Two decades of community forestry in Nepal: What have we learned?
Two decades of community forestry in Nepal: What have we learned?
Two decades of community forestry in Nepal: What have we learned?
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<strong>Two</strong> <strong>decades</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>community</strong> <strong>forestry</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Nepal</strong>: <strong>What</strong> <strong>have</strong> <strong>we</strong> <strong>learned</strong>?<br />
facilitat<strong>in</strong>g CFUG stand<strong>in</strong>g timber <strong>in</strong>ventories and the revision <strong>of</strong> Operational Plans,<br />
organis<strong>in</strong>g study tours for CFUG members, Department <strong>of</strong> Forest and NGO staff<br />
on timber process<strong>in</strong>g, support<strong>in</strong>g the establishment <strong>of</strong> timber depots, and provid<strong>in</strong>g<br />
assistance <strong>in</strong> the draw<strong>in</strong>g up <strong>of</strong> bus<strong>in</strong>ess plans. In 2009/10, a total 22 CFUGs <strong>in</strong><br />
the project area sold timber on the market, generat<strong>in</strong>g an estimated 5,572 work<strong>in</strong>g<br />
Community forests <strong>have</strong> started produc<strong>in</strong>g timber for commercial use as <strong>we</strong>ll<br />
days overall, <strong>of</strong> which over 70% <strong>we</strong>re taken up by poor and disadvantaged<br />
household members. A number <strong>of</strong> practices that are disadvantageous to CFUGs<br />
<strong>we</strong>re also highlighted. One is the auction<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> stand<strong>in</strong>g trees, which tends to<br />
be highly favourable to contractors and gives no <strong>in</strong>centive for environmentally<br />
sensitive extraction. Ideally, this should be halted completely. Another unfavourable<br />
practice is the centralised (district level) nature <strong>of</strong> controll<strong>in</strong>g mechanisms,<br />
<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g the issu<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> permits for fell<strong>in</strong>g and for transport. This would be more<br />
effi cient if decentralised to range post or village level. The greatest hope for<br />
<strong>in</strong>creased transparency and accountability <strong>in</strong> the timber sector is, ho<strong>we</strong>ver, from<br />
CFUGs act<strong>in</strong>g together to push for change - and <strong>in</strong> so do<strong>in</strong>g refra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g from any<br />
illegal practices themselves.<br />
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