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Forceful evictions:

The Nepali Government has displaced thousands of Indigenous Peoples during BNP’s creation and expansion. In 1969, two villages were relocated occupied by the Sonaha people, and they were criminalized for conducting traditional practice.[1] Seven years later in 1976, a second round of evictions took place when BNP authorities relocated 1,500 households outside the Karnali Wildlife Reserve.[2] The third wave of evictions occurred in the 1980s where 9,500 Indigenous Peoples were resettled outside the park. Since 1983, BNP authorities have forcibly evicted at least 300 households from their land along the Geruwa river. 274 of those are Tharu peoples of Wards 4 and 6.[3] Many of these people were originally displaced due to monsoon flooding and the riverbed shifting however, Bardiya officials sent them to the buffer zone and approximately three weeks later the Nepal Army used wild elephants to chase these Indigenous Peoples away.[4] Many families have since been evicted from the buffer zone or locations where they have tried to rebuild their lives. According to Ward 4 officials, 144 households lost their land between 1983 and 1989. Of these households 96 belonged to the Tharu community and the rest belong to other Indigenous Peoples such as the Magar and Dalit.[1] According to Ward 6 officials, 151 households lost their land. Of them, 130 belong to the Tharu community and unlike in Ward 4 most of the land lost by people in Ward 6 was unregistered government land i.e., land without recognition of ownership. Only 31 households including 16 Tharu, have landownership certificates others living in Ward 6 have no documentation.[2] BNP officials claim the land falls inside the park boundary and therefore, all restrictions under national park laws apply. Meaning, people are not allowed to settle there or visit to collect their natural resources or to “occupy, clear, reclaim or cultivate any part or grow or harvest any crop.”[3] Despite not having any access to their land, the Geruwa villages have continued to pay land revenue tax. They say it is to safeguard their access and is a requirement to claim compensation for damage to crops.[4] In June 2020, during the Covid-19 lockdown the BNP office arbitrarily issued a seven-day notice threatening 141 families living in the area to leave the forest or face eviction. Most of these families were Tharu Indigenous Peoples.[5] The BNP officers did so without first ensuring these families had access to alternative housing.

Arson: 

On 21 May 2017, the army stationed in Thakurdwara in the BNP set more than 100 Tharu families homes on fire who were living in an informal settlement in Jharniya, Magaradi Village Development Committee destroying 105 homes.[6] The community and human rights activities allege that the army committed this violation due to a dispute between them and the Indigenous Peoples. After mediation between the army, the District Land Rights Forum and the community, the army agreed to let the community stay in the buffer zone as long as it could be confirmed that these families were “real landless” and provided a recommendation letter from any political party.[7]

Harassment: 

Bardiya Indigenous Peoples have complained about discriminatory treatment and harassment by Nepal Army officials.[1] The Army and game scouts have threatened Sonahas at gunpoint, shot at them, and thrown stones whilst they were fishing. 

Right to food: 

Protected animals such as tiger, rhino and elephant have increased over the years however, farmers in Bardiya complained about protected wild animals frequently destroying their crops, stored grains, farm animals and structures, including houses. The state, therefore, has failed to protect their right to food. The state has also violated their right to remedy as the relief provided is nominal and it excludes relief for recurring destruction by certain types of animals i.e., monkeys.[2] 

Murders: 

On 10 March 2010, BNP soldiers killed two women and one 12-year-old girl when they were collecting tree bark within the BNP.[3] The Army and BNP officials have justified the killings by claiming that the victims were poachers killed by Army personnel in self-defense.[4] The Army and BNP officials have played an active role in obstructing criminal accountability by pressuring the families of the victims to withdraw criminal complaints. This case highlights weaknesses in the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act which permits the use of firearms in situations where there is no immediate threat to life.[5] These three murders were reported to WWF however, WWF abandoned the proposal to conduct human rights training for BNP employees because of the political context at the time.[6]

Torture: 

The Nepali Army and BNP authorities torture Indigenous Peoples for entering the park. Many Sonaha men were detained for violating park rules, some were released after paying fines however, some Sonaha have died whilst in custody.[7] As of 2018, armed guards continue to beat and verbally abuse Indigenous Peoples, seize their fishing equipment, and arbitrarily arrest and fine them if they find them conducting traditional practice inside BNP, cutting grass, or fishing.[1]
 

