FEATURES NEWS THE RISING NEPAL (DAILY)

Natural and Agricultural Resource Management
Integrated Approach Necessary

By Poshendra Satyal Pravat

AGRICULTURAL and natural resource management has become an important issue of concern in a developing country like Nepal where majority of the population (about more than 81 per cent) earn their livelihood from agriculture. Nepal is a storehouse of various forms of natural resources such as land resources, water resources, forests, mineral resources and biodiversity but these resources have not been harnessed properly.

Agricultural and natural resources in Nepal are now becoming a highly sensitive political issue and a source of conflict, which concern our national interest. Population pressure and poverty have become the root causes of natural resource-related problems in Nepal. The commercialization of agriculture has exerted negative impact on the environment and of course on the management of various natural resources. Industrial development and infrastructure such a roads, hydroelectric dams, irrigation canals, and power lines have become major threats to the resource base. Thus, the sustainability of these resources has been questioned, as these resources are scarce and limited. In this respect, the concept of integrated management of natural resources has become highly relevant and urgent to the process of development.

Water is one of the most important natural resources of Nepal. Nepal is the second richest country in the world after Brazil in terms of water resources and it has the potential of producing more than 83000 MW of electrical energy. Though one of the smallest countries in terms of geography, Nepal possesses 2.27 per cent of water resources of the world. But it is an ironical fact that only about 15 per cent of the population have access to electrical energy. Nepal has a theoretical capacity of irrigating 26.5 lakh hectares of land but the irrigation facility is limited to 7.84 lakh ha only. As a result, more than 70 per cent of cultivated area is under rainfed condition and Nepalese agriculture has become a gamble of unequally distributed and unpredictable monsoon.

According to a survey carried out with the assistance of Finland from 1990-1998, about 29 per cent of Nepal is covered with forests and extra 10 per cent is covered with shrubs and woody perennials. From 1978-79 to 1994, the rate of deforestation was 1.7 per cent About 18.14 per cent forestland falls under conservation area. Land and forest resources are over-exploited because of heavy dependence of the ever-growing population in the natural resource base, which has been associated with the loss of biodiversity too.

The elevation of the country ranges from 60 m above sea level to the highest point on earth, Mt. Everest at 8,848 m, all within a distance of 150 km with climatic conditions ranging from sub-tropical to arctic. The pre-dominance of hilly areas with 15 per cent mountains and 65 per cent hills of its topography have created structural problems, which has also become a main factor for restricting the availability of cultivable land to only about 18.03%. The beautiful mountains and forested hills may limit Nepal’s agricultural potential, but these can easily attract tourists and can be exploited as a source of foreign exchange. In this aspect, there is a great scope of converting these resources as a destination of eco-tourism, as more than 14 per cent of the total area of Nepal is under national parks and wildlife reserves.

Due to its unique geographical location and geo-ecological variation, Nepal is also one of the richest countries in the world in terms of biodiversity. The wide variation fosters an incredible variety of ecosystems, thick forests with a wealth of flora and fauna, some of which are endemic to Nepal. But in recent years, the rare flora and fauna are threatened due to human intervention in the name of development and rapid habitat destruction. The unsustainable harvest and illegal trade have further aggravated the problem. Because of our negligence for identification, registration, documentation and utilization of the available biodiversity, a number of multi-national companies are attracted on patenting of the intellectual property rights with their vested interests. The rapid and unplanned urbanization and blind industrialization have made our floral biodiversity vulnerable to extinction. On the other side, the faunal biodiversity has undergone depletion due to illegal poaching and hunting. Considering all these hard facts, it becomes necessary to manage the biodiversity resources properly.

Nepal is also a natural storehouse of indigenous knowledge and useful traditional practices and Nepalese farmers are known to have better knowledge of indigenous techniques of agriculture and other natural resources management. However, these systems have been largely ignored in the formulation and implementation of natural resource management policies, as planners and scientists borrow improved technology from outside and impose it on farmers without considering the existence of indigenous technical knowledge. It will be important to utilize the indigenous knowledge systems of managing agriculture and other natural resources.

Hence we need to generate awareness in the entire community regarding the crucial significance of conserving soil, water, flora and fauna to sustain high levels of biological productivity. Thus, the sustainable management of the resources by integrating agriculture, environment and other natural resources is the need of every developing country like Nepal. Integrated approach should be adopted while formulating national strategies for natural and agricultural resource management and these should be able to influence policies directly dealing with land use, forestry, protected area management, research, education, and training. The proper management of resources within the perspective of our fragile ecosystem can make a positive contribution, as this will ensure sustainable use of land and renewable resources for the agrarian population of Nepal.

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