Description of Project:
The Project titled `Watershed Management’ was implemented for 2 years – WM in short in the Shivapuri National Park is being implemented by the joint venture (JV) of the Centre for Green Economy Development, Nepal (CGED, Nepal) and the Integrated Development Society, Nepal (IDS-N). The supervising agency of the project is BRBIP and the implementing agency is IDS-Nepal and CGED-Nepal JV. Total allocated budget for the project was 22,645,736.75. The Project was a joint venture (JV) of the Centre for Green Economy Development, Nepal (CGED, Nepal) and Integrated Development Society, Nepal (IDS-N). The project was led by Dr. Madhav Karki and has five national professional experts and two community mobilization officers. The expected outcomes of the Project are: 1) Rehabilitated upper Bagmati sub-watersheds providing better livelihoods to basin community, 2) Awareness built on eco-friendly environment conservation leading to more effective buffer zone user groups and committees; and 3) Enhanced conservation based livelihoods opportunities for settlement community gains local ownership and sustainable management practices.

Highlights of the Project’s Achievement:
Achievements Highlights:

Overall: The watershed management project (NGO Package 1) has been concluded in a satisfactory, efficient and sustainable manner meeting the terms and conditions (TOR) laid out in the contract awarded to the IDS-Nepal-CGED-Nepal JV and BRBIP. The overall progress of the 3 year project is the successful achievement of the three major outcomes aimed by the project:

• Organized and aware community willing to be good environment stewards to conserve the national park biodiversity and co-manage the socio-ecological ecosystems;
• Equipped with knowledge and skills to manage the agro-ecological watershed in environmentally friendly manner; and
• Capacitated and responsible (both men and women; boys and girls) to dialogue and negotiate with SNNP authorities regarding the rights and responsibilities of Buffer Zone settlers, users and managers.

The TOR assigned to the NGO Package 1 included the following expectations: a) Support for declaration of the SNNP buffer zone and to prepare Buffer Zone Management plan; b) support the SNNP staff in preparing the Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park Management plans; c) Undertake awareness building, training and pilot demonstration of activities including organic farming and eco-tourism based livelihoods, community participated afforestation and reforestation through plantation of fuel/ fodder and fruit trees for stabilizing outward sloping agricultural land to reduce siltation; d) Promotion of more efficient cooking stoves; e) Improved sanitation and waste management to reduce pollution; and f) Motivate local people to be better environment stewards.

• Buffer Zone Formation: The major achievements include formation of 9 (nine) BZUGs preparation of integrated watershed and buffer zone management as well as Dhap Dam Management (catchment) management plans. The process used in preparing these plans was participatory and inclusive involving 218 BZUG members that comprised 19.72% female and 46.33% social excluded groups. Indigenous people were more than 85%.
• Training and Awareness Building: The project piloted and demonstrated Hands-on Training and Awareness on different watershed management subjects including organic farming (27 events involving 809 participants (Female 70.70%); integrated pest management (IPM) and polythene tube house farming (77 persons (female 39%) and soil and water conserving techniques (22 events – 465 (Female – 45.16%); social excluded group- 45.16%) as a part of the watershed management. Eco-tourism, sanitation and promotion of clean energy options were also covered by the training. Under Improved Sanitation Management, 39 training involved 993 people (female – 66.46%). Indigenous peoples comprised 85.70%. To promote the Clean Energy options the team organized 18 trainings involving 472 people (Female (67.58%) and indigenous people and socially excluded groups (90%). The total beneficiary far exceeded (2310) the given target of 750.
• Organic Farming and Eco-tourism: The Project has introduced the concept and implemented the practice of Organic and Conservation Farming in the Project villages. The organic products are in high demand by both foreign and domestic tourist who visits the SNNP in increasing numbers. 2 Training and demonstration on Ecotourism and one BZM exposure visit of BZUG members to Chitwan NP was conducted. 3 training on alternate income generation activities and demonstrations and one Organic Farming exposure visit by the lead farmers to National Agriculture Research Centre (NARC) and Central Horticulture Centre (CHC) was conducted (32 participated of which 23 were female). Tunnel farming and drip irrigation facilities were installed at two farms to demonstrate the commercial organic farming to the local farmers. 38 IPM equipment was distributed to the lead farmers.
• Alternate Energy Solutions: Similarly, the alternate energy programme is a success as the community members are satisfied with the technology of solar dryers provided by the Project. Similarly, 30 solar lamps distributed in the Ishwori Adharbhut School show good promise as the evaluation survey clearly indicate that half of the students are using it and more can use if we can provide better lasting lamps and maintenance and replacement people can be made available locally. Awareness raising training and demonstration of Environmentally Sustainable Improved cooking stove (4 ICS constructed) was conducted that was participated by 472 people (Female: – 67.58% and Social Excluded: – 90.04%). There is great interest among farmers to make their own solar dryer after the demonstration of 6 solar dryer construction and use.
• Watershed Rehabilitation: The Bio-engineering work to rehabilitate expanding gully erosion that were threatening the main road from Mulkharka to Okhreni and adjoining settlement was another success achieved by the project. Low cost check dams and gabion wire based erosion protection walls were constructed. These were reinforced by planting around 268 planted bio-engineering quality plants. The communities have highly appreciated this work.
• Sanitation and Solid Waste Management: The project team first and foremost created and empowered two all-Women’s Group as the Local Resources Organization (LRO) which gave the women involved in conducting village sanitation campaign a social status and platform to conduct bi-weekly village wise sanitation. In order to expose them with the work their peers in different parts of Nepal, exposure visits were organized to the BZ area of the Chitwan National Park and also to a peer organization (Janajagaran women group) at the Aloknagar in Kathmandu. The project also constructed and made it operational Material Recovery Facility (MRF). The team has also persuaded the concerned Ward Chair to have the collected waste dispatched to the Landfill site of the Kathmandu valley. This facility has created positive impact on other villages to demand for more such facility.
• Afforestation and Reforestation: The team has exceeded the target of planting 5000 saplings of fruit, firewood, fodder and grass slips to cover 12.5 ha of sloping agricultural, park and community land. We carried out community based plantations through afforestation, plantation of fruit/fodder trees, grass slips/cuttings on outward sloping community and private agriculture land. A total of 6758 winter and summer fruit, fuel, fodder tree saplings, grass slips /cuttings were distributed and planted by farmer. For this we conducted 34 planting events involving 1145 farmers (Female- 23.32% and indigenous people and Social Disadvantaged Groups:- 92.75%)
• Capacity Building of the SNNP staff: Through awareness raising, regular dialoguing and joint event organization, we have significantly increased the awareness and capacity of the SNNP staff. The preparation and approval of the SNNP Management Plan was an excellent example of this joint work. We also cemented the collaboration culture between the BZUGs, BGUC and the SNNP Authority in watershed management and soil erosion control in the project area. For this we conducted 9 events training 39 staff members. We also increased awareness of BZUGs and staff in controlling illegal tree felling and forest fires.
• Knowledge product Developed. The Watershed Project team has written an Integrated Watershed Management Handbook and printed 300 copies. The book was launched by the DG, Dept. of National Park and Wildlife Conservation. The book has been very popular among park staff, college students and others and there is a demand for printing more copies. The team is now writing a Chapter in a book to be published by Springer.

