Village Voices from the Himalayan Forest

Abstract

"There is increasing recognition that the participation of rural people is essential for sustainable development. Therefore, as concern over the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources, including forests, continues to rise, it is crucial to consider the perceptions and priorities of local people with regard to environmental issues. In Nepal, the Institute of Forestry at Pokhara is implementing a programme to give both teachers and students insights into the social issues of forestry development, and to ensure fuller incorporation of these issues into forestry training curricula. As one part of this effort, undertaken with assistance from FAO and Yale University's Forestry and Environment Studies School under a grant from the United States Agency for International Development, the Institute of Forestry has started a programme of field research. This article reproduces comments of local people recorded during a field trip on 16 and 17 January 1990 in and near the villages of Lahchowk and Ghachowk, Kaski District, located in the mid-Himalayan hills of Nepal."