Community Forestry Development
Strong Local Leadership Essential

By Khilendra Basnyat

DESPITE continuing efforts, Nepal’s forest resources are dwindling rapidly. Increasing population pressure is one of the main threats to the sustainability of the forests.

Problems

Growing deforestation will also convert the hills into barren land due to the erosion of the topsoil caused by the high precipitation in the Himalayan region. The flash floods and high runoff rates can induce more landslides, river damming, water logging and other problems.

Changes have been observed in climate and loss of water resources where extensive deforestation has occurred.

In many of Nepal’s middle mountains, the pressure on forest resources continues to grow. It is only through community protection that these resources can be kept from overexploitation.

Although recent legislation in Nepal provides some authority over the actions of local user groups, many of them are still unaware of these rights and responsibilities under the new laws.

The return of formal control of the forest land to local communities represents a major change in Nepal’s forest policy. It was undoubtedly difficult for the government to manage forests.

As the community forestry programme was implemented, many indigenous forest management systems run by individual households, extended families, clan groups and settlement clusters were still functioning. Some communities have developed forms of access control in order to guard forest resources. However, in areas where the government has exercised little control, the introduction of community forestry is observed as an unwanted outside intrusion of authority.

In 1999, the Nepal Forestry Development Plan was formulated and ratified as well. The plan provides an integrated planning framework in order to coordinate government and foreign assistance and investment for the systematisation and speeding up of forestry activities.

One area identified under the plan is the development of the Forest Department staff capable of working with user groups to formulate community management plans. Such a collaborative process between the Forest Department and forest user groups will allow a better integration of local and national needs as well as interests.

The Forest Department encounters a challenge in implementing the progressive community resource management policies that have been formulated by the government some decades ago.

The lack of trained technical and administrative personnel in the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, which is responsible for the implementation of the forest policy, hinders the effective working of the community forestry programme.

While the above mentioned ministry is increasing in size and capacity, providing training to the existing and new staff to work with communities in managing the forest resources remain a complicated task.

In areas close to government offices/agencies, communities have been less autonomous and have to share a great proportion of their forest resources with the country. Less isolated communities have had great interaction with the Forest Department and its programmes. However, remote villages have been left to manage their forest resources with little interaction from the forest office, regardless of the government’s plans and programmes.

Some donor agencies are working with the Forest Department, developing new approaches to community forest management and formulating new training programmes for the field staff.

The Nepal – Australian Forestry Project has produced field worker guides in order to engage the local people in developing forest management plans and also in strengthening user groups.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has extended its activities in the forestry sector by providing further support for the Institute of Forestry.

A Swiss German funded project in Tinao Watershed has developed an interactive process between families and foresters.

Likewise, the ODA-funded KHARDEP Programme placed emphasis on reorientation activities.

Donor agencies have assisted Nepal in forest resource development. However, foreign aid projects are chiefly responsible for the implementation of the community forestry programme which has been found successful in producing and distributing seedlings.

No doubt, the efforts of the Forest Department and foreign aid agencies have generated new ideas in regard to the methods for helping communities mobilise their human and material resources for improved forest and watershed management. However, much of the innovative work has concentrated on a limited number of watershed projects.

From the experiences of the past, it is evident that community forestry projects alone cannot solve Nepal’s accelerating rural energy requirements. The reason is that, under such projects, there is inadequate production from newly planted forests or existing forests to provide firewood and fodder needs of the increasing population.

Actually, the success of Nepal’s collaborative forest management will be determined by the extent to which the government agencies and community groups cooperate in attaining both the local and national needs.

Although the idea of community forestry has been gaining ground in different parts of our country, it has not been so popular in the terai region because of the lack of people’s awareness about it.

Need

In fact, community forestry development is virtually impossible without creating strong local leadership. This is testified by the fact that in a few communities where there is strong leadership, the community development programmes have been successful. However, in many communities, nothing has been done in this regard. Therefore, in order to obtain more benefits from the Community Forestry Development Programme, strong leadership should be generated at the local level.

Recognition Of Child Rights

By Mohan K.C.

CHILDREN are the future pillars of the society. If they are looked after properly they will become responsible citizens of the country. So, it works both ways. The country has to make the necessary arrangements so that the children can become assets rather than liabilities. Nepal, too, as the other countries of the world has not lagged behind in seeing that the children are able to exercise their rights. This can be seen by the fact that Nepal had ratified the Child Rights Convention in November 1990, not even a year after the United Nations general assembly had issued the child rights. This speaks of the commitment of the country to protect the rights of the child in the greater interest of all.

Violation

Despite the efforts made for the protection and promotion of child rights in the country, instances of their violation are reported now and then. It is true that for any convention to be effectively implemented there is a need for the society to be aware of the provisions in force. This is a problem in the country because of the fact that more than fifty per cent of the population are not literate and lack the degree of awareness that can make any programme successful.

In the past decades, the stress has always been on spreading the light of education throughout the country with the limited resources at hand. The efforts have seen that more and more children of school going age are being enrolled in schools located in their villages. Though there may be some problem regarding the recruitment of adequate number of teachers and having the physical infrastructure in place, a greater number of parents are sending their children to school.

As for the girl child, household reasons prevent many of them from attending school. The preference of the boys to receive education while keeping the daughters back to attend to household chores is quite discouraging. This is happening despite the knowledge that girls have the same rights as the boys.

