End Date:

3/2005

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

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Project Characteristics and Results

Notable Community Participation

A total of 17 CBOs comprising 954 households were engaged in the CBR data collection and the result was shared among 1100 community members and other stakeholders. Likewise, 3 nodal CBOs were given the responsibility in managing the record and the diversity. Pratigya Cooperatives has been responsible in managing agro and horticulture diversity. KIDEKI, another nodal CBO, is responsible in managing the database of medicinal plant and other forest diversity. Likewise, Rupa Lake Fisheries Cooperative is responsible in managing the wetland diversity.

Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods

Each participating CBOs received NRS 50,000 (US$ 700) to manage 21 different community action plans covering the agro-biodiversity, NTFP, forest and wetland diversity as well as income generation activities. Till Jan 05, the members were able to generate over NRs 650,000 (US$ 9,300) as net profit through the income generation activities. Pratigya cooperative had established establishied a community based machine for grinding and milling to market different agro based and value added products produced by farmers. KIDEKI established a community machine to produce quality bee hive in low cost. Likewise, Rupa Lake Fisheries co-operative established a drag net which has increased the fish harvesting upto 200% than their previous normal net. Bhangarakuna farmers group has also improved their sprinkles benefiting 120HH.

Significant Participation of Indigenous Peoples

Exemplary initiative has been taken by the Rupa Lake Fisheries co-operatives, who has allocated Rs 40,000 (US$ 570) from their income from fish farming to support scholarship to indigenous Jalari (fishermen) and Pode (traditional sweepers) school going children.

Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment

One of the positive aspect of the project has been the building the local stewardship. Preparation of CBR itself is a tool of knowledge management of biodiversity. Organising diversity fair, where more than 700 species/varieties of agri-horti and NTFPs were displayed and more than 1000 visitors observed the fair, has also enhanced the public awareness. Likewise, Orchid Diversity fair, commemoration of special days equally contributed in awaring the local farmers. Airing conservation news titled ?LI-BIRD Ko Chautaro?, where amidst the conservation message, interviews of local farmers, village biodiversity specialist and expert were also broadcased via local FM. Like wise, the project also used tools like Bhajan Chtka (religious songs) to attract elderly community, Teej Geet (Songs sang during Teej festival ?festival of women) to attract women members of the community in the conservation. Likewise, painting competition, essay competition, poetry competition were also organised in various occasion to aware the school children.

Gender Focus

Out of the 17 CBOs, 8 are women CBOs

Replication of project activities

The innovative appraoches of project such as diversity fair, diversity manangement via 4 cell method has been used by ministry of agriculture to initiate prepare registers of agricultuere species. But one of the lesson learned during the replication is as maintaining registers would not immediately benefit the farmers, the farmers are not interested in maintatining the registers. IGA and capcity building activities should go side by side.

Project sustainability

The nodal CBOs which include Pratigya co-operatives, KIDEKI and Rupatal Fishery co-opratives are able to generate income via sell of agriculture product,fishes and NTFP. Pratigya co-operatives has even stablished a rice mill and erected two story building at the village to value add the agro product. Thus maintaining registers is also done side by side.

Capacity - Building Component

Through out the project tenure, various skill enhancement and empowerment programme including training/orientation/workshop, exposure visits, participation in joint field visit had resulted in enhancement of local capacity to manage the CBR. A total of 31 village level meetings, one village level workshop, 7 need based training, 3 exposure visits, 2 diversity fairs, 3 programmes during special day celebration had been convened with joint efforts of project and local communities. Likewise, a total of 101 local resource persons had been developed that included to manage the CBR (16), diversity fair (12), CBR result sharing and recording farmers decisions (4), value-addition of local products (7), CBM planning and implementation (3), local medicines (5), diversity blocks (5), seed banks (3), participatory awareness raising tools such as local song, drama, poets etc (6), bee keeping (13), home garden diversity management through goat rearing (12), mushroom production (7), broom grass and other NTFP production (4) etc.

Project Results

The project is able to record the valuable information of bio resources of communities and also demonstrated to generate social, economic and environment benefits from the sustainable management of local biodiversity. A total of 15 Community Biodiversity Registers (CBRs) maintaining record of 447 priority species/varieties of three broad groups of biodiversity viz crops and horticulture; NTFP and forest biodiversity and Wetland diversity. The project has initiated two new approaches or community tools to facilitate the CBR documentation process. Diversity fair through which the farmers displayed their diversity is the avenue for farmers to select what to register and what not to. Like wise making conservation decision by community "Four cell Method" was also introduced to manage the biodiversity.

Local communities used CBR as a community decision making tools to conserve, value add and promote local biodiversity and piloted 21 different community based biodiversity management plans to accelerate the conservation as well as enhancing the livelihood of the local people.

CBR committee was constituted as a common forum of farming communities of project sites to continue manage the community plans. Through skill enhancement and empowerment programme such as training/orientation, exposure visits and representation in meeting/workshop, participation in joint field visit had resulted enhancement of local capacity to mange CBR activities int eh project sites. To control over their bio-resources and associated traditional skills, knowledge, information and arts, all project farmers had jointly declared their Biodiversity through the endorsement of document on Bio-wealth of Ruap and Begnas Areas Farmers.

However, mainstreaming the poor, indigenous community and socially excluded farming communites into the programme and wider dissemination of good practices of CBR project to concerned stakeholders and support national legislation process on CBR are the major gaps of the project.

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