Sunshine Coast, QLD, Australia October Edwin Cedamon (presenter) Ian Nuberg University of Adelaide

Transcription

1 1 Making community forest management active and equitable: conceptual framework and lessons from Nepal mid-hills IUFRO Small-scale Forestry Conference Sunshine Coast, QLD, Australia October 2015 Edwin Cedamon (presenter) Ian Nuberg University of Adelaide Govinda Paudel Naya Sharma Paudel ForestAction Nepal Krishna Shrestha Hemant Ojha University of NSW

2 2 Presentation overview Paper aim: present a conceptual framework for active and equitable community forest management and suggests pathways to achieve this in Nepal mid-hills 1. Context of active and equitable community forest management 2. Conceptual framework a) Reasons for passive and inequitable community forest management b) Pathways for active and equitable forest management 4. Concluding comments

3 3 Pathways for active and equitable CFM CHAPANI Community Forest User Group, Kavre District Establishing silviculture demonstration plots on community forests through participatory action research Developing working models of market responsive institution Piloting inclusive forest management planning

4 4 Environmental degradation Millennium development goals 1. CONTEXT forest rehabilitation food security Paradigm shift in FM from state-centred to people controlled FM through policies and institutional arrangements -CF participatory forest management silviculture practice + CFEs Forest peoples have done reforestation protected forest sustainably used forest forest people remained poor

5 5 1. CONTEXT Nepal community forestry context CF in Nepal is successful in forest protection but improving livelihood and food security through community forestry remained a challenge Reason: CF management is inactive and inequitable

6 6 2. Conceptual Framework What is active CFM? What is equitable Active forest management = hybrid approach of forest harvesting practices and silviculture treatments which are scientifically informed and locally accepted to meet ecological, socio-cultural and economic goals Equity = fairness (procedural and distributional) Equal opportunity Merit-based compensation Priority to the poor active & equitable CFM = silviculture + market + inclusive planning + policy food security

7 7 Forest Policy 2015 and legal and regulatory framework Forest bureaucracy and regional market 2. Conceptual Framework available resource defines level of forestry planning Planning and management process at community level Quality, quantity and diversity of forest products and services defines marketable products defines silviculture practice Market and value-adding activities sets scale of timber enterprise defines enterprise sustainability Local planning and governance processes management plan determines silviculture operations ACTIVE AND EQUITABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT involves Inclusion of local knowledge on forest use and science-based silviculture practice Improving forestry value chain and markets Inclusive forest planning IMPROVED LIVELIHOOD AND FOOD SECURITY Social and economic diversity of households having differential forest needs and abilities allocates labour alleviates poverty

8 9 2. Conceptual Framework Methodology Participatory Action Research Silviculture demonstration and trials plots (6 research sites in Kavre and Lamjung Districts (satellite districts: Sindupalchowk and Kaski) CF Operational plan revisions Trialling innovations for market-responsive institutions Data collection methods Key informant interviews Field observation/journals (ethnography) Focus group discussions Archival of records Literature review (including grey literature) Tree measurements

9 10 2. Conceptual Framework Map of Nepal showing the districts and village development committees where EnLiFT Project is being implemented

10 12 Reasons for inactive and inequitable forest management Strong conservation and forest protection ethos in Nepal Complex regulatory requirements for forest products harvest and marketing Lack of silviculture skills Poor timber value chain and lack of entrepreneurial skills of CFUGs Elite capture, local politics and social discrimination

11 13 Reasons for inactive and inequitable forest management Conservation and forest protection ethos in Nepal Manifestations of conservative ethos subsistence-based timber harvest annual allowable cut 50% of the annual growth (grossly underestimated) lack of forestry-based enterprises