As poverty is rampant in the country, many families have a hard time meeting their needs. In such a situation, every pair of hands has to contribute their labour so that the family requirement can be met. Agriculture is the main preoccupation of the majority of the people but because of small land holdings or fragmentation of land, any specified farm output needs more labour. This is a handicap which the country has not been able to overcome. In this the children have felt the impacts like having to work in the farm or taking the cattle or goats for grazing instead of receiving education. For the short term, it might be augmenting the family income but in the long run not only they but also the country will suffer.

Education has many ramifications. Education makes a person aware of his/her rights; health awareness develops and makes a person fit to face any challenge in life. Education is not only making a person able to read and write but also makes him/her knowledgeable and is able to engage himself/herself in an income generating activity.

The 12th International Child Rights Day that was observed the other day has its own significance. Of course, marking the Day alone does not mean much unless there is all out effort on the part of not only the concerned authorities but everyone to see that the children are able to enjoy their rights so that their all round development is possible.

The question of child labour is a burning one. In a developing country like Nepal, child labour can be found everywhere. The children who come into the job market may be orphans, displaced from their homes, runaways, etc. Whatever the cause there are many child workers in the country. Though the law has specified the minimum age at which children may be employed, it has been flouted in many cases. The most disappointing thing is that the violators most often are not punished. The enforcement of the related law has to be tough. Only this can discourage people from employing minors not only for household works and restaurants and bars but also in hazardous tasks.

Exploitation

It is, therefore, poverty and lack of education that has seen the children being exploited. For this there has to be definite policies and programmes so that economic status of every family in the country is raised. Then only child labour can be eliminated. This in itself will mean a better future for the children. The country, too, by doing the needful now can hope to see itself prosperous and rich in the days to come. Herein lies the significance of the Child Rights Day.

There’s Much To See In Kirtipur

By Gandhi Raj Kafle

NOT very far away from the madding crowd of Kathmandu downtown, there is a municipality with a difference and to visit. Yes, it’s Kirtipur, town with its own unique beauty. To see one has to reach there. And, it doesn’t take much time. All of Kirtipur’s heart touching beauty will be spread out in front of you within half an hour’s drive from Kathmandu. The people are innocently charming, the market is friendly and the temples artistic and inspiring.

And, furthermore, there is no hustle and bustle as in the metropolis. Minibuses and taxis arrive and depart in a gentle manner. There is no chain of honking taxis to catch in a hurry for the rushing commuters. The speed of the life slows down here. You need not have to be choked with gas mixed air. The tantalising beautiful Himalayan ranges beam all the smiles in a welcome gesture for the visitors. Indeed, the fresh Kirtipur air refreshes everyone. In fact in this town, modernity meets tradition and builds its own fabric of social life derived from the old and new values.

Which is the shortest way to go to the Bagha Bhairav Temple? This scribe was in the middle of Kirtipur foothill market. A smilling senior citizen readily answered providing the advice to go ahead and take a turn towards the hilltop where the famous Bagha Bhairav Temple is situated. The direction, as was given, was right. It barely took hardly 15 minutes to get the first glimpse of the temple from the southern side of the hill.

The gate of the temple was open and there were two priests siting inside the shrine. They asked us to come in for the darshan. All of us bowed our heads with foreheads on the feet of the idol of the Bhairav. We were all satisfied with the darshan of the deity. It was, in fact, an inner satisfaction. After all, human beings go to temples because it helps them to forget the day to day troubles and tensions for a few momment.

The Bagha Bhairav temple is a precious heritage of the people of Kirtipur. This is also national property, which has the potential of attracting a large number of Hindu pilgrims and tourists as well. Besides, it has also been an attraction due to its arts for non-Hindu visitors. They come to the temple, observe it keenly and snap photographs. Therefore, the temples of Kirtipur like the temples of other parts of the Kingdom are significant culturally, religiously and artistically for both Hindus and non-Hindus.

The Bagha Bhairav temple site is also popular for the scene it offers. You can see the sprawling Kathmandu Valley in one glance. The Bhimsen Tower, the Tribhuvan International Airport, the Swayambhunath Stupa, the Clock Tower and many other tall buildings of Kathmandu can be seen from this place. Not only this, the mountain peaks, hill ranges and forests of the valley too can be viewed. So, it can be said that the Bagha Bhairav temple is an ideal place with great tourism potential for Kirtipur.

The University is Kirtipur’s another pride. The first times will not be deprived of seeing it because the public buses pass through the south side of the University boundary while going up and they cross the green boulevard of the country’s oldest and largest centre of learning while returning back to Kathmandu. In fact, the University is in the lower part of Kirtipur, so, it has stopped the town from spreading to lower areas. This setting has provided Kirtipur a support for maintaining the greenery.

Kirtipur, thus, has got many gifts from both the nation and nature. But, does it all mean well? Like many towns of the country, the bug of pollution caused by haphazard dumping and disposal of waste materials can be seen here. The older settlement of the town specially tells a sad tale. So, cleanliness and beauty of the whole area including temples and historical places of Kirtipur has to be maintained properly. And, extended the cooperation, it can be believed, nothing is impossible. The municipality can tap local people’s participation and the government’s help from outside would be enough to save and embellish the Kirtipur’s own identity.