Make a Home for Tigers

Conservation resettlement is a controversial issue in balancing biological conservation with the people's social and economic needs. Very few studies have examined the conservation resettlement outcome, and majority of them view resettlement as counterintuitive to the people's livelihood in the name of biological conservation. This book focuses on residents' responses on social, economic and environmental consequences of a voluntary resettlement. Previous studies of forced resettlement during the creation and maintenance of national parks and protected areas have found negative socioeconomic consequences for human wellbeing. Author investigated residents' social and economic wellbeing following a citizen-initiated resettlement program in Padampur, Nepal. There is a difference between voluntary and forced resettlement respondents in overall satisfaction as well as evaluation of land quality and employment factors were found. Residents reported being socially and economically better off in the new location. The area after people leave has became an important habitat for tiger. This resettlement project set an example of win-win biodiversity conservation situation.