The Ogieks have been uncertain about the enjoyment and fulfillment of their rights and freedoms. They have been rendered squatters, and their rights to self-determination and development are violated. They are always on the verge of imminent eviction or moving from one forum to another, including international and regional human rights mechanisms seeking to assert their rights to access and reclaim Mau Forest. Through the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and Conservation NGOs, the government of Kenya has encouraged the Ogiek to accept and join Participatory Forest Management Plans (PFMP). Although the Ogiek are not opposed to such initiatives, they have not lost focus of their entitlement to regain the Mau Forest as their rightful possession.  When the Mau Forest was gazetted as a National Forest in 1974, the Ogiek were evicted from their traditional habitat without prior consultation or compensation.  They were prevented from hunting or collecting bee honey for survival in the forest and were reduced to a miserable subsistence on the margins of this area rich in plants and wildlife.  Illegal logging, the introduction of exotic plantations and the excision of parts of the forest for private development by outside settlers have endangered the Mau Forest as a water catchment area. Since then, Ogiek were repeatedly and violently evicted from their lands, their houses burnt. In 2017, the Ogiek won a landmark court case against Kenya at the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights   which should have enabled them to remain on their original lands.  However to date, the Kenyan government refused to act.  In addition, in July 2020, 600 Ogiek were evicted from their lands in breach of the 2017 judgment in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. Ogiek houses, structures, and fences were demolished or burned to the ground and some members of the community were injured.

The "fortress" conservation model, exemplified by the REGROW project in Tanzania's RUNAPA, MINAPA, and NNP parks, has led to local communities losing land access. Focusing on RUNAPA, the government's ruthless park expansion plan, announced in October 2022, targets evictions affecting thousands of people from five villages and 47 sub-villages. The government claims the 2008 decision (GN 28) encompassed these areas, which needs to be clarified as the villages are legally registered, lack free, prior, and informed consent, and have generations-long residency. In response, 852 smallholder farmers filed a case to stop the evictions. The uncertainty has impacted daily life, with unplanted fields and halted construction, while education suffers due to the looming eviction threat. Minister Mabula's additional land use plans and potential eviction threats to 15 more villages compound the immense impact on communities living in fear.https://www.oaklandinstitute.org/sites/oaklandinstitute.org/files/unaccountable_complicit.pdf

Incidents in 2021, including the shooting of a fisherman and two herders, triggered calls for investigations. A report by Chama Cha Wafugaji Tanzania (CCWT) documented these and additional murders allegedly committed by RUNAPA rangers since 2017. Shockingly, women in Luhanga, Vikaye, and Mwanawala villages reported rapes by RUNAPA rangers, highlighting a distressing pattern of unreported crimes. In May 2023, TANAPA rangers' helicopter attack on herders in Mwanawala prompted parliamentary attention and an official visit, marked by threats to villagers if they spoke to the media.https://www.oaklandinstitute.org/sites/oaklandinstitute.org/files/unaccountable_complicit.pdf

In the Mbarali District, a key eviction target, livestock keeping is a crucial livelihood. Cattle seizures, documented in other Tanzanian protected areas, aim to coerce pastoralists to abandon their land. In September 2022, officials claimed herders invaded the Ihefu valley in RUNAPA, leading to a large-scale operation. RUNAPA's Assistant Conservation Commissioner admitted capturing 12,758 cattle, generating over TSh1.2 billion. Pastoralists report cruelty during seizures, echoing similar actions between 2006 and 2007.https://www.oaklandinstitute.org/sites/oaklandinstitute.org/files/unaccountable_complicit.pdf

Notable incidents include the seizure of 3,492 cattle in September 2022 and the auction of 172 cattle in November 2022, despite a court injunction. Subsequent seizures and auctions further exemplify the financial strain imposed on herders, exacerbating the impact on their lives and livelihoods.https://www.oaklandinstitute.org/sites/oaklandinstitute.org/files/unaccountable_complicit.pdf

Operation Save Kilombero Valley reveals a distressing narrative of forceful tactics deployed against Indigenous People, particularly Sukuma, Maasai, and Barabaig pastoralists, who confronted threats and eviction from their ancestral lands in the Kilombero and Ulanga districts. The government justified these evictions by alleging that the pastoralists' livestock had negatively impacted the wetlands and water sources. By 2012, around 2,000 people were displaced, while seven pastoralists lost their lives in the face of violence, exposing the severe human rights violations endured by these marginalized communities. With a budget of USD 63,633, the operation, deemed successful, involved forcibly removing 280,800 cattle, subjecting them to fees and auctions, and inflicting financial burdens on the affected communities through inflated transport costs, roadblocks, and extortion fees.https://www.iwgia.org/images/publications/0727_Report_23_Tanzania_for_eb.pdf

On 17 March 2012, resulting in five fatalities and allegations of murder, corruption, and theft by the perpetrators, yet no arrests have been made. Additionally, on 12 November 2012, three unarmed brothers were shot by police in Kilombero District, with one fatality. On 31 January 2013, an unarmed pastoralist was shot and killed in Ulanga District, highlighting a disturbing pattern of violence and a lack of accountability that has left the affected community living in fear without access to justice or protection.https://www.iwgia.org/images/publications/0727_Report_23_Tanzania_for_eb.pdf