For centuries,
the Bote people have roamed through the Chitwan forest of south Nepal,
hunting, fishing and foraging for their survival,
and living their tribal traditions.
But now it is illegal for the Botes to enter the forest.
In 1973, Chitwan was designated a national park.
It is an area of rich biodiversity, and unique in Nepal
for its rhinoceros and tiger populations.
Now a World Heritage Site, Chitwan attracts thousands of visitors a year.
But the park has been a disaster
for the Bote people’s traditional way of life.
To preserve the park’s unique eco-system,
hunting and fishing in Chitwan is now illegal.
With the Botes cut off from their source of survival,
the government is trying to involve them in conservation and tourism.
“Protection has been successful through people’s participation.
We are also creating opportunities for such communities and people.
Say for example the growing tourism industries, many hotels,
and there are certain routes where people can boat.”
But like many young people, Ramesh Bot feels trapped.
He works part time at a nearby tourist center,
but dreams of leaving the forest, and the traditional ways, for good.
“My friends think the same as I do
because their situation isn’t all that different from mine.
Our common problem is poverty.
We all want to live in the city.”
But there is a law that could transform the lives of indigenous peoples
throughout Nepal.
Convention 169 of the International Labour Organisation
is the only legally binding international regulation
that deals exclusively with the rights of indigenous people.
In 2007, the Nepalese government ratified Convention 169 into law,
the first country in south Asia to do so.
Now the challenge is to implement the law successfully.
The Bote people could be guaranteed the right
to fish and access to the forest.
Their culture would be preserved.
And a traditional way of life in the forest would continue.
“It won’t disappear –it will remain.
We can speak our language and save our culture.
Our culture will not vanish.”