A study of the relationship between crop damages inflicted by the one-horned Indian rhinoceros and the defensive response to these damages by farmers in Chitwan National Park, Nepal

Crop damages inflicted by the one-horned Indian rhinoceros are viewed as one of the most serious problems plaguing the relationship between farmers and wildlife in communities that surround Chitwan National Park (CNP), Nepal. In response to these damages, many farmers implement defensive measures, which range from erecting a fence to more extreme measures such as the use of a firearm, in an effort to deter future damages from occurring. This study uses an econometric model to understand the factors that are hypothesized to influence the decision of a farmer to invest in defensive measures to combat these damages. Additionally, an economic model rooted in the theory of alliances is adapted and applied to the basic defensive measures model to determine if the decision to implement these measures is influenced by the defensive action of neighboring farmers. The results indicate that various factors, such as the distance a farm is located from the CNP boundary and the amount of land under cultivation, are responsible for a farmer investing in defensive measures. Further and in conjunction with the theory of alliances, when defensive measures within a Village Development Committee (VDC) increase, an individual farmer will feel sufficiently protected from this additional effort and opt to free-ride on the defensive effort of neighboring farmers instead of investing in personal defensive measures. These results will be helpful to assist resource managers to evaluate and create more effective environmental conservation strategies and policy recommendations in the CNP region.