ADB_book_18 April.qxp - Himalayan Document Centre - icimod

Some of the government forest policies, such asthe Private Forests Nationalisation Act 1957 and theLand Tax Act of 1977, were unfavorable forconserving forest resources. These policies insteadallowed local people uncontrolled access to bothpublic and private forests in their areas (Perdo 1993;Shah 1997).Forest depletion has direct impacts on localenvironmental degradation. The average annualdeforestation rate of 1.7% is high considering Nepal’sfragile hill ecosystem. Wyatt-Smith (1982) andShepherd (1985) estimated that 3 ha of forest wouldbe required to sustain 1 ha of agricultural land oreach person would require about 1.65 ha of forest forthe country as a whole. The diminishing forest areahas further burdened rural women, who areresponsible for collecting firewood and fodder andfetching drinking water, besides other householdchores. They have little time for other productiveactivities (Zimsky 1999). Forest depletion contributesto environmental degradation such as landslides, soilerosion, floods, soil depletion, loss of biodiversity,reduction in water flow from upstream areas, andincreasing siltation of water bodies in low-lyingareas.Conservation of forest resources is fundamentalfor stabilizing the systems that help sustain all typesof ecological processes essential for human existenceand wellbeing. Alternative livelihood activitiesshould be made available to rural people to reducetheir dependence on forest resources. In addition,effective public awareness programs about forestconservation and its importance need to be initiatedthrough different communication media and schoolcurricula. Research needs to be carried out fordesigning effective public awareness programs.Development Efforts in ForestConservation and ManagementThe Government has introduced different programsfor conserving and managing forest resources. Oneeffort is the community forestry program initiated in1978, which has emphasized sustainablemanagement and development of forests throughcommunities’ involvement as forest user groups. By1999, the Government had handed over a total ofabout 0.7 million ha of state-owned forests to over10,532 community forestry user groups fordevelopment, conservation, management, andsustainable use. A total of six million people haddirectly benefited from being members of usergroups by 2000. Leasehold forest managementthrough user groups is another program. In 1993, 270ha of state-managed forest was handed over to usergroups for leasehold forestry, and this increased toover 6,550 ha in 2000.Some forest areas have been declaredprotected areas such as national parks, wildlifereserves, and conservation areas. The coverage ofprotected areas increased from 0.976 million ha in1984 to 2.476 million ha in 1998. The AlternativeEnergy Promotion Center was created to developprograms for providing alternative energy resourcesand technology to reduce dependency on traditionalenergy sources such as fuelwood. This center, incollaboration with INGOs and the private sector, hasinitiated biogas plants to replace fuelwood forcooking and lighting, thereby helping to conserveforests. The number of biogas plants has increasedfrom about 200 in 1975 to 90,000 in 2002 in 66 districtsof the country (ENPHO/MOPE 2002). Likewise, theimproved cooking stove program has been designedto increase the efficiency of firewood use and toreduce smoke. Over 90,000 improved stoves ofvarious types are being distributed throughout thecountry (ENPHO/MOPE 2002).Forest conservation and development in Nepalhas been promoted through different Governmentacts and legislation since 1957. Some of these arelisted below. Nepal has also signed variousinternational conventions and treaties related to theconservation of forests and biodiversity.(i)(ii)Acts(a) Private Forests Nationalisation Act 1957(b) Forestry Act 1963(c) Forest Protection (Special Arrangements) Act1967(d) Soil and Watershed Conservation Act 1982(e) National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act1973 and Amendment (NPWC) 1993(f) Forest Act 1993 and Amendment 1999(g) Forest Regulations 1995(h) Environment Protection Act 1996Policies and Strategies(a) National Forestry Plan 1976(b) National Conservation Strategy 1988(c) Forestry Sector Policy 1989(d) Nepal Environmental Policy and Action Plan1993(e) Master Plan for the Forestry Sector 1989–2010(f) Policy Document: Environmental Assessmentin the Road Sector of Nepal 2000(g) Nepal Biodiversity Strategy 2002(iii) Regulations and Guidelines(a) Environmental Impact Assessment Guidelinesfor the Forestry Sector 1995(b) Buffer Zone Regulations 1996(c) Environment Protection Regulations 1997Chapter 4: Forestry and Biodiversity41