The Annapurna Conservation Area Project collected Rs 38,651,908 in the last fiscal year from fees for harvesting and using natural resources across the conservation area in Nepal, project chief Dr. Rabin Kadariya said. The revenue came from resources including herbs, firewood and stones, with collections made across the area’s 57 management units.
Revenue from natural resources
The reported collection reflects fees charged for the use and harvesting of natural resources within the Annapurna Conservation Area. The resources identified include herbs, firewood and stones. The project’s total for the last fiscal year was Rs 38.65 million, according to Kadariya.
The 57 management units form the administrative scope cited for these collections. The reported figure brings together revenue from resource use across those units; the available information does not provide a unit-by-unit breakdown or separate totals for herbs, firewood and stones.
Comparison with previous fiscal years
The project had collected Rs 57,716,781 in fiscal year 2081/82 and Rs 39,098,991 in fiscal year 2080/81. Against the 2081/82 total, the latest reported collection was lower by Rs 19,064,873. It was also Rs 447,083 below the amount recorded in 2080/81.
The figures show that the latest total was substantially below the 2081/82 collection and slightly below the 2080/81 amount. The project has not provided, in the information available, an explanation for the difference between the fiscal-year totals. Nor were details provided on changes in resource use, the number of fee-paying users or the rates applied.
The reported amounts cover fees associated with harvesting and using resources, rather than a breakdown of income by resource or management unit. No further details were given about how the money was allocated or whether the collection covered every resource-use activity in the conservation area.
Kadariya’s figures provide a year-by-year measure of revenue from natural-resource use managed across the Annapurna Conservation Area. The latest total stands at Rs 38.65 million, compared with nearly Rs 57.72 million in 2081/82 and about Rs 39.10 million in 2080/81.
