Ecosystems Services from Community Forestry: Prospects and Challenges for Improving Local Livelihoods in Nepal

Ecological and Socio-Economic Factors on the Rate of Participation and Sustainable Forest Management

“…Thus, the second hypothesis is accepted. These results are consistent with the existing body of research on forest sustainability and highlight the importance of considering ecological factors in efforts to promote sustainability in forest management (Ojha et al, 2022;Soe and Yeo-Chang, 2019;Wang et al, 2022).…”

“…In addition, the rate of participation of local communities was found to mediate the relationship between ecological, social, and economic factors and the sustainability of forest management. The findings also highlight the primary objectives of social forestry to promote rural livelihoods, reduce poverty, conserve biodiversity, enhance ecosystem services, and facilitate community empowerment (Ojha et al, 2022). It emphasizes the need to design and implement forest management practices that are context-specific, socially inclusive, and environmentally sustainable.…”

“…This research also want to examine the effect of ecological, social and economi factors on the forest sustainability and exploring the mediating role of rate of partcipation of local communities to increase the sustainability level of forest management. The theoretical framework used in this study of social forestry is premised on the idea that the management of forests should integrate the needs and perspectives of local communities, while safeguarding the ecological integrity of the forest ecosystems (Ojha et al, 2022). In other words, social forestry seeks to strike a balance between the socioeconomic interests of forest-dependent communities, and the ecological preservation of the forests on which they rely (Savari et al, 2022).…”

Do Managed Hill Sal (Shorea robusta) Community Forests of Nepal Sequester and Conserve More Carbon than Unmanaged Ones?

“…These forests are either fully or partially managed or unmanaged by the local communities and have great potential to increase the carbon sequestration and mitigate the climate change. Moreover, agroforestry systems practiced within and outside the CFs also store carbon in trees and soil (Dhakal et al, 2022) and provide a range of ecosystems services (ES) that need to be considered in CF management (Ojha et al, 2022).…”

“…Sal forests have been heavily exploited either to generate state revenue or to meet the forest product demand of the everincreasing population (Acharya et al, 2002). Though the role of CFs in improving the livelihoods and ecosystems services have been studied (Dhakal et al, 2022;Ojha et al, 2022), their contribution in terms of carbon sequestration in trees and soil has rarely been reported. Though a few researchers have assessed the carbon stocks for a variety of land-use classes, species, and physiographic regions in CFs, most of them have no records of carbon stocks (Shrestha and Singh, 2008).…”