Project D: Resource Centre for Ecotourism (Winner)
October 2010 Update: Read the 1st Progress Report
01. Organisation’s Official Name (Please enter your own name if self-employed)
RED PANDA NETWORK (RPN) NEPAL
Red Panda Network Nepal is a non-profit making NGO officially registered to the District Administration Office, Kathmandu, an authorized body of the Government of Nepal.
02. Name & Official position/role at this Organisation
Name: Sunil Shakya
Official Position: Program Coordinator
Email: sunil [at] redpanda.org.np
I am the head of the organization. We do not have a Director and we do not have shareholders either. But we have an Advisory Board.
03. Company Registration Number / TAX ID / VAT Registration / Year of Incorporation
941 is our non-profit making NGO registration number registered at the District Administration Office (DAO) Kathmandu, an authorized body of the Government of Nepal.RPN Nepal is formally registered in 23rd March 2007 in DAO, Kathmandu.
As we are a small non-profit making NGO, we are just registered for Permanent Account Number (PAN) at Inland Revenue Department Nepal. PAN is a unique identification number, issued to all the taxpayers throughout the country and our PAN number is 302784073.
04. Website
05. Project Title (up to 5 words)
Resource Centre for Ecotourism
06. Project Short Summary (up to 40 words)
Community empowerment through red panda based ecotourism will bridge the gap of communication and understanding among the local community about the importance of wildlife and biodiversity in todays' living. Ecotourism is an alternative means for biodiversity conservation and livelihood enhancement.
07. Project Description (up to 400 words)
The primary goal of the project is to promote a community based eco-friendly tourism focusing red panda as a flagship attraction with a provision to access information pertaining to the area or the eco trip.Choyatar Community Forest (the project area) is a favorable habitat for red pandas. RPN has organized eco-trips in the forest and has received a tremendous positive feedback. Based on these experiences, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), one of the major donors, supporting our community-based red panda monitoring and community stewardship program, has provided a seed funding to conduct consultation workshop at community and other stakeholders level. This made the community encouraged and has started organizing eco-trips where RPN facilitates them in bridging with the visitors. But to operate by themselves, basic important infrastructure and mechanism is to be developed. Therefore to promote and to make them sustainable, RPN would initiate a visitor's room in the area to provide information and any other assistance.
The existing room will be converted into a visitor's room and will possess a table, chairs, a cupboard, a telephone set and printing materials like brochures, flyers, posters, GIS maps of the forest, etc.
The project will enhance the capacity of the community so that they can run the center effectively. The community is also facilitated to prepare an operating mechanism by themselves during this project. Promotional activities are also conducted to local, national and international level to attract visitors through email, internet and posting.
After completion of the project the report will be submitted as per ECOCLUB.com Award Terms. It is expected that the community based tourism infrastructure will be developed and the community will be running eco-tours effectively after the project.
This project will be conducted in ward number 8 and 9 of Jamuna Village, Ilam district and the eco-tours are conducted in Choyatar Community Forest which is about 2.5 hours hiking from the village. The community has just initiated tourism and not wide circulated so the project is necessary. The visitors that had visited were from India, Hong Kong, U.S. and domestic.
Community Forest is that patch of national forest handed over to the nearby community after completing certain legal procedures by the Government for its management, protection and utilization. There are more than 15000 community forests have been registered in Nepal. The community that is authorized to look after the community forest is called Community Forest User Group.
08. Total Project Budget. Budget should include all costs including materials, fees and wages.
In Local Currency: NRs 192,836.50 (EUR 1 = NRs 96.73)
In Euros: EUR 1993.55
09. Project Budget Breakdown in as much detail as possible.
Number of Items |
Item Description |
Item Cost |
Total Item |
Total Item Cost in Euros exchange rate used: |
1 |
Fee |
|
|
|
1.1 |
Coordinator |
2000 * 3 months |
6000.00 |
62.03 |
2 |
Program Expenses |
|
|
|
2.1 |
Habitat Management |
|
|
|
2.1.1 |
Prepare a map of red panda core habitat with zonation of no-go and go zones |
10,000.00 |
10,000.00 |
103.38 |
2.2 |
Information Centre Establishment |
|
|
|
2.2.1 |
Support for establishing a red panda room in the community forest user group office |
|
|
|
2.2.1.1 |
Table (1 pcs) |
5,000.00 |
5,000.00 |
51.69 |
2.2.1.2 |
Chairs (6 pcs) |
|
5,000.00 |
51.69 |
2.2.1.3 |
Telephone set (1 pc) |
3,000.00 |
3,000.00 |
31.01 |
2.2.1.4 |
Cupboard (1 pc) |
10,000.00 |
10,000.00 |
103.38 |
2.2.1.5 |
Paints and wall painting |
5,000.00 |
5,000.00 |
51.69 |
2.2.1.6 |
Curtains (4 m) |
1,000.00 |
1,000.00 |
10.34 |
2.2.1.7 |
Board (1 pc) |
1,000.00 |
1,000.00 |
10.34 |
2.2.2 |
Support for communication and awareness materials for the center |
|
|
|
2.2.2.1 |
Brochures (1500 pcs) |
30,000.00 |
30,000.00 |
310.14 |
2.2.2.2 |
Posters (1500 pcs) |
30,000.00 |
30,000.00 |
310.14 |
2.3 |
Capacity Building Program (Effective training, record keeping, office management training) |
|
|
|
2.3.1 |
Resource person fee (5 days X 3 persons) |
1400.00 |
21,000.00 |
217.10 |
2.3.2 |
Resource materials |
2,500.00 |
2,500.00 |
25.85 |
2.3.3 |
Stationery (10 sets) |
90.00 |
900.00 |
9.30 |
2.3.4 |
Refreshment (5 days X 12 sets) |
60.00 |
3,600.00 |
37.22 |
2.3.5 |
Hall charge (5 days) |
400.00 |
2,000.00 |
20.68 |
2.4 |
Development of Community level trip operating mechanism |
|
|
|
2.4.1 |
Interaction workshops with local community |
6000 * 2 times |
12,000.00 |
124.06 |
2.4.2 |
Documentation and final layout |
4,000.00 |
4,000.00 |
41.35 |
2.5 |
Marketing/Promotion and information dissemination |
18,000.00 |
18,000.00 |
186.08 |
3 |
Other Expenses |
|
|
|
3.1 |
Kickoff meeting |
1000 |
1000 |
10.34 |
3.2 |
Travel (field office to the project site for three times) |
3,500.00 |
14000 |
144.73 |
3.3 |
Report |
|
|
|
3.3.1 |
Project Progress Report |
1,000.00 |
1,000.00 |
10.34 |
3.3.2 |
Final Report |
2,000.00 |
2,000.00 |
20.68 |
4 |
PayPal / Bank Transfer Charges |
4,836.50 |
4,836.50 |
50.00 |
TOTAL |
|
NRs 192,836.50 |
EUR 1993.55 |
10. Exact physical location of the project:
Address: WARD NUMBER 8 AND 9, JAMUNA VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE (VDC), ILAM DISTRICT, NEPAL. AREA OF VDC = 28.87 sq. km.
