KATHMANDU, Jan 21: The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) has recorded a decline of nearly Rs 220 million in revenue collection during the first six months of the current fiscal year 2025/26. According to the DNPWC, revenue collection from mid-July to mid-January of the current fiscal year has fallen compared to the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year 2024/25.
The department stated that it collects revenue from national parks, wildlife reserves, and conservation areas. According to Beda Kumar Dhakal, Deputy Director General and spokesperson of the DNPWC, revenue collection in the current fiscal year has declined by Rs 227.3 million compared to last year.
In the first six months of the current fiscal year, the DNPWC collected Rs 277.65 million in revenue, while revenue collection during the same period last fiscal year stood at Rs 503.54 million, spokesperson Dhakal said.
The DNPWC has been collecting revenue from national parks, wildlife reserves, and conservation areas under its jurisdiction. Currently, revenue is being collected from 17 national parks and wildlife reserves.
While the DNPWC collects revenue from 13 national parks and four wildlife reserves, it is not authorized to collect revenue from three conservation areas.
Revenue has been collected from Sagarmatha National Park, Langtang National Park, Makalu Barun National Park, Rara National Park, Shey-Phoksundo National Park, Khaptad National Park, Shivapuri National Park, Chitwan National Park, Bardiya National Park, Banke National Park, Shuklaphanta National Park, Parsa National Park, and Chhyannath National Park.
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Similarly, revenue has been collected from Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve, Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, Parsa Wildlife Reserve, and Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve. Although the department maintains tourist data for Annapurna Conservation Area, Manaslu Conservation Area, and Gaurishankar Conservation Area, it does not collect revenue from these areas, as the revenue is deposited into the National Trust for Nature Conservation.
The DNPWC has also been collecting revenue from forest product sales, timber and firewood sales, non-timber forest products, eco-tourism, fines and penalties, and other headings.
In the current fiscal year, the DNPWC collected Rs 26.88 million from forest product sales, compared to Rs 48.14 million in the previous fiscal year. Revenue from timber and firewood sales stood at Rs 1.19 million this fiscal year, compared to Rs 0.897 million last year.
Similarly, revenue from non-timber forest products amounted to Rs 25.69 million this fiscal year, down from Rs 47.24 million in the previous fiscal year. Revenue from eco-tourism stood at Rs 232.08 million in the current fiscal year, compared to Rs 267.5 million last year, according to departmental data.
Revenue from fines and penalties amounted to Rs 3.54 million this fiscal year, while Rs 12.79 million had been collected in the previous fiscal year. Revenue from other headings stood at Rs 15.15 million this fiscal year, compared to Rs 17.59 million last year, the DNPWC said.
Despite the decline in revenue collection, the number of tourists visiting conservation areas has increased. Compared to the previous fiscal year, tourist arrivals in conservation areas have risen during the current fiscal year.
In the first six months of the current fiscal year, 553,561 tourists visited conservation areas, while 488,984 tourists visited during the same period last year.
According to departmental data, the highest number of visitors were Nepali citizens, while the lowest number were from SAARC countries.
In the current fiscal year, 314,225 Nepali citizens visited conservation areas, compared to 264,174 Nepali visitors in the previous fiscal year.
Similarly, the number of visitors from SAARC countries stood at 89,958 this fiscal year, compared to 66,937 last year. The number of other foreign tourists stood at 149,378 this fiscal year, while 157,873 visited during the previous fiscal year.
Deputy Director General and spokesperson Dhakal said the decline in revenue collection was due to a decrease in foreign tourist arrivals caused by the Gen Z movement. He said the reduction in foreign visitors, rather than Nepali tourists, had impacted overall revenue collection.
Tourists remain the department’s main source of income, while revenue from other sources remains minimal. As foreign tourist arrivals are gradually increasing, revenue collection is also expected to rise, Dhakal said.
According to him, although the department has been managing infrastructure and trekking trails inside national parks, budget constraints have prevented major improvements.
The revenue collected by the DNPWC is deposited into the federal consolidated fund under the Ministry of Finance.
Dhakal said that developing infrastructure for foreign tourists inside national parks would help increase tourist arrivals as well as revenue collection. He added that expanding infrastructure to lengthen tourists’ stays in national parks and reserves is necessary.
He further said that if the Ministry of Tourism undertakes minimum infrastructure development and waste management in national parks and reserves, the DNPWC is ready to facilitate the process.
