Management of the Forested Catchments of Nepal's Mid-hills Amid Mismatched Perceptions of Forest–Water Relationships: Challenges and Opportunities

Badu, Manoj; Nuberg, Ian; Cedamon, Edwin; Sharma, Subodh

doi:10.1659/mrd-journal-d-18-00023.1

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 116 publications

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“…Tilahar CF is found dominated by Schima wallichhi and Satipatal CF by S. Robusta. The existence of Castanipsis-Schima dominance at this altitude is similar to the findings byBadu, Nuberg, Cedamon, & Sharma, (2019) at an elevation of 1000 to 3000 m a.s.l. In Deurali community forest, all species are found to be in good regeneration status.…”

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confidence: 90%

Greenwood regeneration status in community forests of Chiti Lamjung Nepal

et al. 2023

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Forest regeneration is the process by which new tree seedlings become entrenched after forest trees have been harvested or destroyed by fire, insects, or diseases. The process is key to sustainable forestry and can be accomplished through natural regeneration, which occurs when new seedlings or sprouts are produced by trees left on or near the site. The study is to calculate the regeneration status of the tree species in community-managed forests. The sampling points were generated by using the random table. The sample quadrate size was taken 20m×20m for a tree, 5m×5m for a sapling, and 1m×1m for the seedling. In five community forests, altogether 30 quadrates were taken for a tree, 60 nested quadrates were taken for a sapling and 120 nested quadrates were taken for a seedling. The tree layer, sapling layer and seedling layer were differentiated by taking reference tothe Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) class. An individual having DBH ≥ 5cm is considered a tree, an individual having DBH value between 1cm to < 5cm is considered a sapling, and individuals having 1cm to < 5cm DBH are considered as a seedling. The DBH distribution curve was obtained by plotting diameter class in x- axis and density on y- axis. All studied community forests are mixed forest dominated by tree species Castanopsis indica, Diospyros embryopteris (Diospyros malabarica), Shorea robusta, and Schima wallichii (Schima wallichii choisy). The regeneration potential of the Tilahar community forest(CF) is found high despite high grazing and other human intervention. The DBH class distribution curve of tree species is found as inverse J-shape, indicating that the overall forest has a sustainable regeneration.

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confidence: 90%

Greenwood regeneration status in community forests of Chiti Lamjung Nepal

et al. 2023

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“…Exotic species (e.g. pines) should be avoided in restoration due to their high water use than native species [83,84].…”

Section: Implications Of Greening Up: Opportunities and Risks Of Gree...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Community forestry dominates the recent land greening amid climate change in Nepal

Gao,

Wang,

Hao

et al. 2023

Environ. Res. Lett.

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The Himalaya Plateau including Nepal is ‘greening up’ that has important implications to ecosystem services such as water supply, carbon sequestration, and local livelihoods. Understanding the combined causes behind greening is critical for effective policy makings in forest management and climate change adaptation towards achieving sustainable development goals. This national scale study comprehensively examined the natural and anthropogenic drivers of the long-term trend of vegetation dynamics across Nepal by correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis. We integrated multiple sources of data including global satellite-based leaf area index (LAI), climate data, landcover data, and forest land management information. Our study reveals a remarkable annual mean LAI increase of 22% (0.009 m2 m−2 yr−1) (p < 0.05) from 1982 to 2020, with an acceleration in the rate of increase to 0.016 m2 m−2 yr−1 (p < 0.05) after 2004. The community forestry (CF) program, forest area changes, and soil moisture availability accounted for 40%, 12%, and 10% of LAI temporal variability, respectively. Our analysis found soil moisture and forest area changes to be the primary drivers of the greening trend before 2004, while CF and forest expansion were the dominant factors thereafter. Additionally, interannual vegetation dynamics were significantly influenced by winter precipitation, incoming solar radiation, and pre-monsoon soil moisture. The projections based on four Earth System Models from Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 suggest that Nepal’s greening trend is expected to continue at a rate of 0.009 m2 m−2 yr−1 (p < 0.05) throughout the 21st century. We conclude that forest management program (CF) amid climate change that alters water and energy conditions have enhanced land greening, posing both opportunities and risks to ecosystem services in Nepal. This study provides much needed national-level information for developing forest management policies and designing Nature-based Solutions to respond to climate change and increasing demands for ecosystem services in Nepal.

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“…These mostly relate to impacts on streamflow parameters, but there are also many misconceptions about the relationships between forests and water [ 100 ]. These misconceptions frequently find their way into public discourse and policy, most notably that restoring forests leads to an increase in stream flow [ 101 ]. Forests have deeper roots and higher leaf area index than other vegetation types and hence have higher rates of evapotranspiration.…”

Section: Essential Science Advancesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some remaining knowledge gaps are due to complexities and dynamic interactions among soil, biological and hydrological systems and the difficulties of quantifying the impact of restoration on hydrological outcomes under different site conditions [ 109 ]. There are also substantial knowledge gaps in the socio-economic consequences of unintended changes in water yields to local and downstream communities [ 101 , 106 ].…”

Section: Essential Science Advancesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fifteen essential science advances needed for effective restoration of the world's forest landscapes

Marshall

Waite

Pfeifer

et al. 2022

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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There has never been a more pressing and opportune time for science and practice to collaborate towards restoration of the world's forests. Multiple uncertainties remain for achieving successful, long-term forest landscape restoration (FLR). In this article, we use expert knowledge and literature review to identify knowledge gaps that need closing to advance restoration practice, as an introduction to a landmark theme issue on FLR and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Aligned with an Adaptive Management Cycle for FLR, we identify 15 essential science advances required to facilitate FLR success for nature and people. They highlight that the greatest science challenges lie in the conceptualization, planning and assessment stages of restoration, which require an evidence base for why, where and how to restore, at realistic scales. FLR and underlying sciences are complex, requiring spatially explicit approaches across disciplines and sectors, considering multiple objectives, drivers and trade-offs critical for decision-making and financing. The developing tropics are a priority region, where scientists must work with stakeholders across the Adaptive Management Cycle. Clearly communicated scientific evidence for action at the outset of restoration planning will enable donors, decision makers and implementers to develop informed objectives, realistic targets and processes for accountability. This article paves the way for 19 further articles in this theme issue, with author contributions from across the world. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Understanding forest landscape restoration: reinforcing scientific foundations for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration’.

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Management of the Forested Catchments of Nepal's Mid-hills Amid Mismatched Perceptions of Forest–Water Relationships: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract: BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.

Cited by 4 publications

References 116 publications

Greenwood regeneration status in community forests of Chiti Lamjung Nepal

Greenwood regeneration status in community forests of Chiti Lamjung Nepal

Community forestry dominates the recent land greening amid climate change in Nepal

Fifteen essential science advances needed for effective restoration of the world's forest landscapes

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