A watershed conservation success story in Nepal: Land use changes over 30 years

Abstract

In the middle hill region of west central Nepal in 1977, a quarter of a 113 km2 watershed experienced erosion rates exceeding 30 Mt/ha/yr due to high rainfall intensities, unstable soils, steep slopes and severe overgrazing. This increasing land degradation coupled with indiscriminate forest harvesting threatened the survival of forests and viable pasture lands. However, an innovative national government policy of handing over forest management to local people was put in place over the next three decades, resulting in conversion of nearly all the eroded grazing and shrub land to managed pasture and forest, a five-fold increase in grass and fodder and a near-doubling of forest productivity. While 43% of project costs were spent on user group formation and vegetative restoration, this provided most of the social, environmental and economic benefits. Structural measures, such as check dams and channel control were the most costly (57%) but provided the least livelihood and economic benefits. Interviews in 2006 with farmers and forest users in the watershed added complementary anecdotal evidence that a community's environmental education, coupled with increased control over their local pasture and forest, provided valuable incentives for success in sustainable resource management.

Does outmigration lead to land degradation? Labour shortage and land management in a western Nepal watershed

“…The estimated number of livestock within the watershed was one per inhabitant (W. M. Fleming, 1985). The Department of Soil Conservation andWatershed Management intervened (1975e1995), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations prepared a study for a new basin management programme (1977e1978) (Awasthi, Sitaula, Singh, & Bajacharaya, 2002;B. Fleming & Fleming, 2009;W.…”

Development of Monsoonal Rainfall Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) Relationship and Empirical Model for Data-Scarce Situations: The Case of the Central-Western Hills (Panchase Region) of Nepal

“…In order to evaluate the rainfall variability and to establish the IDF relationship of the region, the historical rainfall data of 11 weather stations were collected from the DHM (Table 1). The region is one of the most studied areas in the country [48][49][50][51][52][53] due to the importance of Phewa Lake that promotes economic activities and biodiversity. However, the study of rainfall patterns, their intensity and impact have not been properly addressed yet.…”

Water matters: An assessment of opinion on water management and community engagement in the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom

“…Local communities are key stakeholders in the arena of water management and the role of public participation in catchment management is recognised as an important component in delivering water-related outcomes [19, 20]. However, effectively engaging communities to produce productive outcomes is no simple task.…”