In Nepal, high demand for a fern found deep in the jungles is driving human-tiger conflict

Tightly coiled fern plants with a distinctive appearance emerge amid the sal tree undergrowth as the monsoon rains fall on Nepal’s fertile floodplains.

Due to its resemblance to the violin scroll, the plant is known as the “fiddle-head fern,” locally called niuro.

Soon, the fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) will travel to different parts of the nation, including Kathmandu, where it will be savored with staple rice and lentils.

Beneath this unassuming vegetable, however, is a tale of complex relationships between people and wildlife, survival and the harsh realities of tigerland life in Nepal.

Niuro is commonly pickled or boiled with potatoes. For the people of Kathmandu, once the market is overflowing with it, it’s just another vegetable. However, niuro is a means of subsistence for those residing in the Terai, particularly landless people who live close to national parks like Chitwan and Bardiya, as it can be sold for a good price and support families.

“It is a delicacy as well as a source of income for the people of the lowlands,” says Birendra Mahato, director at the Tharu Cultural Museum and Research Center in Sauraha, near Chitwan National Park. “People risk their lives to go into the jungle to fetch the plant.”

In protected areas such as Chitwan National Park, it is illegal to...

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