Community forestry in a changing context: A perspective from Nepal’s mid-hill

Laudari, Hari Krishna; Sapkota, Lok Mani; Maraseni, Tek; Subedi, Poorneswor; Pariyar, Shiva; Kaini, Tika Raj; Lopchan, Shyam Babu; Weston, Christopher; Volkova, Luba

doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2023.107018

Cited by 6 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 109 publications

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“…This progress has led to improved mobility and leadership capacity-building to hold the key position and delegated responsibility. Some studies from the mid-hill region of Nepal, however, provided a contrasting view that women are underrepresented in the executive commi ee [7]. These variations likely stem from distinct case studies and local socio-economic contexts [45].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This approach recognizes the importance of local communities in the sustainable management of resources such as forests, watersheds, rangelands, and fisheries [4][5][6]. In Nepal, community forests (CF) managed by community forest user groups (CFUGs) has been widely recognized as a global success story in communitybased natural resource management [3,[7][8][9]. CF in Nepal began with the failure of the centralized forest protection system in the late 1970s regarding the development, protection, utilization, and management of forest resources by the communities [10][11][12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since then, community forests programs have been highly successful in restoring degraded land, providing basic forest products, implementing democratic decision-making processes, and improving household livelihoods [3,5,13]. Over the past forty years, community forests have become a focal point of international interest, gaining legal acknowledgment and significant programmatic support from governments worldwide [7]. The program has provided a wide range of socio-economic and environmental benefits, including contributions to biodiversity conservation, strengthening local institutions and empowering local communities, and improving rural livelihoods [12,14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, evaluating the effectiveness of community forests requires a nuanced understanding of stakeholders' perceptions and experiences. While CFUG participation in forest management represents a significant advance in natural resource governance, there is a need for more empirical research to evaluate the performance of CFUGs and to prioritize different aspects of effective community forestry management [7,18]. Understanding the dynamics of community forestry initiatives is essential for promoting sustainable outcomes amidst environmental changes and socio-economic transitions, including shifts from subsistence agrarian livelihoods to market economies, migration, labor shortages, and unplanned development activities [7,23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While CFUG participation in forest management represents a significant advance in natural resource governance, there is a need for more empirical research to evaluate the performance of CFUGs and to prioritize different aspects of effective community forestry management [7,18]. Understanding the dynamics of community forestry initiatives is essential for promoting sustainable outcomes amidst environmental changes and socio-economic transitions, including shifts from subsistence agrarian livelihoods to market economies, migration, labor shortages, and unplanned development activities [7,23]. Therefore, the study aims to address three primary research questions related to evaluating the performance of CFUGs in effectively managing community forests:…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluating Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs)’ Performance in Managing Community Forests: A Case Study in Central Nepal

Dhungana,

Lee,

Khadka

et al. 2024

Sustainability

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The community forests (CF) in Nepal, facilitated by Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs), is widely recognized as an effective model of community-based forest management. Despite this recognition, there is a notable lack of comprehensive studies assessing the performance of CFUGs in sustaining community forests. Addressing this gap, this study examined twenty-two indicators across five performance criteria, such as user group management, forest management, financial management, livelihood management, and collaboration and networking management, within four CFUGs in central Nepal. Data were collected through household surveys (n = 275) and focus group discussions (n = 4), and indicators of performance criteria were assessed using a Likert scale. Reliability was measured using the coefficient of Cronbach’s alpha. ANOVA was employed to compare mean performance criteria across the four CFUGs, providing an evaluative perspective on overall CFUG performance. The findings underscored collaboration and networking management as high performers, showing an index value of 0.71, while user group management exhibited moderate performance with an index value of 0.56, alongside other moderately performing criteria. Noteworthy disparities were evident across the four performance criteria (p < 0.01), with the exception of collaboration and network management. Approximately 55% of the indicators were rated low to moderate, revealing CFUGs’ deficiencies in regular functions, limited uptake of adaptive and market-oriented management practices, minimal contributions to biodiversity conservation, insufficient capacity for forest revenue generation and mobilization, and restricted income generation and benefit-sharing with communities. The absence of timely and pertinent actions further stifled interaction between CFUGs and community forests, undermining the potential for revenue generation, job creation, and collective actions essential for productive community forest management. Prioritization of the indicators based on the performance index value offers critical policy direction to ensure CFUG sustainability and augment participatory management of common pool resources. Strategies to address identified weaknesses and build on strengths are essential for the success of Nepal’s community forests.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%