Towards active utilisation of community forestry: Silvo-institutional model for sustainable forest management in Nepal

Paudel, Naya Sharma; Ojha, Hemant; Shrestha, Krishna K.; Cedamon, Edwin; Karki, Rahul; Paudel, Govinda; Basyal, M.; Nuberg, Ian; Dangal, Shambhu

doi:10.3126/banko.v27i3.20557

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Though this management requires substantial engagement of the users, user ranked decreased user involvement after SciFM as a second (28%) among the factors (Figure 3). This supports the argument of Paudel et al (2018), who claims that scientific forest management implementation requires complex and more technical knowledge that will decrease the participation of users in the decision-making process. In the same line, one of the CFUG committee members explained that:…”

Section: Social Criteriasupporting

confidence: 80%

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User’s opinion in scientific forest management implementation in Nepal – a case study from Nawalparasi district

Bhusal

Awasthi

Kimengsi

2020

Cogent Environmental Science

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While much emphasis has been placed on scientific and policy issues in forest management, there is a lack of clarity on users' perspectives concerning the implementation of scientific forest management. To clarify this nuance, this study explores users' opinion on scientific forest management implementation, focusing on four criteria-ecological, social, economic, and technical. Twelve key informant interviews and six focus group discussions were conducted in three selected communities within Nawalparasi District. This was further complemented by six expert interviews. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was employed to rank within and between groups of developed factors and their criteria. Users' identified increased forest products (58%), community development (55%), employment opportunities (65%), and intense silviculture management (51%) as the dominant factors linked to the ecological, social, economic, and technical criteria, respectively. For between groups, economic (52%) and social (33%) criteria got the highest ranking. The findings suggest that the long-term success of this modality cannot be achieved if the users largely view it as economically and socially profitable. This study calls for ABOUT THE AUTHORS

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Section: Social Criteriasupporting

confidence: 80%

“…Several scholars present opposing arguments regarding different aspects of SciFM implementation. For instance, Paudel et al (2018) label it as a "program" in the name of active utilization implemented without considering institutional aspects. They argue about its outcomes claiming that outcomes are limited on the ground.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

User’s opinion in scientific forest management implementation in Nepal – a case study from Nawalparasi district

Bhusal

Awasthi

Kimengsi

2020

Cogent Environmental Science

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“…Against this background, EnLiFT developed the Silvo-Institutional Model (SIM) in which the technical aspects of resource assessment, demonstration plots, felling and timber distribution are combined with institutional aspects of consultation, developing governance safeguards and preparing the required documentation correctly (Cedamon et al 2017a;Paudel et al 2018). This approach built on earlier work on collaborative learning (McDougall et al 2007) and deliberative scientific practice (Ojha et al 2010).…”

Section: Silvo-institutional Model For Scientific Forest Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pathways to forest wealth in Nepal

Nuberg

Shrestha

Bartlett

2019

Australian Forestry

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Nepal is one of the leading countries embracing community forestry with about 45% of households being members of community forest user groups. However, there has been a failure to deliver the full potential of forest wealth because of a lack of proper silvicultural management, a constraining policy environment and a complex socio-institutional context. Meanwhile, mid-hill agriculture has not kept pace with the changing economy and out-migration. Food insecurity is rife in a landscape of under-utilised forests and underutilised land. Australian development assistance between 1978 and 2006 supported the establishment of 21 000 ha of community forests and significant contributions to community forest institutions. In the light of the under-performance of this sector, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research established the project Enhancing Food Security and Livelihoods through Agroforestry and Community Forestry in Nepal, locally known as EnLiFT, which ran from 2013 to 2018. This paper aims to explain Australia's contribution to Nepal's forestry, with a focus on more recent achievements supporting pathways to realise the potential wealth in Nepal's forests. It begins with an outline of the early Australian support and origins of community forestry in Nepal via the Nepal-Australia Forestry Project, and then the current status of community forestry. It then describes the research process of the EnLiFT project starting with new conceptual models and methods such as: ( 1) the Pathways Approach to link forest and food security; (2) the EnLiFT Bioeconomic Model of the Farm-Forest Interface; (3) the Silvo-Institutional Model for Scientific Forest Management; (4) Active and Equitable Forest Management; (5) Rapid Silvicultural Appraisal; (6) the Strategic and Inclusive Planning process and ( 7) EnLiFT Policy Labs. We also highlight many significant development impacts of EnLiFT. The demonstration and training of silvicultural methods released considerable forest wealth into the community. This occurred around the time of the 2015 earthquake when timber was in need for reconstruction. It was also associated with the re-vitalisation of a defunct sawmill by facilitation of community-private partnership. It was responsible for turning the public debate from resistance to acceptance of scientific forest management. It also developed inclusive planning processes for the revision of operational plans of community forests. On privately owned land, EnLiFT demonstrated: (1) the possibility for marked and rapid changes in livelihoods from relatively simple agroforestry interventions based on horticultural commodities and tree fodders; (2) an even greater potential for livelihood enhancement through private forestry and (3) articulated the current institutional and regulatory constraints on sale of trees from private land. We conclude by highlighting the contributions of EnLiFT in policy debate which led to policy outcomes that further the improvement of community forestry, agroforestry and bringing under-utilised ...

