Other Data Available for Analysis

Other socioeconomic data was available for analysis as well. This data did not improve the statistical fit of the regression models used, so was not included in the final analysis. However, it may still be useful in the future, in more refined analyses.

Road Data

A shapefile showing major roads in Nepal for 1996 is available. It stands to reason that roads would impact the environment. On the one hand, they make it easier to harvest resources. On the other, though, they may cause or indicate prosperity, which might have a positive effect on the environment. At any rate, interpretation of road data is difficult, especially with a district-level (large scale) analysis. Nepal’s topography can be very difficult, and places very near roads might be almost inaccessible. It can take days to travel 20 kilometers in Nepal.

Population Data

Also available (from 1991 and 2001 censuses) are population levels for each district. The average of 1991 and 2001 population levels was the level mapped here.

Other data available include: the number of social networks (e.g., farming communities or women’s groups) in each district, and the number of deaths in each district due to Nepal’s recent civil violence.