The ITNC supports
a project in Kaski (in Lekhnath municipality) near
Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge named ‘Shillinge Nature Conservation and its
Utilization Project’.
A fund of NRs 200,000 (2 Lakh) is earmarked for the support of this
project. The aim of the project is
to support the conservation and utilization of the, 181 hectare, Shillinge
Community forest in the area surrounding TMPL.
The project was initiated in May 2000 with a view to
supporting the poor community and women of Rakhi, surrounding the Shillinge
forest.
Mr Marcus Cotton, ITNC Trustee and Managing Director of Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge is currently overseeing the project, he gives some vital history as well as an overview of the current situation.
B
efore
the 1950s, while all unregistered or “common” land belonged to the government,
forest resources were used and managed on a local basis by individual villages
who claimed ancient rights to areas of forest as their usufruct. In the 1950s,
in line with global economic policies of that time, Nepal nationalised its
forests and centralised forest management by the government. By the 1980s it
was abundantly clear that this was an unmitigated disaster with ineffective
management, accelerating and unsustainable forest destruction or exploitation
and that “something must be done”. Again, this was in line with global
economic policies and efforts were made to return forest resource management
to locally-based groups – a sort of ‘privatisation policy’.
Nepal is now leading the world in the development of policy and practice in social forestry – the community-based management of local forest resources. A significant percentage of the country’s hill forest base has been handed back to Community Forest User Groups (CFUG) who enter individual agreements with the government as to the management of the forest and in return are entitled to the benefit of sustainable extraction rights.
In the Rakhi Shillinge forest area around Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge, there is a combination of good and moderate mixed deciduous forest (Schima and Castanopsis sp) as well as some large open chaurs – grazing grounds. In May 2000 the then ITNC Representative was approached by the Shillinge CFUG to provide support for a project to develop improved forest protection and management with income generating schemes. This included a novel idea to replant some of the chaurs with non-timber forest products (NTFPs) to provide a regular income to the CFUG in addition to the ‘longer term capital’ of the main timber forest. The NTFP plantations would provide resources for CFUG members to develop income generating activities, for example from the production and sale of baskets and other containers from woven bamboo.
The first phase of the project established an effective forest nursery at Budahare Danda of Rakhi. Dry stone walls were built and repaired where necessary to protect the nursery and plantation sites. ITNC funded this with a grant of £2000. Sadly there were some management failings in this project stage – a lack of technical knowledge for replanting, over expectations of community support, etc. – and the plantations were of limited success with only the broom grass (Thysanolaena maxima) proving viable. The main CFUG expressed its dissatisfaction with those community members delegated to manage the project and, in 2005, the CFUG Committee took back control.
A revised project taking into account past experience was developed in consultation with ITNC and informal expert advice was obtained from social forestry experts such as Gaia Allison of the DFID Forest Livelihood Project. This project is still current and entails the fencing of several chaurs in the overall Rakhi Shillinge area with a view to leaving them for a few years’ for natural regeneration prior to judicious enrichment planting with local timber species and NTFPs. ITNC is providing grants for the costs of fencing and walling repairs and the community is providing voluntary labour and costs for ongoing management and future re-planting. The original forest nursery continues operations and is funded by the American missionary charity World Vision. ITNC is also funding the wages of a Forest Ranger who patrols the community forest area to prevent illegal felling and harvesting of forest products.
One of the big problems faced by environmental projects throughout the world is the lack of awareness in the local communities of the need for national parks. This is especially true in poorer countries with high population pressure - the park land is very often seen as a necessary resource for local villagers to raise their families.
Education is the
key. With this in mind the
Environmental Camps for Conservation Awareness (ECCA) was established in
1987. ECCA is a non-governmental, non-profit making and non-political
organization working in and around Royal Chitwan National Park, Nepal - a park
which the latest census (2000) counted 350 000 people living in the areas
directly adjacent.
ECCA's primary objective is to provide children living outside the park with a broad environmental education on the need for sound resource conservation and management. To imprint on young minds that the park is worth more to the community, both financially and environmentally, as it is than were all its assets stripped and used.
In January 2000, ITNC supported ECCA financially in conducting two camps, one for children and one for teachers and hotel owners. These camps initiated a positive contribution to help children take responsibility towards conservation and to give them a sense of awareness for their environment.
For more information on the reforestation work in Ladakh either click on the above link or follow the Reforestation link in the contents bar.
For more information on the tree nursery, based at the Tiger Mountain/Swiss Air school for underprivileged children near the buffer zone of Royal Chitwan National Park, follow the above link or click Reforestation in the contents bar.