Conclusions and recommendations: "It is obvious that this traditional farming system is in need of in-depth research and development support to help farmers deal with changing frame conditions and new challenges. Like every other farming system in the world, it deserves to be taken seriously by researchers and development workers in agriculture, forestry, conservation etc. Development efforts should be aimed towards modifying and improving the existing shifting cultivation system, rather than trying to convince farmers to replace it. The existing bias against shifting cultivation is not based on any knowledge of the realities on the ground and is unfounded. As a result, they are counterproductive to the conservation and development programme. Farmers? traditional knowledge and views should be taken more seriously in conservation and development efforts. In situations where conventional agriculture and forestry options are not suitable, participatory action research is a good method to develop new, more appropriate, technologies and test local innovations for wider use. Such agricultural and other development efforts should be supported by providing farmers with tenure security. Too often, development efforts are undermined by farmers? fear of losing access and control over land and other natural resources once development projects are implemented and government control increases. Planning and working with farmers needs to happen rapidly and with commitment. Farmers must not feel that the programme is only talk and no action. The most obvious way ahead would be for the WWF Programme to better address the specifi c needs of shifting cultivators, for example through a special programme. Such a programme can perfectly fi t the KCA?s objective of balancing conservation and livelihood goals, and relate to the aspirations of local people as well as the Government of Nepal and other stakeholders. As part of it, some of the following recommendations could be considered: • Document traditional and indigenous knowledge and practices and their importance for biodiversity management, with due care for intellectual property rights and cultural sensitivity; • Strengthen local people?s capacity to innovate and provide support and options that are appropriate and locally acceptable, and • Enhance security of access and tenure of land and other natural resources within the framework provided to the park authorities by national policies"