Background
The
Churia areas are the southern most range of hills in Nepal, which
rises from the Terai plains (lowland area bordering India in the
south) and stretches from east to west. With its hilly terrain and
an ethnically diverse population, the Churia area constitutes a
distinctive region of Nepal. The Churia areas are classified as
having high erosion risk, and soil erosion has been greatly accelerated
in recent years due to increased human activities. Increased deforestation,
increased occurrence of flash floods, reduced agricultural production
and sedimentation, and destruction of fertile agricultural land
in the downstream Terai areas is some of the immediate impact. The
Churia hills are also the groundwater recharging station/watershed
for agricultural production in the Terai ensuring food security
for more than 6.5 million population. About 13% of the land in Nepal
falls in the Churia range. In terms of biodiversity the area comprises
the only remaining lowland forests of Nepal outside protected areas
with very high biodiversity. The Churia hills are also the main
areas of connectivity between the various Terai protected areas,
which have the best forests in the country and allow for movement
of flagship species such as the tiger, elephant and rhinoceros.
The population of the Churia area largely
comprises hill migrants who began to migrate and settle down in
Churia about three decades ago after the eradication of malaria.
There is a wide range of caste and ethnic groups, and the majority
of them are small farmers who are heavily dependent on agriculture
and forest products for their livelihoods. The Churia has been
a poverty-stricken area of Nepal for several decades and until
recently was largely left out of the various development efforts
that had been undertaken in the rest of the country. The conservation
and management of the Churia hills resources has become a high
priority of Government of Nepal (GN). However, to date, the assistance
of international donor community has been limited, and therefore,
HMGN has called for the government, non-governmental and the private
sector organizations to address the key problems of Churia.
Program
CARE in Nepal seeks to make meaningful contributions
towards helping the local communities of the Churia area succeed
in their quest for prosperity and improved livelihoods. In its
Long Range Strategic Plan (1999-2004), CARE Nepal identified the
Churia area as one of the geographical focus area, in which to
concentrate its programs through a holistic approach.
The primary focus of this project is the formulation
of a Churia Area Strategy, implementation of pilot initiatives,
and additional environmental conservation and development initiatives
to be implemented in the Churia region of Nepal between CY 2004
– CY 2006. The long-term goal of this program is: To improve
livelihood security of the inhabitants of the Churia Area through
environmental conservation and sustainable management of natural
resources. There are two specific objectives for this application
for the period of 2004-2006:
(i) CARE formulates a Churia Area Program Strategy
in a participatory and consultative manner with key partners;
(ii) Projects/initiatives are designed, piloted and implemented
in the Churia area that contributes towards the goal of the Churia
Area Program.
CARE will formulate a Churia Area Strategy in CY
2004 in close partnership and collaboration with like minded organizations
and in a manner that is highly participatory at the community
level. This process will involve in depth situation analysis at
the household, regional and national levels as well as the policy
level. Capacity building of partner organizations for this process
will also be a key focus in CY 2004. Implementation of four pilot
activities and advocacy initiatives will also be started in CY
2004, while detailed planning and design of other environmental
conservation and development initiatives based on the outputs
of the Churia Area Strategy will be conducted towards the end
of CY 2004. |
