Community forestry in nepal an overview the community forestry program in nepal encompasses a set of policy and institutional innovations that empower local communities to manage forests for livelihoods, while also enhancing conservation benefits. Federation of community forestry users nepal fecofun. I am very impressed with the commitment and cooperation of the swiss in being innovative and consistent in their long term vision and support, which the forestry sector needed. Ecosystem services from communitybased forestry in nepal cifor. Silviculture division, department of forest, kathmandu, nepal. The community forestry program in nepal has been a successful model for. Mergers and acquisitions in nepalese banking sector presently, the nepalese banking sector is facing a huge problem and is in critical juncture. Current status of community forestry in nepal by keshav raj kanel, ph. Opportunities and challenges for community forestry. Introduction this study examines the contribution of leasehold forestry lhf, an innovative forestry management program, to household welfare in nepal. The welfare impacts of leasehold forestry in nepal the welfare impacts of leasehold forestry in nepal 1. Over the past three decades, the program has undergone a tremendous shift. Nepal s community forestry program is a sustainable forest management and livelihood enhancement program reformed from earlier programs of the previo the governments initial policy was to provide the basic forest resources to local communities through their active participation in forest improvement and management. The adoption of regular silvicultural treatments has increased the availability of forest products.
Forest and farm facility fff, producer organisations, green economy, briefing stakeholder policy pointers nepal needs to develop an enabling policy, institutional and legislative environment to increase private sector involvement and investment in forestry business. Status, issues and lessons learned article pdf available in international journal of sciences 6march 2017 03. Nepal has been implementing cbfm approach for the forest through differently named programs since 1976, with the formulation of national forestry plan, 1976. Indigenous forest management systems combine tradi tional authority and selfregulation in order to organise informal institutions. Nepals experience illustrates the widespread ramifications of a community forestry program. Around the chitwan national park in southern nepal, forests are supporting the emergence of a host of sustainable local businesses.
It explores the obstacles to entering and succeeding in this male. Concept of participatory forestry emerged 1978 some form of forest management rights deconcentrated to local political bodies 1991 onward. Community forestry in nepal indiaenvironmentportal. To link to the entire object, paste this link in email, im or document to embed the entire object, paste this html in website to link to this page, paste this link in email, im or document. This article asks why there are relatively few women at the institute of forestry iof and in the field of forestry in nepal. Ghan shyam pandey coordinator, gacf chairman, green foundation nepal email. Community forestry in india and nepal alarmed by massive loss of forest cover, and under pressure from environmentalists, the governments of india and nepal began to decentralize forest management in the late 1980s. Handing over of accessible forest areas as community forests to the forest user groups for management and utilization of forest resources.
They address the general implementation practices relevant to community forestry, leaving detailed technical aspects to be covered by technical guidelines and toolboxes. The concept behind is that peoples access to the forest and their involvement in decision making directly affects distribution of goods and benefits and, therefore, their livelihoods. Biomass, carbon stock, growing stock, soil organic carbon, forest cover, forest products and benefit from forest resource had increased due to community forestry management. The cycle is well known not only to the farmers themselves but to foresters, planners and policy makers. It can be concluded that community forestry management had a great role in biodiversity conservation in nepal. Poster published in first national silviculture workshop 1921 february 2017. Community forestry in nepal has been initially started for meeting the peoples basic needs and checking the rate of deforestation barlett, 1992. To date, 19,361 community forestry user groups cfugs have been formed of which are composed of 1072 women only committee members. Equity and livelihoods in nepals community forestry ambika p. Subsequent series of legislative restructuring and refor. Community forestry department of forests and soil conservation. Community participation in nepal 193 17 community participation in forest resource management in nepal keshav l. Dec, 2017 the center for international forestry research cifor and local partner forestaction nepal, a kathmandubased forestry research institution, are conducting research on the benefits and challenges to these businesses. Context problem statement millions of people depend for their livelihoods on the terai forests in the southern plains of nepal, which are also an important source of national income.
It has attracted international attention because in nepal, decentralization is linked with emerging. Particular attention is paid to the evolution of community forestry in nepal from first protecting local forests and forest products for subsistence needs, to an increased role in income generation and meeting national development goals, including poverty alleviation. Decentralized forest governance ganga ram dahal and apsara chapagain nepals community forestry has become an example of progressive legislation and policies in the decentralization of forest management. The community forestry program in nepal encompasses a set of policy and institutional innovations that empower local communities to manage forests for livelihoods, while also enhancing conservation benefits. The program encompasses a set of policy and instrumental innovations that were especially designed to empower the local livelihoods through the proper management and utilization of forest products. A participatory action research approach was developed to reflect and combine the. Looking back over more than twenty years of project experience in community forestry itself grounded on an integrated.