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“…For example, a 2016 study in the Koshi Hills found that a hundred of the 144 forestryrelated enterprises were NTFP-related (Rai et al 2006). The government's singular focus on forest conservation for decades has meant that, until recently, there has been little interest in appropriate forms of silvicultural management to support CFEs engaged in the timber and other wood product industries (see Paudel et al 2019).…”

Section: Emergence and Growth Of Communitymanaged Forest Enterprisesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analyzing the investment effects of forest rights devolution in Nepals community-managed forest enterprises

Adhikary¹,

Jhaveri²,

Karki³

et al. 2019

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This study critically explores the investment effects of forest rights devolution in Nepal's communitymanaged forest enterprises (CFEs). Forest rights devolution, starting from the late 1980s, opened the door to fundamental changes in the scale and structure of forest governance. Local-level user groups (UGs) for different types of community-based forest management (CBFM) were created, with community forestry (CF) receiving priority support from the government's forestry ministry. Under the 1993 Forest Act and 1995 Forest Regulations, community forestry user groups (CFUGs) were recognized as self-governing, independent, autonomous, perpetual and corporate institutions. Taking advantage of these devolved and secure tenure arrangements, CFUGs began to quickly form across the country, crafting their own local governance institutions. Once forests began to regenerate and meet subsistence needs, CFUGs and other types of UGs, such as those in buffer zone community forests, started to form CFEs to achieve further livelihood, social equity and income generation gains. CFEs were grafted onto the existing community-based governance institutions. Over this nearly 30 year period, many CFEs have been formed, some have survived, and new ones are being created each year. It has been a period of considerable, if unstable, growth for the CFE sector.This study employs the concept of enabling and asset investments (Elson 2012) to analyze how UGs have established and managed CFEs. Based on primary data from interviews with 12 CFEs, and secondary data from published, government and gray literature, our research examined the investment effects on how UGs have structured CFE management, what the goals of CFEs have been, and how they negotiated the regulatory requirements, and non-regulatory conditions, in order to build their forest-based enterprises.The high export demand for Nepal's non-timber forest products (NTFPs) from India (and elsewhere), especially the diversity of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) from its forests led the Government of Nepal (GoN), from the late 1980s, to develop policy support to expand this trade. Later, in the late 2000s, trade and industrial policies began to reflect these same priorities recognizing the significant potential of MAPs to support Nepal's economic growth. As such, the majority of CFEs are engaged in harvesting and trading raw NTFPs. The combined effect of weak bargaining power, high transaction costs and inadequate processing facilities across the value chain means that traders buy these products from CFE harvesters at low prices. Beyond those supplying raw NTFPs, CFEs have focused on processing opportunities that permit value addition, such as essential oil extraction, handmade paper, fruit juices or wood-based products. The government, donors and I/NGOs have all contributed, enabling investments to help pilot CFEs through idea development, CFE registration, equipment purchases, staff training and building private sector partnerships.viii Whether informal or formalized, UGs retain prime ...

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Towards active utilisation of community forestry: Silvo-institutional model for sustainable forest management in Nepal

Cited by 5 publications

References 4 publications

User’s opinion in scientific forest management implementation in Nepal – a case study from Nawalparasi district

User’s opinion in scientific forest management implementation in Nepal – a case study from Nawalparasi district

Pathways to forest wealth in Nepal

Analyzing the investment effects of forest rights devolution in Nepals community-managed forest enterprises

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Towards active utilisation of community forestry: Silvo-institutional model for sustainable forest management in Nepal

Cited by 5 publications

References 4 publications

User’s opinion in scientific forest management implementation in Nepal – a case study from Nawalparasi district

User’s opinion in scientific forest management implementation in Nepal – a case study from Nawalparasi district

Pathways to forest wealth in Nepal

Analyzing the investment effects of forest rights devolution in Nepals community-managed forest enterprises

Contact Info

Product

Resources

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Analyzing the investment effects of forest rights devolution in Nepals community-managed forest enterprises