Improving the benefits to the poor from community forestry in the Churia region of Nepal
In spite of the impressive scale of community forestry in Nepal over the last three decades, and its apparent benefits in terms of improved forest condition, there are concerns that the main economic benefits are not equally distributed and that the community forestry process perpetuates
or even reinforces social inequity, economic and environmental injustice. This paper presents the findings of a study investigating the livelihood impact of community forestry in eight community forest user groups in the Churia part of the Terai region. Impacts were found to be very variable
within and between user groups and not easily explained by any single factor. A general finding, however, was that, community forestry shifts benefit flows from individual households to the community level. This means that promotion of fair representation and active participation by the poorest
is needed to ensure that they gain access to the new community-level decision-making fora and the resources managed at this level.
Keywords: good governance; livelihoods; participatory forest management; poverty; pro-poor activities
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: 1: CARE Nepal, Krishna Galli, Patan, P.O. Box 1661, Kathmandu, Nepal. 2: 228, Saraswati Mata Marg, Koteswor, Kathmandu Metro-35, Nepal. 3: Students Partnership Worldwide (SPW) Nepal, Gairidhara, Kathmandu, Nepal. 4: School of Civil Engineering and the Environment, Southampton University, Highfield, Southampton SO171BJ, UK. 5: Research Associate, Overseas Development Institute, 111 Westminster Road, London SE1 7JD, UK.
Publication date: 01 June 2009
- The International Forestry Review is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal that publishes original research and review papers on all aspects of forest policy and science, with an emphasis on issues of transnational significance. It is published four times per year, in March, June, September and December. Theme editions are a regular feature and attract a wide audience.
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