UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference

1. Benefit Sharing in Community
Forest Entitlement and Benefit
Forests in Nepal
Sharing in Community Forests
in Nepal Pashupati Koirala
10th April, UNCCD, Bonn
Pashupati Koirala
Forest Management Officer
Department of Forests, Nepal
E: koiralapn@gmail.com

2. Overview
• Community forestry
• Evolution in Nepal
• Concepts
• Learning
• Conclusions
11

3. Evolution of community forestry pre
1990
1978 PF
1976 and PPF
Forest Plan rules
inclusion of
1961 Forest people
Act and participation
provisioned
Panchayat and
1957 Panchayat
protected forest
Nationaliz
ation of
private
12
forests

4. Evolution of Community forestry after
1990.....
1995: Forest
Regulation
1993: Forest Act
1989: Master plan
of forestry sector
13

5. Objective
To gain insight /explore the relationship of forests
benefits and its distribution mechanisms among
users.
Two Community Forests
Rani Simpani
Ha 151.87 358.4
HH 702 389
Respondent: 102 HH
14

6. Forest Entitlement (Community Forestry)
National Forests
Forest Act, 1993
Regional Forest Directorate: monitoring
and appeal hearing
DFO: approval of operational plan
Endowment
CF/CFUG
Sub groups and other groups
Entitlement
Household and community benefits
Well being
Adapted from Leach et al., 1999 15

7. Community Forest (CF)
and
Community Forest User Group( CFUG)
CF
The part of National Forest handed over to the Community
Forest User Group for its protection, development and
utilization.
CFUG
The group of local people registered in the District forest
Office for the management and utilization of the Community
Forest.
16

8. Benefits
Households (Provisional Community
services) • Community development
Infrastructure ( road, school,
Material building etc.)
• Fuel wood • Social development
• Timber Scholarship
• Fodder/Leaf litter/Animal
bedding
• Agricultural implements
• Wild foods
Non material
• Environmental services : Water
• Grant for bio-gas
17

9. 18

10. Problems
• Well off users are getting more benefits than
poor users ( in equitable
distribution).
• Elite capture in leadership positions (
Decision process; constitutional, collective
and operational).
Forest generates benefit for wellbeing ?
19

11. Non commercial Commercial
20

12. RESULTS
Household Benefits

13. Direct Benefits: Leaf litter/Fodder/Animal
bedding/wild food
• About 80 % users
collect animal
bedding/leaf litter. and
20 % users collect
fodder
• Leaf for plate and ritual
ceremonies.
• Only 17 HH use wild
food ( Chepang
community)
22

14. A trend of timber quantity used by users over 18 years in
Rani CF
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
23
Rich Mid-wealthier Poor

15. A trend of timber used by users over six year period in
Simpani CF
2500
2000
Timber Cubic feet per year
1500
Rich
Mid-wealthier
1000 Poor
500
0
2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06
24

16. Timber Distribution (Caste wise)
25

17. Fire wood in Rani
Fuel wood distribution in Rani
Rich
Poor 16%
28%
Medium
56%
26

18. Environmental benefits
Provisional benefit:
Drinking Water and Irrigation
Beneficiaries: DW 360 HH
Irrigation channel
27

19. Community Fund
Generation and Allocation
Community Benefits
28

20. 29

21. Payment of community fund in two CFs (Rani 17 and Simpani 13 years)
3500000
3000000
2500000
2000000
1500000
1000000
500000
Rani CF
Simpani CF
0
30

22. Institutional arrangements
• All users have access to membership and
voting right to elect executive members.
• All have access to forest products.
31

23. Representation of Members in EC
Proportional representation of members in executive
committee
Poor
5%
Medium
39%
Rich
56%
No one included from poor in Simpani yet.
32

24. Rich House Poor house
Hidden
Subsidy
33

25. Major household benefit..Timber
Timber Rani Simpani
Quantity per HH Equal, 30 to 50 Equal/150
cft/HH cft/HH
Rate per Cubic NRs. 220 to 220 NRs. 20 to 35
(for remote
feet location NRs
20)
34

26. How forest development cost is
shared..
• About 25 % of the total cost is named forest
development
• However it is almost 73% of total amount
goes for timber harvesting and depot
management
35

27. Major Rich Poor
material Rani Simpani Rani Simpani
benefits
Timber 268(196%) 70 (39%) 152(84%) 8(18%)
BHH
Average 30.01 26.87 12.96 5.34
cubic
feet/HH
36

28. Conclusions
Household benefits
• Timber beneficiaries are rich and medium well being
users.
• Poor have not been using timber product because of
high price.
• Poor are more dependent on CF for fuel
wood, grass, fodder, leaf litter and very less
alternative source.
37

29. Livelihood Strategies...
• Safety Net:17 HH has been still using wild
food for 3 months hardship period.
• Support of current consumption/coping
strategy: Fuel wood/Timber/Fodder/Wild
foods
• Poverty reduction: no noteworthy income
for poverty reduction yet.
38

30. Conclusions
Institutional aspects
• No discrimination in constitution and operational
plan for rich and poor.
• Poor, including majority users, do not take
participation in the assembly.
• EC has also not any encouraging activity to get
participation of poor users.
• EC bodies have been captured by elite and rich users.
39

31. Conclusions
Community benefits
• Majority fund goes to infrastructure and School support.
• Less than 3 % fund has been allocated for pro-poor
programme.
• Scholarship grant programme is only popular activity for
poor users in Rani.
• Rich and Medium users are getting grant money from CF
for bio-gas installation.
CF has not supported to poverty alleviation.
Only for not to make more vulnerable in rural set
up...
40

32. Recommendation
Policy level:
• Mandatory provision for pro-poor activities in Forest Act.
• Forest management and pro-poor development activity=
First priority. ( Provision in act, rules, guidelines).
Implementation:
• Mobilisation of forestry staff for effective extension to
convince present management bodies of community
forests.
Forest management:
• Change the management objective from timber oriented
to multipurpose forestry.
41

33. Thank you.
Thank you. 42