Gender Empowerment and Social Inclusion (GESI) or Gender Activity summary:

The watershed project activities were planned and implemented ensuring full and quality compliance of gender empowerment and social inclusion (GESI) standards and good practices. The front-line or boundary partners of the WM project were the 9 Buffer Zone User group (BZUG) one BZU Committee comprising of 63 elected members, one Buffer Zone Management Committee Chair and two Women’s Community Sanitation Campaign Group. In all our activities as explained above, women and indigenous members were the dominant population in all the groups formed and events organized and therefore the project has successfully met all the ADB prescribed norms and criteria in ensuring full gender inclusion, empowerment, access and active and meaningful participation in the Project as shown in our detail data in Annex VIII, Table 1 and 2.

Impact and Lessons Learned:
The major impact is the establishment of an excellent collaboration between the SNNP staff and BZUGs which is the foundation for improved upper Bagmati watershed management. Increased awareness among settlers and leadership of BZUGs and strengthened capacity of BGUC chair can help create a long term community based eco-friendly livelihood and income generating activities for the people. The BZUGs are in a position to implement the BZ management plan. The farmers are also exposed to participatory monitoring and joint planning, peer learning through farm visits, conducting joint workshops, training and exposure visits with Park staff. We also initiated tripartite dialogue among the SNNP, BRBIP and the HPCIBD that can continue in future to successfully complete and hand over the Dhap Dam.

Major Challenges Faced: The project faced numerous challenges. Uncertainty among the farmers due to GoN’s relocation plan was hindering motivation creation. Uncontrolled grazing by domestic animals, poor status of farmers, unsustainable exploitation of fuel wood, timber, fodder and food for subsistence livelihoods; Household Liquor making due to lack of alternate income sources, increasing invasive and weedy plant and species in the forest, poor transport communication and infrastructure, Lack of financial and infrastructure (office, roads, and fire tending equipment) with the SNNP to implement the management plans that have been prepared with the help of the watershed management project.

Conclusion and Way Forward: Although 3-year project duration is too short for watershed rehabilitation and management interventions to show impact, we have established a good foundation for future. We recommend to the BRBIP and SNNP not to break the momentum and continue with adaptive and innovative integrated watershed management activities we have initiated. There is a need to further develop collaboration and ownership of the WM project activities by the BZUGs/BZUC and the SNNP for which there is a need for a facilitator organization that can plan and organize joint events between SNNP and other components of the BRBIP. The BRBIP should continue supporting the SNNP through technical capacity building and knowledge management in areas such as improving the livelihoods of BZ communities focusing on organic farming, ecotourism and marketing of local products. In order to discourage tree felling all the poor (family with less than USD $ a day per capita income) with LPG gas cylinder and/or subsidized electrical cooking devices. The solar dryers programme should be expanded. There is also a need to reduce, recycle and reuse domestic, agriculture waste and ban single use plastic inside the park. Land and water pollution has to be eliminated through organic farming and awareness raising. The two women’s group should be further strengthened to maintain regular sanitation and cleaning of the solid waste. The SNNP should also improve wildlife habitat so that animals do not damage private properties and crops. Finally, park-people conflict which is minimal now can be further improved by promoting close collaborations among stakeholders. The project’s main exit strategy was to establish this culture in which we succeeded allowing us to exist in a harmonious manner.