ADB_book_18 April.qxp - Himalayan Document Centre - icimod

ing income and employment opportunities for thepoorest of the poor in production and post-productionactivities. NTFPs and medicinal and aromaticplants can be important supplements to the limitedopportunities offered by traditional agriculture.NTFPs are important in the medical and cosmeticindustries. Dabur Nepal (Nepal’s foremost pharmaceuticalcompany) and a number of other firms areleading the efforts in this area (MOFSC 2000, 2002,2003a). In many hill and mountain communities thisis providing an exciting alternative to a nonsustainablelivelihood based on growing cereals.Conservation for supporting sustainablelivelihoods is already being practiced (e.g., KMTNC2002). Future activities might include bio-prospectingand carbon trading. Bio-prospecting is a growingactivity involving the search for new genes orchemicals of commercial value. Carbon trading,although somewhat complicated, could havepotential in the future. If promoted carefully therecould be valuable benefits and an importantopportunity for better integration of ecosystemconservation with livelihood development. Themajor lesson to be learned here is that the localcommunities can become guardians of their ownnatural resources when they are given theresponsibility as well as the support to protect,rehabilitate, and benefit from those resources.Water is a plentiful resource that remainsrelatively underdeveloped. Hydropower hasenormous potential and if developed in conjunctionwith policies to plough back a part of the earningsinto the area, it could also be a very important sourceof income for local livelihood development. Theforests of Nepal have been very important in theeconomy and with proper management sustainablebenefits can be reaped from developing thisresource (MOFSC 2003a).Institutional opportunities are now availablebecause of recent legal changes such as the LocalSelf-Governance Act 1999. Improving ecosystemservices so that the people depending on ecosystemresources can reap their full benefit is the only way toencourage ecosystem conservation and sustainableuse. Without substantial improvements in theseservices, however, there is a great danger that theenvironmental degradation process could acceleratefurther. In the past, the main focus has been on themanagement of an existing stock of naturalresources, particularly in forests. The challenge nowis not only to define ecosystem services in a broaderperspective but also to find ways to augment them.There is a need for better understanding of differentecosystems, updating the biodiversity database ofNepal, and integrating ecosystem management andlivelihood strategies with regional development.Decentralized and Transparent DecisionMakingThe stumbling blocks that remain are monopolies bythe public sector, disabling laws, and extremely slowdecision making by a centralized government.Different local and national opportunities withrespect to resources have been neglected, and this isunlikely to improve without significant changes in themanagement and control of these resources.Regional development planning has also beenneglected. Many of the regional disparities inlivelihoods are linked with the poor commitment toregional development. The ecosystem and livelihoodfocus necessitates a stronger move towards concreteregional development planning and implementationin Nepal. The present conflict in Nepal underscoresthis even more strongly. Unless marginalized andvulnerable groups get better access to availableresources and economic opportunities, they becomeeasy recruits for starting conflicts.Promoting Integrated UrbanEnvironmental ManagementAlthough Nepal is still one of the least urbanizedcountries in the world, the urban population isgrowing rapidly. The population growth rate of theformally designated municipal areas is now 14%, andcensus data show that the urban population growthrate has exceeded the national population growthrate for the past half century (CBS 2003). The urbanareas of Nepal are among the fastest growing in all ofSouth Asia. Urban settlements 1 are expanding rapidlyand new towns are emerging, particularly along thehighways. Two basic factors contribute to thisphenomenon: increasing rural-urban migration andhigh national population growth. Escalation of thearmed conflict that began in 1996 has exacerbatedthis migration as increasing numbers of people fleethe countryside to take refuge in urban areas.The rapid increase of the urban population is,however, not matched by similar increases inproviding and managing urban infrastructure andservices such as roads, water, sanitation, and wastemanagement. More often than not the expansion ofsettlements and the establishment of industries andfacilities has been spontaneous, ad hoc, unplanned,1The definition of urban settlement used in this discussion does not necessarily coincide with the administrative boundaries of municipalities, as it includes semi-urbanand quasi-urban areas. Any settlement that shows a basic urban character can be defined as an urban settlement. Small towns including emerging towns that are notyet formally defined as municipalities are also in fact urban settlements, whereas significant parts of several formally defined municipalities may not have an urbancharacter.Chapter 14: Emerging Priorities209