Environment and Development Research Group
	School of Resource and Environmental Management Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, V5A 1S6

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Economic Incentives and Poaching of the One-Horned Indian Rhinoceros in Nepal The key national parks in Nepal’s Terai region – Royal Chitwan National Park (RCNP) and Royal Bardia National Park (RBNP) – contain important populations of large lowland dwelling mammals. The one-horned Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) is of special interest for its role in the growing eco-tourism industry, and for both poverty reduction and global biodiversity conservation in a developing country like Nepal. Abundant in the past, the one-horned rhino has come under pressure due to poaching and loss of habitat. This rhino population faces a multitude of threats, the chief of which is poaching for valuable rhino horn. The main aim of this research was to carry out an economic analysis of poaching of the one-horned Indian rhinoceros in Nepal. Knowledge about the motivations for poaching at the community level and the incentives created by various policies will be helpful in developing more effective anti-poaching measures and poverty reduction strategies around RCNP buffer zone. The study adopted two different empirical strategies. The first approach, stakeholder analysis, was concentrated on determining who has stakes in the rhino population in the Terai and the nature of these stakes. This approach also included discrete choice modelling, which was concerned with modelling poaching behaviour to provide information about the social desirability of current interventions and policies. The second approach modelled economic and related factors influencing poaching and then, combined with the stakeholders’ results, alternative control policies were simulated. Results highlight the need for a heterogeneous management option that can address the multiple values and interests of the stakeholders in rhino conservation and poverty alleviation. Clearly, emphasizing an income generating policy perspective (while not completely ignoring losses incurred by farmers) is a more consistent policy option that it is acceptable to all stakeholders. Understanding social differences, diverse institutions, and economic conditions allows for more strategic specificity for conservation interventions. The challenge for a pro poor conservation policy is to integrate the voice and needs of poor people into efforts to conserve the international public good of rhinos, and to ensure that poor farming as well as non-farming households are compensated for the costs they incur in supplying this unique public good. Publications/Reports: Poudyal, M., K. Rothley and D. Knowler, "Ecological and economic analysis of poaching of the greater one horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) in Nepal". Ecological Applications, In Press. Adhikari, B., Knowler, D., and Poudyal, M. 2005. Economic Incentives and Poaching of the One-Horned Indian Rhinoceros in Nepal, Poverty Reduction and Environmental Management (PREM) Program Research Report, Vrie University Amsterdam. Poudyal, M. 2005. A study of the reasons for an increase in poaching of the one-horned Indian rhinoceros in Royal Chitwan National Park, Nepal. M.R.M. Research Project, School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC. Rothley, K., Knowler, D., and Poudyal, M. 2004. "Population model for the greater one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) in Royal Chitwan National Park, Nepal", Pachyderm 36 (July-December):19-27. PREM Working Paper 05-07 - Economic incentives and poaching of the one-horned Indian rhinoceros in Nepal: A Retrospective Econometric Analysis. PREM Working Paper 05-11 - Economic incentives and poaching of the one-horned Indian rhinoceros in Nepal: Simulation modelling of policies to combat the poaching of rhino in Royal Chitwan National Park. PREM Working Paper 05-12 - Economic incentives and poaching of the one-horned Indian rhinoceros in Nepal: Stakeholder Analysis. Note: Full-text versions of the publications listed above are available through the Poverty Reduction and Environmental Management (PREM) website.

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last updated: May 2009