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Forest dynamics in Nepal: quantity, quality, and community forestry issues in middle mountain watersheds
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2000 |
| Authors | Schreier, H,; Shrestha, B,; Brown, S,; Shah, P, B. |
| Journal Title | The people and resource dynamics project: the first three years (1996-1999). Proceedings of a workshop held in Baoshan, Yunnan Province, China, March 2-5 1999 |
| Pagination | 129-138 |
| Key Words | community forestry; conferences; constraints; degraded forests; fodder; forest inventories; forest management; forest resources; forests; fuelwood; mountain areas; soil fertility; species; diversity; watersheds |
| Abstract | Historic maps, aerial photographs, and GIS-techniques were used to document temporal changes in forest cover in the Jhikhu Khola watershed, Nepal. Thirteen forest plots were inventoried in 1989 and have been monitored for nine years to document forest quality changes and growth. A user group survey was carried out in the Yarsha Khola watershed to describe the dilemma faced by the user groups in trying to find a balance between excessive use, degradation, and conservation. The results demonstrate that the forest quality in the study area is still declining, as shown by a loss of more than 50% of individual trees. At the same time the tree biodiversity is limited to two major species, there is a lack of groundcover, and the soil fertility in the forest is declining as a result of massive removal of palatable material for animal fodder, litter to support agriculture, and firewood. Turning over the control of forest management to the communities has been claimed as a positive step towards obtaining better management of the forest resources. However, the poorer segments of society, particularly the women with little access to forests on private land, suffer most because their workload is increasing, and fodder and fuelwood shortages are worse than five years ago. The introduction of native nitrogen-fixing fodder trees into the forest and a well planned calendar endorsed by the community is likely to be a better approach than simply restricting access to the forest in the hope of rapid natural regeneration. |
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