Map: Precise Longitude & Latitude 27°0'53.8"N and 87°59'48.3"E
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10b. Location Clarification:
(a) Please provide a photo of the village and/or a map of the village, and indicate with an arrow where exactly the Visitor's room will be built / created.
Location of Choyatar Forest
11. Pictures - Up to five relevant pictures illustrating the site of the project and what it is all about.
11a: Red panda, a key species of the forest
11b: Red panda habitat
11c: A view of the village
11d: A room in the house seen in the background will be developed as a Visitor's room.
11e: This room will be converted into a Visitor's room
12. Is this project, or parts of this project already under way?
Eco Tourism through red panda conservation is already started as a pilot project in Choyatar Community Forest. The visitor center will add another benefit for a better management of the eco trips.
13. Project Completion Schedule with dates
S. No. |
Activities |
2010 |
||||||||||||
September |
October |
November |
Dec |
|||||||||||
I |
II |
III |
IV |
I |
II |
III |
IV |
I |
II |
III |
IV |
I |
||
6 |
Kickoff meeting |
* |
||||||||||||
2 |
Habitat Management |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2.1 |
Prepare a map of red panda core habitat with zonation of no-go and go zones |
|
* |
* |
* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3 |
Information Centre Establishment |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3.1 |
Support for establishing a red panda room in the community forest user group office |
|
|
|
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
|
|
|
|
|
3.2 |
Support for communication and awareness materials for the center |
|
|
|
|
|
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
|||
4 |
Capacity Building Program (Effective training, record keeping, office management training) |
|
|
|
|
|
* |
* |
||||||
5 |
Development of Community level trip operating mechanism |
|||||||||||||
5.1 |
Interaction workshops with local community |
* |
* |
|||||||||||
5.2 |
Documentation and final layout |
* |
||||||||||||
6 |
Marketing/Promotion and information dissemination |
* |
||||||||||||
7 |
Report |
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||
7.1 |
Project Progress Report |
|
|
|
|
* |
||||||||
7.2 |
Final Report |
|
|
|
|
|
** |
14. Who or what will mostly benefit from your project? (up to 200 words)
As we have 100% community participation in the implementation of the project, this will directly benefit the Community Forest User Group of Choyatar Community Forest. The community will have proper eco-tour operation mechanism, a resource center for visitors that will help the community in promoting tourism. The community will also get trainings and that will enhance their capacity which helps them to operate tourism sustainably.
15. Do you have experience with similar projects in the past? (up to 200 words)
In the past RPN has organized several eco-trips giving an opportunity to experience the importance of eco-trips in conservation initiatives. With our experience for past 3 years and working closely with the local communities through community based monitoring has helped us understand the need of the communities.
16. Have you consulted the local community and/or their elected representatives about their real needs and feelings about this project? Please clarify and provide evidence if you can. (up to 200 words)
Yes! we have contacted the Community Forest User Group of Choyatar Community Forest. As the infrastructure is important for proper management of the tourism, they are excited about the project.Below a letter submitted to us by the Choyatar Community Forest User Group mentioning an importance of visitor's room and asking for help to establish it.
17. Have you examined all legal, tax and technical aspects of this project? Please clarify and provide evidence if you can. (up to 200 words)
Any foreign financial support need to be endorsed through Social Welfare Council (SWC), an authorized body of the Government of Nepal. The application will be submitted to SWC for approval once the project is selected. The project proposal along with the filling up of a form developed by SWC will be submitted for approval. The SWC will then provide us a letter mentioning that the grant obtained from international donor agencies can be used in Nepal. This process might take about a month
18. Are there any other unknown or uncertain parameters about this project? Does it depend on any external factors? (up to 100 words)
No.
19. Who will actually implement this project? (organisation employees, local volunteers, tourist volunteers, local workers, others?) (up to 100 words)
This project will be implemented by RPN; however the Community Forest User Group of Choyatar Community Forest will oversee the implementation of the whole project and report to RPN.
20. If your project is not chosen, will you still go ahead with its implementation? (up to 50 words)
We will try to apply for other grants to continue the project. As the organization is just young and we do not have sufficient funding for the project.
Please enter your full name below and the date to indicate acceptance of the above terms:
Sunil Shakya
Date: July 31, 2010