Effectiveness of protected area revenue-sharing program: Lessons from the key informants of Nepal's buffer zone program.

Finding appropriate mechanism of sharing protected area (PA) benefit with local communities is a critical policy question in biodiversity conservation. The Buffer Zone (BZ) program, practiced in several countries, involves placing partial restrictions on land use in peripherical areas while sharing a portion of PA revenue with the communities therein. However, the effectiveness of this program in promoting conservation and development is unknown.