portteraiarc1.pdf Dung from stall-fed cattle is fed into the biodigester, and the resulting biogas provides clean cooking fuel, which reduces the incidence of acute respiratory infection in women and children, as well as decreases forest degradation and saves women time and work (� Judy Oglethorpe/WWF-US). At a March 2009 meeting at the Woodrow Wilson Center, Jon Miceler discussed WWF's population, health, and environment program in the Terai Arc Landscape, along with Rishi Bastakoti of Resource Identification and Management Society Nepal: http://tinyurl.com/nepalevent Richard Matthew and Bishnu Raj Upreti explore the links between population growth, environmental degradation, and violent conflict in "Environmental Change and Demographic Change in Nepal: Underlying Conditions Contributing to a Decade of Insurgency" in ECSP Report 11. http://www.wilsoncenter.org/topics/pubs/Nepal_Env_Stress&Demo_Change.pdf John Pielemeier 3 FOCUS on population, environment, and security "Now we work hard to conserve forest resources and are encouraging everyone to use alternative energy and family planning so there will be forest left for future generations." � Krishna Pariyar Combining Conservation and Health in the Khata Corridor The Terai's Khata corridor, which links Bardia National Park in Nepal with India's Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, is a vital conduit for rhinoceroses, tigers, and elephants. It is also home to almost 25,000 people from indigenous groups, including the Tharu, whose high population growth and large average household size (7.1) have increased pressure on the forest (WWF-Nepal, 2006).* Communities in the corridor area are unusually poor; the average per capita annual income is under US$50, well below the national average of US$235 (WWF-Nepal, 2008). Diseases such as acute respiratory infections, pneumonia, typhoid, and tuberculosis are common. Poverty drives many men and women to travel to India for seasonal work; these migrant laborers are more susceptible to sexually transmitted infections (including HIV/AIDS) while away from their homes and families. In 2003, WWF-Nepal and its local implementing partner, the Community Forestry Coordination * All population and health data on the Khata corridor are calculated by WWF from data reported in the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (Ministry of Health and Population, New ERA, & Macro International Inc., 2007). Committee, an umbrella organization of several forest user groups, began to integrate health services into ongoing conservation work in Khata, with support from Johnson & Johnson. Initially, the project worked with the Nepal Red Cross Society, which trained volunteers in first aid and helped establish a community-run health clinic. The project raised awareness about HIV/AIDS and family planning; and improved the quality of sanitation and drinking water. The Khata communities appreciated these health activities, which helped build goodwill toward the project's partners and their conservation efforts-- particularly during Nepal's civil war between the government and the Maoist insurgency, when government health facilities were closed and local people, especially women and children, lacked reliable access to health services and supplies. The project's low-profile activities were able to continue, since the clinic and other health services were supplied at the local level. In addition, the health interventions contributed directly to conservation. Households in this area are so poor that a death or major illness can force 4 Lessons From the First Generation of Integrated Population, Health, and Environment Projects Issue 18 March 2009 Forests for the Future families to sell their land. Landless people are more dependent on forest resources and may illegally settle on forested land. To reduce the pressure on forests, WWF and partners tackled two other major threats: firewood collection and cattle grazing. A revolving fund provided loans to purchase biogas units and build improved cookstoves, which curb deforestation and reduce exposure to indoor air pollution. WWF 