US embassy cable - 02KATHMANDU498

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 000498 
 
SIPDIS 
 
LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, EAID, ASEC, CASC, SOCI, NP, Maoist Insurgency 
SUBJECT: NATIONAL PARK CLOSED TO ALL BUT TOURISTS 
 
1. (SBU) Summary.  Deteriorating security conditions have 
all but closed Royal Bardiya National Park in western 
Nepal to researchers and conservationists and have 
disrupted some development projects.  Tourists still have 
access to the park, but the local economy has taken a deep 
hit from the drastic drop-off in tourist arrivals. 
Nepal's army pulled back from a highway checkpoint and a 
sub-post; as a result, poaching, smuggling and Maoist- 
related movements have increased.  Villagers fear both the 
Maoists and agents of the state, and complain that a long- 
standing lack of resources has been exacerbated by the 
worsening security climate.  End Summary. 
 
Park Closed to Researchers and Conservationists 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
2. (U) Due to security restrictions, research and 
conservation activities have come almost to a standstill 
inside Royal Bardiya National Park in western Nepal, and 
have been "severely curtailed" in the surrounding "buffer 
zones."  Community development activities also been 
affected, and have been suspended in some areas.  The 
security situation in the area around the park 
deteriorated by the day, according to a conservationist 
stationed there. 
 
Few Intrepid Tourists 
--------------------- 
 
3. (U) Tourists were still permitted to enter the park 
with a guide, but few made the effort.  Hotels have cut 
back on staff - the most popular guest house for foreign 
budget travelers now operates with a skeleton crew - or 
closed altogether.  Locals told Poloff that the fall-off 
in tourism has had an impact not just on wage earners in 
the tourism sector, but also on agricultural workers who 
used to sell produce to hotels and restaurants. 
 
Army Dug In, But Pulling Back 
----------------------------- 
 
4. (SBU) At one of the points where the East-West highway 
crosses park lands, an army checkpoint was attacked by 
Maoists on February 24.  No one was injured.  [Note: 
Press reports have not mentioned this incident, but RNA 
officials in Bardiya confirmed it to Post.]  The 
checkpoint, which was used to enforce the 40 kph speed 
limit through the park, was subsequently abandoned and had 
not been reopened.  As a result, motorists could be seen 
moving well in excess of the speed limit, presenting a 
danger to the park's endangered animals, which include 
tiger, rhino and bear.  Due to resource constraints, the 
army has also shut down a sub-post on the south side of 
the park.  Conservation officials say that this has led to 
the growth of illegal timber cutting and poaching, as well 
as an increase in Maoist activity in the area. 
 
Harvest of Wild Grasses Affected 
-------------------------------- 
 
5. (U) For security reasons, and because it is now 
stretched thin, the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) decided to 
prohibit local residents from entering the park to harvest 
wild grass this year.  In the past, villagers have been 
permitted into the park during the dry season to cut the 
grass, which they use both for feed and as construction 
material.  The grass becomes unmanageable if not cut. 
This year army personnel had to burn some of it.  The burn 
imposed a hardship on the army, which had to dedicate 
resources to the operation; on the government, which 
missed out on revenue earned from grass-cutting fees; and 
on the villagers, who have to do without the grass. 
 
Resource-Starved Villagers Fear Both Sides 
------------------------------------------ 
 
6. (SBU) Villagers living around the national park 
expressed fear of both the Maoists and the government. 
Poverty remained endemic, and most girls have acquired 
only the most basic informal education.  One ethnic Tharu 
who teaches at a public school near the park reported that 
his work was difficult because the government lacked the 
funds to hire new teachers even though every year more and 
more students enrolled.  The pupils' parents also lacked 
the funds to support their children's studies.  The 
teacher reported - and other residents confirmed - that 
political problems had not flared up in the school 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
7. (SBU) Community development programs that formerly 
benefited many villagers in Bardiya are now on hold and 
will not resume without improvements in the security 
situation.  Until then, further economic and social 
development will be difficult at best.  Moreover, the RNA 
pull-back - for want of the means to fight the insurgency 
- has jeopardized the park's wildlife and other resources, 
and has opened up the possibility for the Maoists to 
exploit them. 
 
MALINOWSKI