In the Media
Village management turns around Nepal’s forests
February 08, 2012
Alertnet
When Reshma Kunda talks about the land surrounding her village, her voice is full of reverence. “Our mountains and forests are like our gods. They give us grass, wood for fuel, water, medicines and food – everything we need for our lives,” says the farmer who lives in Godavari Kunda village, about 15 km (10 miles) southeast of the Kathmandu valley. “In return, we owe them protection (and must) keep them safe for future generations.”
Other residents of Godavari Kunda agree. They are part of a movement that has seen local communities across Nepal take charge of forest management – conserving and restoring woodland to mitigate the effects of climate change. At the same time, they are receiving sustainable economic benefits.
Today, a quarter of Nepal’s forests are managed by nearly 20,000 community forest user groups (CFUGs), the first of which were established by non-governmental organisations in the 1980s. The Nepalese government helped replicate the pioneering programme in areas where deforestation was taking place. Now more than a third of the population is now involved in the groups, which collectively manage 1.1 million hectares (2.7 million acres) of public land.
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Keywords: Asia, CFUG, community, community forestry, Forest, Nepal, NGO, village forest