conflict over natural resources at the community level in nepal

5.0 PROGRAMMINGOPTIONS FORUSAID/NEPAL RELATEDTO MANAGING NATURALRESOURCE CONFLICTThe USAID Conflict Mitigation and Management Policy Implementation Guidelines divides approaches to conflict intomitigation and conflict management. Mitigation activities related to natural resource conflict could includecommunity-based reconciliation using forest or water users’ groups as a point of entry for reconciling socialtensions. Conflict mitigation is distinct from other development assistance and has primarily short- andmedium-term goals. The programming options that we propose below fall under the category of Conflict-Sensitive Development and could provide a basis for a return to peace and democracy at the grassroots,district, and national levels.5.1 IMPROVED GOVERNANCE AT THE USER GROUP LEVELUSAID/Nepal, though its SAGUN and SAMARPAN Programs, is working to improve natural resourcegovernance within selected IWUAs, CFUGs, and BZUGs, specifically to encourage more equal participationof disadvantaged groups and women within the management structure of these groups and to developmechanisms for more equitable sharing of resources and benefits among user group members. It is not withinthe scope of this assessment to evaluate the performance of individual projects, 4 however the findings of thisassessment indicate that interventions at the user group level are an effective means to address current naturalresource conflict as well as lay the basis for a long-term system for managing conflict by ensuring greaterequality of resource access. Equality of access will help to relieve long-term social tensions, thereby removinga key grievance that the Maoists used to build support for their cause. 5 Successfully institutionalizingdemocratic values and behavior at the user group level lays the foundation for responsible participation indemocratic governance at the local and national levels.Providing immediate benefits to poor and marginalized people will help to alleviate the severe livelihoodimpacts they have suffered from the insurgency and will prepare them to take a more active role in naturalresource governance institutions in the post-conflict period. USAID support of user groups has the addedbenefit of maintaining biodiversity and other values of forests and buffer zones.4Capturing the lessons learned from these projects would be very useful as a basis for the design of future programming.5At this point in the insurgency, the Maoists seem to have largely abandoned attempts to appeal for grassroots political supportin favor of simply trying to maintain enough cash flow to maintain their military operations.18 CONFLICT OVER NATURAL RESOURCES AT THE COMMUNITY LEVEL IN NEPAL