Preferences, use, and value of forest products in Bardia National Park, Nepal

Abstract

Abstract. Acharya KR, Devkota BP, Silwal T. 2026. Preferences, use, and value of forest products in Bardia National Park, Nepal. Asian J For 10 (1): r100119. https://doi.org/10.13057/asianjfor/r100119. Agrarian communities living near protected areas, especially in developing countries worldwide, are highly dependent on park resources to meet their subsistence needs. Buffer zones, in and around protected areas, are established to achieve dual aims: fulfilling local communities’ forest needs and conserving biodiversity. This study investigates the community preferences, uses, and values of park resources in the buffer zone of the Bardia National Park, Nepal. A household survey (n=531) of ten buffer-zone community forest user groups from November 2023 to February 2024, supplemented by direct observation of the khar-khadai (i.e., grass cutting) event in 2024. Logistic regression and chi-square test (χ²) were used to identify possible socioeconomic and institutional factors that affected households’ interest in extracting park resources. The results reveal that 63.7% of respondents showed an interest in collecting forest products, with significant differences by ethnicity (β = 0.399, p < 0.001) and community forest membership (β=-0.152, p<0.010). Tharu and disadvantaged Dalit households showed greater interest in accessing park resources than other ethnic groups. Forest users from buffer-zone community forests with better forest conditions (χ²=95.233, df=9, p<0.001) showed lower interest in entering the national park. Fuelwood was identified as the most preferred forest product, followed by thatch grass, grass cane and Sabai grass. Timber was found to be the least preferred forest product collected from the national park. Despite increased availability of alternatives, forest product collection from national parks remained significant for Tharu and Dalit households, for whom buffer-zone community forests could not meet the demand. This study recommends that sustainable forest management practices be promoted in buffer-zone community forests to address the unmet needs of local users by maintaining equitable access to resources and promoting alternative resources.