reflections on nepal capacity 21 initiative - Department of Applied ...

4. Environment and Natural Resources Managementcreate disastrous consequences later. For programmes like SCDP, it will be useful if activitiesthat produce tangible benefits fairly quickly can be initiated while waiting for the benefitsto emerge from longer term conservation activities. One possibility is to practiceagroforestry in the plantation areas. For example, Fulbari Community Forest Users’ Group,the apex body of seven CBOs in Kailali, did precisely this. The CFUG was able to raise itsmembers’ living standards by selling forest products. Portion of the income was againinvested for other micro-enterprise activities.4.2 Community Forest ManagementCommunity forest management has helped to conserve valuable natural resources suchas medicinal plants in many parts of Nepal. Communities have realised the value of suchgifts of nature and many of the CBOs havetaken over the management responsibilitiesfrom the government. SCDP became alsoinvolved with community forestryactivities in Kailali, Surkhet, Humla andMyagdi.36Community plantation inMalbhanga, KailaliTable 6 highlights the total number ofcommunity forests and Community ForestUser Groups that have been supported bySCDP. Already 19 CFUGs are implementingtheir forest management plansindependently. Most of the CommunityForest User Groups supported by SCDP arewaiting for the formal registration with theDistrict Forest Office. The forests, however,are already managed by the communities.The additional programme outreach wasachieved because supporting the 87 existingor emerging CFUGs has produced asignificant increase in the programmecoverage (approximately 6,000 ha of forest land sustainably managed and conserved).Supporting existing Community Forest User Groups in improving the forest managementpractices and establishment of new ones was a welcome diversion from the initial strategyof CBO formation. By doing this, SCDP supported an ongoing, important, nation-wideprogramme of Ministry of Forests and SoilTable 6: Number and Area of Community ForestsConservation, and adopted a functionalDistrict Number of Community Number of institutional mechanism for which aCommunity Forest Area, ha CommunityForestsForests under backstopping mechanism is in placesupported registration with (District Forest Office). Hence institutionalby SCDP SCDP supportsustainability was provided for.Surkhet 4 400 32Kailali 8 820 23Some programme districts paid lessDang 0 0 0Humla 1 n/a 0 emphasis on community forestry becauseMyagdi 6 220 0 there were other organisations alreadyOkhaldhungaTotal01901440055involved. For example, Swiss CommunityForest Development Programme (SCFDP) is