Indigenous Magar communities in Wards 1 and 7 of Babai Rural Municipality, Dang District, Lumbini Province, are affected by conservation restrictions, loss of access to ancestral lands and forests, human–wildlife conflict, livelihood insecurity and displacement around Banke National Park. These impacts threaten their territorial rights, customary livelihoods, food sovereignty, traditional knowledge and cultural identity.
More than 80% of the affected population are reportedly Magar Indigenous Peoples. 312 households have moved elsewhere, and 10 settlements have been abandoned, reportedly due in part to human–wildlife conflict and livelihood insecurity.
The affected communities demand recognition and protection of their ancestral territories, Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), meaningful participation in conservation governance, protection of customary resource use, effective responses and timely compensation for human–wildlife conflict, and safeguards against forced displacement. Any relocation must be voluntary, community-led and protect land rights, livelihoods, cultural identity and community cohesion.
On 28 August 2026, the LAHURNIP submitted a communication to three UN Special Rapporteurs on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, internally displaced persons, and human rights and the environment, calling on the Government of Nepal to uphold Indigenous Peoples’ rights and prevent conservation-related displacement.
LAHURNIP is providing technical support to strengthen community-led advocacy, document rights concerns and facilitate engagement with national and international human-rights mechanisms, amplifying Indigenous communities’ demands for ancestral land rights, self-determination, justice and rights-based conservation.
