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 />
promoted by donor agencies, it began with, and could not <strong>have</strong> succeeded<br />
without, national supporters with<strong>in</strong> and outside the government structure. Amongst<br />
<strong>forestry</strong> <strong>of</strong>fi cials, support for <strong>community</strong> <strong>forestry</strong> has grown considerably, but there<br />
nevertheless rema<strong>in</strong> a signifi cant number <strong>of</strong> <strong>forestry</strong> <strong>of</strong>fi cials who are <strong>in</strong> favour<br />
<strong>of</strong> centralised control over forests, and limit<strong>in</strong>g the rights <strong>of</strong> local people to any<br />
benefi ts from forest products (particularly any with commercial value). Through the<br />
tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g opportunities that it provided, NSCFP has – like other donors - contributed<br />
to counteract<strong>in</strong>g such attitudes by build<strong>in</strong>g the capacities <strong>of</strong> <strong>community</strong> <strong>forestry</strong><br />
“champions”. At the same time, fi eld experience ga<strong>in</strong>ed through bilateral projects<br />
has been and rema<strong>in</strong>s crucial <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>form<strong>in</strong>g new policy and legislation, especially<br />
when <strong>in</strong>volv<strong>in</strong>g the test<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>novative approaches, monitor<strong>in</strong>g and evaluat<strong>in</strong>g the<br />
results, and dissem<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g them <strong>in</strong> documented form. NSCFP was amongst the<br />
more <strong>in</strong>novative <strong>of</strong> these projects.<br />
“Bet<strong>we</strong>en the donors, it was generally accepted that the Australians, the British and the<br />
Swiss <strong>we</strong>re at the forefront <strong>of</strong> promot<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>novation <strong>in</strong> the implementation <strong>of</strong> the Community<br />
Forestry Programme, whilst DANIDA supported up-scal<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> a less “hands on” manner.<br />
On what I <strong>have</strong> seen <strong>in</strong> my pr<strong>of</strong>essional career…it is a rare lucky chance to <strong>have</strong> such a<br />
common strategy under which the government and the donors work together.”<br />
Karl Schuler, NSCFP Team Leader (for SDC) Sept 1995 – April 1999; Assistant (later<br />
Deputy) Country Director <strong>of</strong> SDC <strong>in</strong> <strong>Nepal</strong> to Feb 2004<br />
In policy discussions lead<strong>in</strong>g up to the formulation <strong>of</strong> the Forest Act 1993, there<br />
was always a very active participation <strong>of</strong> donor representatives <strong>in</strong> meet<strong>in</strong>gs hosted<br />
by the M<strong>in</strong>istry <strong>of</strong> Forests and Soil Conservation, MoFSC. SDC’s presence brought<br />
<strong>in</strong> the fi eld experience <strong>of</strong> NSCFP and – accord<strong>in</strong>g to those present at the time,<br />
contributed to a consistent donor stance <strong>in</strong> support <strong>of</strong> the rights <strong>of</strong> forest users.<br />
“At that time I was the DFO <strong>of</strong> Bhaktapur, and I was picked to serve as a representative<br />
DFO <strong>in</strong> the departmental task force to draft the new legislation. It was exceptionally unique<br />
time, an enabl<strong>in</strong>g environment for all the stakeholders, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g donors and donor funded<br />
projects, to contribute to craft a mechanism to implement the recently prepared Forest<br />
Sector Master Plan. There was a democratic parliament recently constituted follow<strong>in</strong>g the<br />
pro-democratic movement. Many parliamentarians <strong>we</strong>re quite young and energetic, and<br />
had an impression that the old Forest Act was “anti-people”. They therefore wanted to br<strong>in</strong>g<br />
<strong>in</strong> new forest legislation that was “pro-people”. The donor agencies active <strong>in</strong> the <strong>forestry</strong><br />
sector – particularly the Swiss, the British and the Australians – really supported this.”<br />
Bharat Pokharel, NSCFP Director<br />
“The comb<strong>in</strong>ed forces <strong>of</strong> NSCFP, NAFP, NUKCFP 18 and the World Bank provided enough<br />
unity and persuasion to conv<strong>in</strong>ce the government to reform the <strong>forestry</strong> law – result<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong><br />
the Forest Act 1993. We all shared the same op<strong>in</strong>ions, founded on effective development<br />
practice, a po<strong>we</strong>rful donor to back up the ideas and a listen<strong>in</strong>g bureaucracy.”<br />
Mike Nurse, NSCFP Chief Technical Adviser mid 2002 – mid 2004 (and work<strong>in</strong>g for NAFP<br />
1990 – mid 1993)<br />
18 NAFP was the <strong>Nepal</strong> Australia Forestry Project; NUKCFP the <strong>Nepal</strong> United K<strong>in</strong>gdom Community Foresty<br />
Project.<br />
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