ADB_book_18 April.qxp - Himalayan Document Centre - icimod

created confusion and hindered progress in manyareas, it has served to retain the Government’smonopoly, even when the spirit of the new lawsindicates that this is not the intention.Once environmental decisions are taken by thecourts, the Government, and civil society, whoshould do the enforcement? Conflicts mean that oneparty is not going to change its position voluntarilyunless under the threat of punitive action. This aspecthas been most lacking in the history of naturalresources management. The recommendations ofone commission are simply reiterated by another,and the process has gone on ad infinitum in the caseof resettlement, illegal settlers, and encroachment. Asimilar story is being enacted regarding the SupremeCourt’s decisions in environmental matters.As a mountainous country with a beautiful butfragile environment, it is critical that Nepal manageits environment by using its natural resources in asustainable manner. The prevalence of conflict in allthe major natural resource areas suggests thatgovernance has been ineffective and in some areaseven harmful, especially when short-sighted policiesand decisions promote wanton destruction of naturalresources. Clearly the Government has a majorresponsibility to clean up its act regardingenvironment and conflict in Nepal.BibliographyAmerican Embassy. 2005. “The Impact of Nepal’s ArmedConflict on Conservation Efforts.” RegionalEnvironment Hub, American Embassy, Kathmandu.Available:http://kathmandu.usembassy.gov/env_page5.htmlAsia Pacific Centre For Security Studies (APCSS). 1999.Water and Conflict in Asia? Honolulu. Available:http://www.apcss.org/Publications/Report_Water&Conflict_99.htmlAryal, G.R. and G. Awasthi. 2003. Agrarian Reform andAccess to Land Resource in Nepal: Present Statusand Future Perspective Action. Philippines:Environment, Culture, Agriculture, Research andDevelopment Society (ECARDS)—Nepal. Available:http://www.cerai.es/fmra/ archivo/nepal.pdfAsia Rainforest Conservation News and Information. 2000.“Wildlife Contraband Finds Easy Route throughNepal.” January 21. Available:http://www.forests.org/archive/asia/wlcontfi.htmBandyopadhyay, J. and D. Gyawali. 1994. “Ecological andPolitical Aspects of Himalayan Water ResourcesManagement.” Water Nepal 4(1): 7–24.Banskota, M. and S.R. Chalise, eds. 2000. Waters of Life:Perspectives of Water Harvesting in the Hindu Kush-Himalayas. Kathmandu: International Centre forIntegrated Mountain Development.Barbora, S. 2004. Land Class and Ethnicity: Permutations ofEnvironmental Conflict in Assam Shillong: NorthEastern Hill University.Bhatia, A., ed. 1995. “Nepal Madhyasthata Samuha.”Seminar on Conflict Resolution in Natural Resources,organized by Participatory Natural ResourceManagement Programme of International Centre forIntegrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD),Kathmandu.Bhattarai, B.N., and K.K. Pradhan. 2004. “The Future ofRural and Agriculture Finance Institution in Nepal.”Paper presented at a Symposium on Future of RuralAgricultural Finance Institutions, organized by AsiaPacific Rural and Agricultural Credit Association inTeheran, Iran, October 2004. Available:http://www.agri-bank.com/Static/English/Apraca/PDF/Nepal.pdfBhurtel, J., and S.H Ali. 2003. The Green Roots of RedRebellion: Environmental Degradation and the Riseof the Maoist Movement in Nepal. Burlington: TheUniversity of Vermont. Available:http://www.uvm.edu/~shali/Maoist.pdfBosley, C., I. Rucker, and S. Theisman. 2000. Elephants inthe Border Region of Nepal and India. Washington,DC: American University, School of InternationalService. Available: http://www.american.edu/TED/wildlife-india.htmBritt, C.D. 2002. “Changing the Boundaries of ForestPolitics: Community Forestry, Social Mobilization,and Federation-Building in Nepal Viewed Throughthe Lens of Environmental Sociology and PAR.”Dissertation presented to the Faculty of the GraduateSchool of Cornell University in partial fulfillment ofthe requirement for the degree of Doctor ofPhilosophy. Ithaca: Cornell University.Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). 2004. Handbook ofEnvironment Statistics 2003. Kathmandu.Conca, K. and G. Dabelko. 2002. The Case forEnvironmental Peace Making. Baltimore: JohnsHopkins University Press.Dabelko, G. and A. Carius. 2004. “Institutional Responses toEnvironment, Conflict and Cooperation.” InUnderstanding Environment, Conflict andCooperation, pp. 21–33. Nairobi: United NationsEnvironment Programme. Available:http://www.unep.org/pdf/ECC.pdfDixit, A. 1994. “Water Projects in Nepal: Lessons FromDisplacement and Rehabilitation.” Water Nepal 4(1):74–85.Dixit, A., P. Adhikari, and S. Bishankhey, eds. 2005. Badh RaBikash: Rachanatmak Sambad [in Nepali].Kathmandu: The World Conservation Union (IUCN),Nepal.Ehrlich, A.H., P. Gleick, and K. Conca. 2000. “Resources andEnvironmental Degradation as Sources of Conflict.”Draft Background Paper for Working Group 5,Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs,“Eliminating the Causes of War”, Queens’ College,Cambridge, UK, 3–8 August. Available:Chapter 11: Environment and Conflict: A Review of Nepal’s Experience171