| 08-01-2025

National Park and Conservation Areas violating the right to food and livelihood of Bote Indigenous Women


Bote Indigenous women are deprived from their customary traditional occupation and lose their right to food due to discriminatory laws and policy provisions: Total 60 households of Bote indigenous peoples (IPs) have been living in Patihani Village, ward no. 13 and 22 of Bharatpur Metropolitan City, Chitwan district. 42 households of Bote , 63 houseolds of Danuwar, and 13 households of Chepang indigenous peoples live in Manahari Rural Municipality Ward No. 6 and 7. These areas are buffer zone areas of Chitwan National Park and Parsa National Park. Bote and Chepang indigenous peoples are traditionally fisher folk and fishing is their traditional occupation. As per the ‘Regulation’ formulated by Chitwan National Park a family member from each household is eligible for a fishing license as per the amended National Park and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1973. The fee for the yearly renewal of the license is NR 100 and needs to be paid to the Park authority. However, as male members of the households are out of home for seasonal labor and migrant work, women are engaging in fishing and collecting the forest resources – fire wood, forest/wild food/vegetable, fodder for cattle, herbal goods, and wood for construction of homes and shelters for livestock. Park authorities introduced several rules to renew the fishing license such as (a) cotton fishing yarn-nets shall be used instead of readymade nylon-nets (b) fishing only at evening/night time. These newly introduced rules and the complications related to the renewal of the fishing license lead Bote women not engaging in fishing anymore. This situation constitutes a non- compliance with Section 5(2) of Act (5th Amendment 2017) of the National Park and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1973 and has lead to violations of right to food of indigenous women as well their collective rights, traditional knowledge, skills, practices and traditional customary occupation.

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