Ecopolitical Battles at the Tarai Frontier of Nepal: An Emerging Human and Environmental Crisis

Prospects and challenges of tenure and forest governance reform in the context of REDD+ initiatives in Nepal

“…The crisis in forest management, especially in Terai can partly be attributed to unstable politics, vacillating forest policies and poor forest sector governance at the center, and weak local institutions (Ojha, 2008;Satyal, 2006;Baral, 2002). In addition, market accessibility; high opportunity cost of agricultural expansion and associated demand for land in the contexts of food scarcity and emerging regional politics 6 threaten the forest resource base and open for land clearing (Miklian, 2009;Shrestha and Conway, 1996;Brown, 1998).…”

The context of REDD+ in Nepal: Drivers, agents, and institutions

“…Forests of the Terai and Siwalik 2 have experienced overharvesting, illegal logging and conversion into settlements and farmland, and frequent forest fires (DoF 2005). Scholars analysing the historical dynamics of forest conservation, migration and agricultural expansion in Terai have highlighted the eco-political complexity indicating plural and intertwined drivers of deforestation (Ghimire 1992, Shrestha and Conway 1996, Brown 1998, Ojha 2008, Sinha 2011. While a large part of the Terai forests is officially under government control, most of these forests are subject to poor governance, and in many cases are managed as open access (Schoubroeck and Karna 2003).…”

“…The socio-ecological dynamics in and around forestland in Terai are affected by the region's large contiguous sal forest, which has easy access to markets; the high opportunity cost of agricultural expansion; high population density; social and cultural heterogeneity between hill migrants and the local Madhesi people; increasing demands for regional autonomy; and competing demands for land in the context of growing poverty and food scarcity (Shrestha and Conway 1996, Brown 1998, Baral and Subedi 1999, Conway et al 2000, Miklian 2009). The persistent struggle by landless poor people (sukumbasi) for access to forest land is deeply embedded in a political economy of poverty, migration and populist electoral politics and has posed a major challenge for sustainable forest management.…”

“…The government's resettlement programme for hill people resulted in massive migration to the Terai during the 1970s and 1980s (Gurung 1989). The construction of a national highway through the heart of the forest and the growth of dense migrant settlements along the highway resulted in massive deforestation (Shrestha and Conway 1996). This was followed by illegal logging, timber smuggling and encroachment during periods of political instability, uncertainty and transition (Sinha 2011).…”

“…Most recent government policy decisions have been contested and challenged by CSOs, particularly FECOFUN-including expansion of protected areas, the President Churia Conservation Programme, proposed amendments to the Forest Act of 1993, and revisions to timber pricing. Reports by a number of government commissions and independent scholarly studies have highlighted several challenges for the state institutions and have cast doubts on their capacity to deal with the complex drivers of deforestation, especially in Terai (Shrestha and Conway 1996, Ojha 2008, Sinha 2011). This may seriously undermine the implementation of REDD+.…”