Article

There is wider issue that why the poor become victims not only of environmental degradation but also from environmental improvements is central in community forestry programme. Based on the study of three community forestry user groups of Dhankuta district of eastern development region of Nepal I argue that there is social heterogeneity and resource diversity in the groups that has been given less attention in the programme. Also, there is differentiation of resource endowments and entitlements among different categories of the groups.

Disturbance is often touted as a management tool,as moderate disturbance is believed to enhance diversity; thus an understanding of frequent and fluctuating disturbance regimes in forests and their effects on stand structure, dominance and diversity is very crucial. Here, the effects of different disturbance regimes, along a gradient, on diversity and dominance of five Shorea robusta Gaertn. f.-dominated forests were investigated in 25 one-ha plots in Nepal.

This paper explores locally agreed upon indicators to determine the success of Nepal’s community forestry program. A workshop for community forest user groups (CFUGs) representatives and local forestry professionals was organized to develop the indicators. An interview schedule was developed to solicit CFUG members’ views on the identified indicators. A stratified random sample of CFUG members was taken, and 487 members were randomly selected for personal interviews. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data.

The Galliformes of Pipar have been surveyed seven times between 1979 and 1998. The nearby area of Santel was surveyed using comparable methods in 2001. In continuance of the longterm monitoring at Pipar and to provide a second count at Santel, dawn call counts were conducted in both areas, using the same survey points as previous surveys, between 29th April and 9th May 2005. The aim of those surveys was to collect information on the status of pheasants and partridges and to look for any changes over time.

Community forestry (CF) is expected to reduce poverty, particularly in remote areas of Nepal, where the population below standard poverty line is extremely high and the forest condition degraded. Although community forestry has been widely appreciated as a successful programme in terms of rehabilitating forest condition, the state of institutional and social inclusion and livelihoods opportunity is discouraging and has not been recognized at national level in line with the other achievements made so far.

Poor, marginalized people in rural areas of Nepal, who depend solely on natural resources and climatesensitive sectors such as agriculture, forestry and fisheries for their livelihoods, are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts. Most farmers depend on monsoon rain for crop cultivation, so changing rainfall patterns could have devastating results. Similarly, extreme rainfall causes landslides and soil erosion and can destroy property or even take lives.