The Renewable Energy Access for Livelihoods in Fragile Buffer Zones (REALiZe) project was designed to address livelihood,  water management,  biodiversity conservation,  sustainable financial mechanisms,  the value chain of NTFP, as well as livestock and employment creation through the use of renewable energy in the Northern buffer zone of Banke and Bardia National Park. The project covered the Bheriganga Municipality of Surkhet District and the Kalimati Rural Municipality of Salyan District. The Project targeted 8378 beneficiaries, including school students, members of community forest user groups  (CFUGs), buffer zone NTFP dwellers, cooperative members, single women, and marginal households.  

The project developed a curriculum for lower secondary grades in the targeted project sites, which increased knowledge on biodiversity, NTFPs and MAPs, forest, and climate change among the students. The project also promoted cleaner energy through the training of local ICS technicians and supporting the construction of ICS units. The availability of clean drinking water with multiple utility mechanisms using alternative energy was promoted at the project sites. REALiZE increased healthy small-ruminant (goat) production and improved breeds. The project also improved the livelihood of buffer zone people through promotion of NTFP and MAPs, their cultivation, production, value addition, and market linkage activities. The major objective of the project was to: 

• Enable the livelihoods of poor people living in northern Bardia and Banke National Park Buffer Zones.
• Generate sustainable, renewable energy to enhance the income of vulnerable communities.
• Conserve the fragile forest landscape and strengthen their voice in decision-making.