Gender mainstreaming in national forest policy in nepal. In order to understand the context and particular designs and objectives of nepals community forestry program, key literature. When the community forestry scheme began in 1988 it had the aim of meeting basic subsistence needs while protecting forestland. The program was launched in the mid 1970s as part of an effort to curb the widely perceived. Sudeep jana appointed as a member of the iccas territories of life territories and area. Forest management and evolution of community forestry cf in nepal anil shresth phd asia forest research centre faculty of forestry ubc. During these two decades, the implementation of the program. In november 2004, the first cf agreements were signed between the minister and the communities. Need of better governance 45 transferring government owned forestland to local communities for protection, development, and utilization purposes mahat, 1997. Forest management and evolution of community forestry cf in. This paper provides brief introduction to the forest and community forest in nepal and context and status of community forest in nepal. The directorate of forestry dof is currently in the process of declaring and developing community forests cfs in a total of 29 sites in seven regions covering a total of 1. This forest area refers to trees on private agricultural andor forest land.
The challenges of community participation in forest. Hundreds of more precise definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing and ecological function. Communitybased forestry cbf is now a popular approach for landscape restoration, forest management, biodiversity conservation and support for rural. Policy, act, rules, regulations and guidelines related to the dof. Institute of forestry, tribhuvan university, nepal. Nepal s community forestry is considered as one of the popular model of decentralization in natural resource management. Growing businesses in tourism, allnatural products and timber sales are popping up across the forest landscape, boosting local incomes, especially for women, while encouraging sustainable forest management. Notes on forest and types of forest found in nepal extra. To link to the entire object, paste this link in email, im or document to embed the entire object, paste this html in website to link to this page, paste this link in email, im or document to embed this page, paste this html in website.
Forest management and evolution of community forestry cf. Community forest management in the middle hills of nepal. The master plan for the forestry sector, 1989 is considered as a basic policy document. Forestry in nepal all about forestry course in nepal as we all know that the day by day growth of population and pollution has been suffering human beings as well as other wild animals which have created a need of education which directly deals with natural resources like forests, rivers, lakes, wet land etc by giving student the proper. The master plan for the forestry sector mpfs in nepal was prepared during 1986 88 and was approved by the government in 1989. The effects of the nepal community forestry program on. Community forest community forest means a national forest handed over to an users group pursuant to section 25 for its development, conservation and.
New research shows community forest management reduces. In nepal, cf was started in 1978 with the first amendment in forest act of 1961, in the name of panchayat3 forest and panchayat protected forest. Community forests in nepal are built on the experience of other countries around the world, especially its neighbors in south asia. It incorporates distinct policies, institutions and practices. Forests have been managed by the community as community forest forest act, 1993 and forest regulations, 1995 provided conducive environment to devolve management rights to cfugs.
Forest management practices and issues of protected forest in nepal. When community forestry was being promoted in the hills the major objective was protection of a dwindling, degraded resource. Regenerating forests and livelihoods in nepal food and. Introduction development projects conceived now are rarely expected to have a life of more than. The public finance potential of community forestry in nepal. In tropical america, rich experiences have been accumulated with community forestry support initiatives and this chapter summarizes published and the author s. Community forestry and rural livelihood a case study of forest dependent community. Although there is an extensive literature on nepal s natural resources, there has been insuffi cient analysis of the costs and benefits of present and possible future sustainable and biodiver. The resource base in nepal nepal covers over 1,000 kilometers in a transition zone between the gangetic plain and the high himalaya, lying between india and tibet. Representation and participation in formulating nepals. At that time it was not anticipated that the forests could rejuvenate and provide significant economic returns.
It focuses on two main aspects of the welfare contribution of the lhf program. Nepals policy and development program was based on. The community forestry program in nepal is a global innovation in participatory environmental governance that encompasses welldefined policies, institutions, and practices. In order to understand the context and particular designs and objectives of nepal s community forestry program, key literature on community forestry is summarized. Nepal b ecame the worlds firs t country to enact such ra dical forest. Institutional development of forest user groups in nepal. Community forestry is pursued as rural development strategy in many tropical forest regions worldwide. Now community forestry is one of the dominant forest regimes in nepal. Giving local communities in nepal the opportunity to manage their forests has simultaneously reduced deforestation and poverty in the region, new research has shown. Emerging policy issues on nontimber forest products in nepal among developing nations, nepal has been progressive in conservation initiatives for nearly 4 decades heine and kanel 1992 the country formulated comprehensive legislation for the protection ofboth.
