Abstract: Buffer zones have been used as part of larger integrated conservation development programs to provide the benefits of ecological buffering of protected areas and socioeconomic buffering of neighboring communities. The authors explore the legal and managerial development of buffer zones internationally and with the passage of a conservation amendment in Nepal. A review of Nepal's buffer zone policies and several ongoing projects shows that there are several potential inherent problems. As written, regulations tend to expand the authority of the state by imposing restrictions in populated areas formerly not under control of park officials. Some participatory rights are provided to citizens, but management authority largely remains top down from the standpoint of local users. The authors question whether the managerial and research capacities exist to monitor buffer zones for their effectiveness both for conservation and development purposes and make several recommendations to improve implementation.

Abstract: The network of Tajikistan's protected areas (four nature reserves, 14 national and 18 regional sanctuaries, one national park) is described. The establishment of `Shakhristan state complex nature reserve' and `Sarykamish state complex reserve', and interstate nature complex park on northern slope of the Turkestan ridge is recommended to improve conservation practices for a number of endangered vertebrate animal species in Northern Tajikistan (such as brown bear, snow leopard, wild sheep, and others).

Abstract: Changes in economy and land use are under way in the Indian Transhimalayan region of Ladakh, creating both negative and positive prospects for wildlife conservation in this sparsely populations and previously remote area. New livestock breeds, irrigation developments, farming practices, foreign tourists, and a large military presence are changing the way people view and use the mountainous land that surrounds them. With only 0.3% of the land currently arable, changes in wildlife and natural resource conservation are most apparent on Ladakh's extensive rangelands which are apparently undergoing a redistribution of use associated with social changes and recently introduced animal husbandry and farming practices. International endangered species such as the snow leopard, several wild ungulates, and the black-necked crane provide special incentive for conservation efforts in what are some of the best remaining natural areas in the mountainous regions to the north of the Himalayan crest. The success of newly created protected areas for wildlife conservation in Ladakh rests on an understanding of the effects of various development directions, a commitment to environmentally sensitive development amid the many competing demands on Ladakh's natural resources, conservation laws appropriate to human needs, and a clear recognition that solutions can be neither directly adaptable from other mountainous areas nor even widely applicable across the Himalayan region.