Sustainable Tourism
Your budget spent in a remote region
Bardia is a region far from the economic poles of the country and offer few opportunities for the local people to improve their level of life. Untill now, only few backpackers (4000 in 2001) used to reach Bardia to cut the long way from Katmandu to Delhi. Houses are made of wood and adobe. The local people survive mainly on agriculture. Agriculture and wildlife are not good neighbors and many problems occur: Elephants or deer eating crops, tigers killing cattle.
A smart system already in place
The government created “the buffer zone system”. Nature conservation is only possible with the participation of the local population. Their implication is only possible if they get some benefit from the National park. The villages, directly situated near the border of the park are gathered into associations which are managed by local people. They decide their own community projects and programs (social, education, urbanism…). Furthermore, each association owns a small portion of forest where locals can, for a small fee, fetch what they need so they don’t go in the national park. When you visit Bardia NP, 50% of your permit price goes to these local associations. It is then clear for villagers that nature is more valuable when untouched.
When you come in our « Jungle trip », you impact directly a smart system where locals decide for themselves and take part of the protection of their nature. This is a good idea, but it only works if tourists come and visit the place which was not so much the case these last few years of insurrection (which ended in 2006).
Our Direct participation :
Further to its direct impact on the village economy (everything is bought locally, the staff is local…), Racy shade resort and the participants of the Nepal jungle trip are directly involved in the improvement of the local level of life in Takurdwara village (right next to the entrance of the national park) by different ways :
Gift of clothes. Before their departure, the participants are informed that they can take some old clothes from their cupboards to give them in Bardia to the poorest ones.
Gift of medicine : At the end of the trip, the participants can leave unused medicine which will be sorted out and given to the local health center which in turn will distribute them for free.
These gifts will be distributed by the local association « Takurdwaracomunity forest »