Community Forestry, Equity and Sustainable Livelihoods in Nepal

Abstract

"Community forestry in Nepal was specifically designed to address the problem of environmental degradation and enhance livelihood opportunities through increased supply of forest products, generation of income and empowerment of the rural forest-dependent communities. The concept behind is that people's access to the forest and their involvement in decision making directly affects distribution of goods and benefits and, therefore, their livelihoods. Although the community forestry approach in the country has demonstrated notable successes in many cases, it still has several shortcomings. The difficulties relate to the inclusion and full participation of traditional users, especially the disadvantaged and marginalized groups, and the distribution of benefits to them. Based on the data collected from several community managed forests using the International Forestry Resources and Institutions research protocols, this paper examines various ways in which community forestry contributes to sustainable livelihoods, looks at the nature of dependence of the local people on the forest and how this is likely to change over time. Finally, the paper provides some recommendations for enhancing the contribution of community forests and forestry towards achieving sustainable livelihoods and alleviating poverty."