Community Forestry (CF) - one of the management models adopted by the Government of Nepal in late 1970s - has been a successful and innovative intervention in Nepal’s natural resource management practice. Approximately 25 percent of the total populations are directly involved in this process till the fall of 2009. Similarly, nearly 35 percent of total forest areas have been managed through this participatory and adaptive management system. The initial objectives of the greenery expansion and subsistence fulfilment of forest products have successfully been achieved. Time has come to look on this approach through environmental justice perspective. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the CFs in terms of environmental justice taking samples from two districts of Nepal. The objectives of the study are to: (i) identify key areas of environmental improvement and/or destruction due to forest user groups’ decision and community forest management; (ii) explore users' dividend sharing systems and process adopted by the CF users’ group; (iii) list community development actions accomplished with income earned by CFs and (iv) document difficulties arisen after CFs implementation. Different methods including sampling, Focus Group Discussion, Snow Balling, Questionnaire Survey etc. were adopted for data gathering, and appropriate statistical tools for data analysis like mean, bar diagram. were used.
Based on collected data and their processed information, it is concluded that environmental justice status in community forestry process is satisfactory in relation with some environmental justice parameters. However, equity-based benefit sharing systems were not observed in the selected CFUGs. Community members who have wealthier status in the given context have been more beneficent indirectly in comparison to the poor and ultra-poor members of the same community. Participation status in CF process was found good. Some transparency indicators are excellent. Similarly, accountability of some indicators of was also found good.
On the basis of study results, and conclusions, suggestions and recommendations have been made for policy-making, implementation and beneficiary levels. Suggestions and recommendations have also been made from environmental justice responsive budget preparation to establish equity-based monitoring and evaluation system.
As inferences have made from only two selected CFs, the study conclusions might not be appropriate to represent the situation in the entire CFs throughout the country.
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