In Nepal, as elsewhere, conservation and sustainable use of biological resources are a major challenge in halting the degradation of natural areas and the corresponding loss of biodiversity. Although Nepal has achieved its share of success in terms of conserving natural resources with the establishment of the Protected Area system (there are 16 Protected Areas in total in the country), balancing conservation and human development needs remain a major challenge. The Buffer Zone programme was initiated to support the government to address this challenge. For this, UNDP joined hands with His Majesty's Government of Nepal/Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) to design and pilot the programme through the Park People Programme (PPP) in 1995. The Participatory Conservation Programme (PCP) is a follow-up to PPP to institutionalise its achievements. The goal of this integrated initiative is to bring about biodiversity conservation with the support and participation of the local communities living in the areas surrounding National Parks and Wildlife Reserves (Buffer Zones) while simultaneously encouraging development programmes for improving their livelihoods.

The overall objective of the PCP is to conserve biodiversity in and around the targeted Parks/Reserves through community mobilization and programmes that support community forestry, alternative fuel usage, capacity building and institutionalization of the various community based organizations. This is aimed at helping to reduce the dependency of the BZ communities on the natural resources of the Parks/Reserves and their Buffer Zones. Communities are also being trained in the management of eco-tourism activities. The mitigation of the Park-people conflict is, therefore, an integral part of the PCP programme design.

PCP Website