—K.B. SHRESTHA

K.B. SHRESTHA, who headed the Community and Private Forestry Division for a long time, retired on Tuesday after serving the government for more than 35 years. Shrestha spoke to SPOTLIGHT on various issues related to community forestry in the country.

How do you see the present state of community forestry?

Community forestry is not a new concept for Nepalese. The local community traditionally had been protecting forest areas. As most of the community forestry is now in production phase, the real challenge lies in its management. We are now shifting from protection to distribution and generation.

What is the status of community forestry in the terai?

Of course, the community forestry program in the terai is yet to expand like in the hills. But we are in the process of further expansion in the terai. The initial response is quite encouraging. The number of community forestry user groups in the terai is very small in comparison to the hills. It is true that community forestry in the terai has not been as successful as in the hills.

How do you see the response of the donor community?

It is encouraging that donors have shown interest in supporting community forestry programs in the terai. DFID, GTZ, USAID, and SNV have been supporting the community forestry program in the terai.

What benefits can the local people get from community forestry programs?

There is immense benefit for the rural population, as availability of forest product determines the life of the people. Forests available closer to the village can boost agriculture production and ensure a better life. If a community has a forest nearby, women save time and energy. Generation of local resources and protection of the environment are the other benefits to the community.

How do you see the role of community user groups?

They have been working perfectly well under our guidance. The users group has a modality to work on. Although there is a wide gap among the users group in resource generation, some of the groups have been running schools through their own resources.

What is the role of community forestry in poverty alleviation?

Community forestry is now linked to poverty alleviation through income-generation activities.

It is reported that some community users groups misuse public property. How do you look at it?

We have received reports of misuse of forest resources in the terai. Unlike the hills, the terai has easy access to the market. Naturally, we need to be more cautious there. The sal tree species have greater commercial value than other woods of the terai.

How do you see the role of the community in the terai in preserving forests?

In the hills, the forest and habitations are traditionally close. Every household has their own identified forest areas. So there is a sense of belonging. But in the terai, the situation is different. Most of the forest is national forest and traditionally people live far away from the forest. New migrants live close to the forest, but they don’t have any sense of belonging.

‘People Have Realized The Need To Protect Forests’

– AMRIT LAL JOSHI

AMRIT LAL JOSHI is technical adviser with the community forestry program of the Natural Resources Management Sector Assistance Program (NARMSAP) of His Majesty’s Government/DANIDA. From the very inception of community forestry in Nepal, Joshi has been involved in various stages of the program for about three decades. Joshi, who joined NARMSAP after resigning from the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation, spoke to SPOTLIGHT on various issues related to community forestry. Excerpts:

You have been involved with community forestry for the last 30 years. How do you see the challenges today?

Community forestry is on the right track, as it has become a part of day-to-day life of more than half of the population of the country. We have more than 12,000 forestry users groups in Nepal comprising 1,208,943 households. It is not easy to destroy the forests. Had the country gained political stability, the community forestry scheme would have done much better. In the hill areas, community forestry has been quite good, but it is yet to pick up in the terai, where there are 226 forest users group. There is a vast potential to generate resources by managing the forest in the terai.

Why are you stressing the need for proper management of forest in the terai?

We need to manage the forest to protect the degrading environment and to generate resources. There is a huge opportunity in the terai forest to generate resources. More than 500,000 hectares of forest in the terai are in a position to generate economic resources for the country. In the terai, neither has the government handed over forests to the community nor has it utilized the national forest to generate resources. If the government cannot protect one third of the national forest, a large portion of our resources would be wasted.

The government has issued a notice through Radio Nepal calling for the help of the community in the terai to protect forests from illegal encroachment. Are there any major problems of illegal sale of timber?

The problems of illegal felling of trees in the terai are not new. Unlike in the hills, the community protects most of the forests but the government is yet to hand over forest to the community in the terai. Unless the government develops clear-cut policies regarding forest management in the terai, it would be impossible to check the illegal felling of trees. A large number of people from the north and south come to exploit the forests in the terai. Of course, the terai forest is rapidly vanishing now. In the hills, the people manage their property themselves. If the government and community come closer, the forest in the terai will be protected.

What tangible changes have you seen following the implementation of community forestry program?

Those who have grown up in Kathmandu valley can see tangible changes. Until two decades ago, one could see forest fires on the hills in Kathmandu during the dry season. Now, one can hardly see such events. Most of the hill forests have come under the community’s care. This is unbelievable to my sons. There is so much automatic change. Local people themselves burned the forest. If you travel to Pokhara by bus, you can see greenery along the highway. That greenery is possible because of the involvement of the community. The changes we have made in the forestry sector are enormous. In the district level, the people are more cautious about the forest, which gives them firewood, feeder and watershed. I am proud to say that we have made a lot of progress.

How do you see the other effects on the life of the rural people?

As the forest grows, the production of milk and vegetables also increases. As the ownership of forest is handed over to the people, they take the final decision on forest management. In the urban areas, the demand of fuel wood has declined following the increase in the use of electricity, kerosene and gas. So the pressure continues to decline in forest areas. People have realized the need to protect the forest for their own benefit. Interestingly, many local users groups are generating money through forest management. In many areas of Dang and other districts, forest user groups are running schools. Even decaying woods are enough to generate resources. The loss is also reduced. In my childhood, I used to see bundles of fuel wood carried for sale in the market. The demand has been reduced, as people have started to manage the forest properly.

As you said, the community forest sector is in the production stage. How do you see market prospects?

There is growing demand of wood in the urban areas and the community users groups are now supplying the wood to the market. In the last decade, the prices of wood have stagnated, despite the rise in prices in other areas.