Financing the Control of Invasive Plant Species around Chitwan National Park in Nepal - A Choice Experiment

Policy Brief No. 66 -12

Mikania Micrantha, an invasive plant species, was first reported in1963 in eastern Nepal. This plant is now found in over 20 eastern, central and western districts of Nepal's Terai region and is poised to take over the local biodiversity. In Chitwan National Park in Nepal, Mikania covers up to 80 per cent of the buffer zone community forests, with significant negative effect on the forest ecosystem and the livelihoods of local people. To help communities and the forest department address this pressing challenge, a recent SANDEE study assessed how much local households would be willing to pay to reduce the damage done by the plant. The study is the work of a team led by Rajesh Kumar Rai, from the School of Accounting, Economics and Finance at Deakin University, Australia.