A Paradigm Shift in Community Forest Management in Nepal

Transcription

1 A Paradigm Shift in Community Forest Management in Nepal IFA conference on Tropical Forestry: Innovation and Change in the Asia Pacific Region August 2017, Cairns, Australia. Shankar Adhikari

2 Outline Context Changing Paradigm Feudal regime State centred management Participatory community Forest Policies and programs Further area of intervention

3 Background : Physiographic Regions Nepal map and Forest Types China Total Forest area out of total area IFA conference on Tropical Forestry: Innovation and Change in the Asia Pacific India

4 Background: Broad Forest Types

5 Background Community forestry: A participatory approach for forest protection and management in Nepal. Community Forest (CF): Forest collectively protected, managed and utilized by local villagers who have organised themselves into community forest user groups (CFUG) CFUG: Legal and autonomous bodies having power, authority and responsibility to protect, manage and utilise forest resources as per approved constitutions and operational plans. 19,361 CFUGs managing 1.8 million ha forest (30 % of total forest area) as community Forest with the involvement of 2.4 million household throughout the country. (DoF, 2017)

6 CF Hand Over Trend Status of CF : number and then chart Paradigm Graph: Each slide on particular part of the paradigm Conclusion Source: R.K Rimal

7 Changing Paradigms 1990s 2000s onward (Resilience)

8 Prior to 1957 Small population but abundant forest resources in many places. Conversion of forest land to farmland. Almost one third of the forest was distributed to individuals as rewards and managed as privately owned forest.

9 : State centred Forest Management Policies and Practices Private Forest Nationalisation Act 1957 IFA conference on Tropical Forestry: Innovation and Change in the Asia Pacific To bring back privately owned forest under state control. Led to controversy and ignited debates regarding its role in deforestation. Forest Act 1961 and the Forest Protection (Special Arrangement) Act 1967 : emphasis on forest conservation through government regulation, control and prohibition of local use. Forest Department was given power to enforce the legislations. Widespread deforestation in vast accessible areas.

10 Theory of Himalayan Degradation Abounded during the 1970s. IFA conference on Tropical Forestry: Innovation and Change in the Asia Pacific Projections of the total loss of Nepal s forests by the end of the twentieth century, unless immediate actions were taken Prompted donor agencies to recommend large-scale plantations to address the perceived problem. Enough impetus for further legislation, enabling greater community involvement in forest management. highest deforestation worldwide- 4.1% per year (WRI)

11 : Beginning of Participatory Community Forest Policy National forestry plan 1976 Amendment of Forest Act (1961) in 1977 to define new categories of forests to be managed by local communities. Panchayat Forest (PF) Rules and the Panchayat Protected Forest (PPF) rules 1978 : village panchayats (council) to manage barren or degraded lands for forest production. Government appreciated that forests cannot be managed without the cooperation and collaboration with local communities. But success of the partnership between the Forest Department and the panchayats was very low.

12 : Participatory Community Forest Policy Limitations of the panchayat Forest Rules Panchayats were often large (geographically and in terms of population) Tended to be dominated by the traditional elite in rural society. Local people who are traditionally using the particular patch of forest were not primarily included in forest management. Concept of forest users : those local people who traditionally used a particular patch of forest.

13 Master plan for the Forestry Sector 1989 Turning points in the history of the Community Forestry. Reflected the earliest experiences with community/participatory forestry during the 1980s Community Forestry as a major program Transfer of forest access and management rights to local communities including all benefits going to local communities. FUGs as the appropriate local management bodies Operational forest management plan by communities as a prerequisite to handing over forests for their use. Retraining the entire forestry staff for their new roles as advisors and extension workers.

14 1990s: Supportive Forest Act/Regulations Forest Act 1993 : clear legal basis for community forestry, enabling the government to hand over identified areas of forest to CFUGs. Forest Regulations 1995: The detailed procedures on implementation of CF Main Features: Community forest was given the highest priority The land legally remains as part of the state. Far-reaching and innovative genuinely evolved out of an extensive field-based and iterative process of action learning. First generation management issues: Management plan, implementation, Conservation, protection, subsistence living. Implementation through District Forest offices Federation of Community Forests Users Nepal (FECOFUN)

15 2000s : Nepal as a Country of Community Forests Merits: Restored degraded forest land (Midhill) Increased biodiversity Increased supply of forest products Empowered women, poor and the disadvantaged group Promoted income generation and community development activities Improved Livelihood, governance, grassroots democracy. Overall increased in Forest area Limitations More of Protection/Conservation Oriented limited quality and forest productivity Not much successful in Lowland and high mountain, as in Mid-hill region Namdu, Nepal 2005

16 2010s Forestry for Prosperity Forestry for Prosperity Vision 2030 Forest Policy Forestry Sector Strategy : Sustainable management of forest ecosystems, biodiversity and watersheds fully optimized for national prosperity. Good Governance Thrust: Forest Quality and productivity enhancement, and contribute to overall national prosperity. Enabling Environment

17 Sustainable Forest Management in Community Forest Silviculture System Based Sustainable Forest Management. Production oriented Intensive Forest Management through Scientific Forest management. Scientific Forest Management Guideline 2014 Some 400 CFUGs practicing intensive SFM, managing around 80,000 ha forests areas.

18 Region August 2017, Cairns, Australia. Production oriented Scientific Forest management

19 Further Area of Intervention Community Forest policy and practices in line with the recent federal restructuring of the country. Private sector engagement in forest management. Silviculture treatment and appropriate silviculture system based sustainable forest management. Forest quality and productivity enhancement. Forest based enterprises, Ecotourism, and livelihood. Promote/manage range of forest ecosystem services and explore the CF as viable means to tackle the contemporary environmental problems including climate change Overall contribution to national prosperity

20