12 14 Reasons for inactive and inequitable forest management Complex regulatory requirements for forest products harvest and marketing Preparatory steps 1. Prepare demand for internal use 2. Fix collection amount (for a year) 3. Verify yearly amount with OP 4. Approval from general assembly 5. Update Ilaka office about harvest plan 6. Identification of blocks, species and trees for felling. Marking, felling and collection 1. Tree marking 2. Onsite marking inspection 3. Issuance of collection permit 4. Felling/logging and measurement 5. Grading of the logs 6. Transport permits to depot 7. Inspection by Ilaka forest office 8. Onsite inspection 9. Final inspection Sale 1. Internal use as per OP 2. Commercial use (sale 40% to DFPSB) 3. Approval from DFO 4. Fixing of minimum price 5. timber sale through open tender 6. Tender notice in newspaper. 7. Transport permit from DFO Based on 2015 DoF, Forest products sale and distribution guideline

13 15 Reasons for inactive and inequitable forest management Lack of silviculture skills Evidence of lack of silviculture skills Highly stock stand or poor quality trees Lack of proper thinning and pruning Mismatch between available and desired products

14 17 Poor timber value chain and lack of entrepreneurial skills of CFUG Actor DoF, DFO, forest users Value-adding activity Forest identification and grant of CF Output Forest rights DFO, CFUG Reforestation/ forest management Trees, NTFP, envi.services DFO, CFUG, contractors, Harvesting Logs, fuelwood, fodder, grass, MAP DFO, contractors, brokers, sawmillers, furniture maker Transport/processin g/ marketing Logs, sawn timber, veneer, furniture Nepal mid-hills community forestry value chain

15 18 Reasons for inactive and inequitable forest management Elite capture, local politics and social discrimination Rich households dominate CFUGs decision and consequently enjoy most benefits Power-play of rich people and government/non-government officials Low caste and women are not involved in decision making and receive little benefits

16 19 Pathways for active and equitable CFM Developing working models of market responsive institution Piloting inclusive forest management planning Establishing silviculture demonstration plots on community forests through participatory action research

17 20 Pathways for active and equitable CFM Developing working models of market responsive institution Key involvement- Identification of forest products of high market potential and understanding their value chain. Capacity building of CFUGs leaders and local forestry entrepreneurs in marketing and value addition of the products Facilitate development of business plans Understanding the legal/policy challenges,

18 21 Pathways for active and equitable CFM 4. Lessons from Nepal mid-hills Piloting inclusive forest management planning Initiatives: Facilitate the process of renewing operation plans of cooperating CFUGs, and document the procedure involved, the legal challenges and practical hurdles participated in meetings and assemblies of CFUGs to understand how local policy is formulated, and who actually influence the process, and how marginalised communities are excluded/included EnLiFT Policy lab platform for linking science to policy

19 22 Pathways for active and equitable CFM Establishing silviculture demonstration plots on community forests through participatory action research Silviculture trials (preferred treatments by CFUGs: Cedamon, Nuberg et al on process) Shelterwood system 50 mother trees retained per hectare Selection silviculture stocking is allocated to various diameter classes 40cm DBH, > 40 DBH harvested Selection silviculture then converted to timber-fodder forest garden Selection silviculture then converted to timber-map forest garden

20 23 Pathways for active and equitable CFM Establishing silviculture demonstration plots on community forests through participatory action research Selection silviculture stocking guide example (based on BDq)

21 24 Selection silviculture treatment plot Women, men, youth and Foresters planting timber, fuelwood and fodder seedlings

22 25 4. Concluding comments Concluding comments active and equitable community forest management will work in Nepal mid-hills Strong support of forestry officials to scale-out silviculture demonstration to more CFUGs Timber that were harvested from the trial plots are or will be used in rebuilding houses damaged by the recent earthquake Our challenge: to operationalise integration of the silviculture, marketing and planning at the CFUG level

23 26 Enhancing livelihoods and food security from agroforestry and community forestry in Nepal ACIAR FST/2011/ University of Adelaide Many partners University of New South Wales World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF Bogor Indonesia) International Union Conservation of Nature (IUCN-Nepal) Forest Action Nepal Nepal Agroforestry Foundation SEARCH-Nepal Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University Ministry of Forest & Soil Conservation, Division Community Forestry Federation of Community Forest Users of Nepal (FECOFUN)