Two decades of community forestry in Nepal: What have we learned?

FOREWORD
Over 20 years ago, the Swiss Agency for
Development and Cooperation (SDC)
made a commitment to provide long term
support to implement the Master Plan
for the Forestry Sector in Nepal. This
commitment is fulfi lled through Nepal
Swiss Community Forestry Project
(NSCFP). Despite many issues, we are so
privileged to have directly contributed to
the visible impacts of community forestry
as indicated in this publication. The project
has been a trend-setter in community
forestry in addressing the structural issues
of resource governance, poverty, gender
inequality, social discrimination and
inequity. The advancement of community
forestry through better forest governance,
a multi-partnership approach, targeting the
poor and discriminated at the household
level, the implementation of a partnership
model for the promotion of forest based
enterprises, and the strengthening of
bottom-up planning and feedback systems
from the grass roots to the national level
are some of the key contributions that the
project has made. The ecological, social and
economic outcomes thus achieved have
clearly improved the livelihoods of poor and
discriminated women and men.
I am glad to share that SDC has decided
to extend its support for such activities
through a new Multi-Stakeholder Forestry
Programme (MSFP) which builds on the
learning of NSCFP, the DFID-funded LFP
and other programmes. I believe that in
many respects it sets the baseline for the
new forestry programme.
Elisabeth Von Capeller
Head of Cooperation
Counsellor (Development)
Swiss Agency for Development and
Cooperation SDC
Embassy of Switzerland in Nepal
Ekantakuna, Jawalakhel
The Department of Forests has had
the privilege to partner with Switzerland
together with other development partners in
community forestry, which is now proven
to be the one of the best mechanisms to
reverse the rate of deforestation and to
contribute to the livelihoods of the rural
people. I spent productive time during my
carreer in the Nepal Forest Service as a
District Forest Offi cer (DFO) in one of the
hilly districts supported by Nepal Swiss
Community Forestry Project (NSCFP). I am
very impressed with the commitment and
cooperation of the Swiss in being innovative
and consistent in their long term vision and
support, which the forestry sector needed.
I remember NSCFP’s work in the 1990s was
more on the establishment of plantations,
private tree cultivation, forest nurseries and
regeneration of natural forest. Then it shifted
its focus by developing inventory guidelines,
practicing sustainable management and
utilisation of forests, supporting to establish
pro-poor enterprises and livelihood model.
By so doing, the project has provided benifi ts
not only the people of four districts, but also
set the trend for others to learn about how
to implement community forestry to ensure
both ecological and economic sustainability
of community forest user groups. Further,
NSCFP’s contribution to human resource
development not only enabled forestry
professionals and community leaders to
serve at the community level, but also
people supported by NSCFP have been
able to serve nationally and internationally.
Gopal Kumar Shrestha
Director General
Department of Forests
Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation
Babar Mahal, Kathmandu, Nepal
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