So, in order to cope with this problem nepal rasta bank nrb has directed the banking institutions to go in the process of mergers and acquisitions. Scientific forest management 1 initiatives in nepal 1 background on nepal s forestry sector forestry is an integral part of the rural livelihood of nepal. Sundar community forestry users group, makwanpur distrcit of nepal submitted to asian ngo coalition angoc submitted by global alliance of community forestry gacf gacf secretariat nepal prepared by. The countrys community forestry program is now more than two decades old and has helped regenerate substantial areas of degraded forests. Emerging policy issues on nontimber forest products in nepal. During these two decades, the implementation of the program has not been smooth. Community participation in forest resource management in nepal. Indigenous forest management systems combine tradi tional authority and self regulation in order to organise informal institutions. Nepal is a leader in engaging communities in forest resource protection and management. Policy department of forests and soil conservation.
Nepals cfugs have become crucial institutions for sustainable development, findings show. The federation of community forestry users nepal fecofun is a formal network of forest user groups fugs from all over nepal. Bridging certification and community forestry through ntfps. Naazia ebrahim1, poshendra satyal pravat2, david humphreys3, and jeremy rayner4 date. Special issue get the cifor publications update cifor publishes over 400 publications every year on forests and climate change, landscape restoration, rights, forest policy, agroforestry and much more in multiple languages. Community forestry is defined as a situation, which intimately involves local people in forestry activities fao 1978. The community forestry program in nepal encompasses a set of policy and institutional innovations that empower local communities to manage forests for livelihoods, while also enhancing conservation. Community forests are national forests handed over to. The governments initial policy was to provide the basic forest resources to local communities through their active participation in forest improvement and management. Bridging certification and community forestry through. Community forestry pays off for nepal cifor forests news. Sustainability assessment of community forestry practices. Nepal s forest cover based on management and ownership, nepal s forest has been classified as private forest and national forest. Nepals community forestry has become an example of progressive legislation and policies in the decentralization of forest management.
Opportunities and challenges cfugs can utilize their funds for any purpose, however, 25% of the income must be invested for forest development forestry program has encouraged cfugs to initiate deve. Pdf challenges and experiences of women in the forestry. The program addresses the twin goals of forest conservation and poverty reduction. The two main goals of the community forestry program is to empower local communities whilst encouraging environmental conservation benefits. The latest survey showed that the forest cover is slowly and gradually increasing in nepal a joint fiveyear survey conducted by the department of forest research and survey and the. Sustainability assessment of community forestry practices in. Exploring economic and market dimensions of forestry sector. The community forestry program in nepal is a government effort to reduce forest degradation and to promote sustainable forestry practices as well as to improve the livelihood of the community. Benefits are observed from the adoption of adaptive collaborative management and collective learning and action research in three sampled districts. The status of forest conditions before and after intervention of the forestry projects in community forest in three districts of nepal is examined. The process has a long way to go, but there are signsin nepal and two indian statesthat control by. Public policies have been relatively favourable towards forestbased. The community forestry program in nepal is a global innovation in participatory environmental.
Fecofun federation of community forestry users, nepal. Program on environment eastwest center honolulu, hawaii abstract the modern form of community forestry, developed over the past two decades, has focused mainly on what. The following are the major documents related to the forest policy, act, rules and regulations. Since the enactment of the forest act in 1993, the government of nepal has gradually been handing over parcels of national forest, particularly in the midhills, to local communities based on an agreed forest management plan between the district forest o. Implications for social forestry janet stewart as the deforestation of the slopes of the himalayas continues, the resulting environmental degradation is directly affecting most of the rural population of nepal. As we all know that the day by day growth of population and pollution has been suffering human beings as well as other wild animals which have created a need of education which directly deals with natural resources like forests, rivers, lakes, wet land etc by giving student the proper knowledge of managing such resources. Initiatives in nepal 1 background on nepals forestry sector forestry is an integral part of the rural livelihood of nepal. Deputy director general chief, community forestry division department of forest kathmandu, nepal submitted to regional community forestry training center for asia and the pacific bangkok, thailand. Although there is an extensive literature on nepal s natural resources, there has been insufficient analysis of the costs and benefits of present and possible future sustainable and biodiver. Exploring economic and market dimensions of forestry sector in nepal sindhu prasad dhungana and ram chandra bhattarai livelihoods and forestry programme, nepal patan multiple campustu, nepal corresponding author. Gender mainstreaming in national forest policy in nepal madhu devi ghimire under secretarygender focal point ministry of forests and soil conservation government of nepal november 3, 20 rotorua, new zealand. The community forestry guidelines provided in this document aim to offer practical procedural and operational guidance for the establishment and management of community forests. Women as decision makers in community forest management u a b.
624 633 452 589 1019 774 1351 1613 1115 1139 60 610 584 1304 1496 329 851 1356 777 1560 905 753 1103 1468 1640 690 492 1010 717 213 506 96 16 735 535 869 1363 902 1019 702 1307