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On the technical level

When the Australian government launched Phase 1 by sending a technical advisor to Nepal to help with afforestation in the Kathmandu Valley, they weren’t even sure what sort of trees to plant. When NACRMP began in 1997, there was no question that, given the nature of the soil and climate, the chir pine (Pinus roxburghii) was most suitable for Middle Hills’ plantations. Once chir pines are established using proper silviculture, the broad-leaf species in demand by villagers for fodder and fuel wood naturally regenerate.

At the end of the NACRMP bridging phase in January 2003, there was still a need to change local techniques of tree care: in particular, villagers so long inculcated with the message to conserve, were still too reluctant to prune and thin their forests. In fact, the need to harvest was urgent: not only have trees matured past their economically optimum harvesting age but not cutting them actually results in a decline in forest quality.

Another gap was knowledge about upper-slope cultivation, where transhumance grazing on alpine pastureland renders the practices of lower elevations inappropriate. Work at the technical level was still in its infancy.

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On the environmental level

The new plantations and the better-cared-for natural forests established in five phases of work had several spin-off benefits for the natural environment. Forest degradation was arrested, as was soil erosion. In addition, plant diversity increased and the quality of wildlife habitat improved. For the farmers, more fuel wood and timber became available.

The establishment of nurseries encouraged farmers to plant a total of about 1500 ha of seedlings on their private land. Broader results included a decline in the cultivation of marginal land and the abandonment of the land-degrading practice of free-range grazing.

The establishment of nurseries encouraged farmers to plant a total of about 1500 ha of seedlings on their private land. Broader results included a decline in the cultivation of marginal land and the abandonment of the land-degrading practice of free-range grazing.

One of the main problems detected with these achievements was a lack of gender and social equity. The already advantaged groups of society were the main recipients of seedlings and the workload of women and girls who had to stall-feed livestock increased. Job opportunities created for forest watchers and nursery attendants and the like went to better educated, wealthier and more politically aware villagers. Making sure that benefits are shared fairly is another of the key needs of Phase 6.

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On the economic level

NACRMP had limited success in transforming the community forest from the foundation of a subsistence-level living to a source of income. Many CFUGs have neither the desire nor the knowledge to harvest forest resources in a sustainable manner and, even if they do, they lack the entrepreneurial skills needed to market them. While guidelines for forest utilisation do exist, they need to be implemented. In addition, GoN’s policies and legislation need to be simplified if farmers are to be able to wade through the labyrinth of requirements for inventories, endorsement of operational plans, licenses, and the taxes and bans on particular sales that complicate matters.

In this rather dim horizon there are bright spots: major steps were taken during NACRMP in promoting the commercialisation of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) through market tours and surveys, and workshops were held to discuss possibilities and constraints.

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) comprise all the other plants found in a forest except for the trees. Because Nepal’s Middle Hills exhibit so much biodiversity, the potential for the exploitation of at least some of these species is high. NACRMP began with surveys and NACRMLP is extending the work in marketing. If linkages can be established and farmers can be trained in sustainable harvesting techniques, the farmers of the Project area will have a long-term source of income that can boost their standard of living considerably.

Some of the NTFPs which villagers have begun to exploit include lokta (Daphne bholua) for paper-making, sal leafs for plates, allo (Shorea robusta) fibers for cloth, and lapsi (Choerospondias axillaries) for candy. The latter enterprise already benefits 80 households in three CFUGs and generates about 1.5 million NRs. per year. There are many more species with potential, including nagbeli (Lycopodium clavatum), chiraito (Swertia chirayito), sugandhwal, dhasingare (wintergreen), nargeli (Edgeworthia garderni), allo (Girardinia diversfolia), pakhanved, bisphej, and majhito (Rubia cordifolia). Phase 6 has made a good start in the first eight months, as the case of Dandapakhar demonstrates.

Already annual transactions in Dandapakhar reach about NRs. 650,000, though collectors claim not to get a fair price, and a network has been set up. To promote what is still a rather haphazard business, this NTFP cooperative, with technical assistance from the Project, prepared a two-year strategic plan in June 2005. After participating in a cooperative business management and NTFP marketing promotion training programme, they prepared a mechanism for collecting six main NTFPs and for selling them in distant markets. It is estimated sales will generate around NRs 1.6 million in the coming year and benefit about 500 households.

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On the social level

By the end of NAFP3, in 1991, a viable new institution which could assume the control of forests turned over by the national government, the CFUG had been established. Phases 4 and 5 saw a refinement of its developmental process and an increase in the numbers of CFUGs established. By the end of NACRMP, in 2003, the CFUG had emerged as a grassroots alternative to a hierarchical and patriarchic society of highly differentiated caste and ethnic groups. CFUGs exhibited greater organisational competence, more systematic administration, improved internal communication, and better external linkages. Still, when Phase 5 drew to a close, only one-third of the 700 CFUGs were considered strong and mature, and the Project judged that achieving its aim of making CFUGs self-sufficient still needed intensive support. Specifically, progress in the last two steps of a five-part process beginning with emergence, legal recognition, and consolidation diversification and expansion, and service provision to other CFUGs had scarcely begun, and SGE and GG were principles poorly practiced.

To facilitate the CF process on the ground, the NACRMP also worked to strengthen the Department of Forest (DoF), particularly in its role as a facilitator of CF rather than a protector of forests under threat from the encroachments of villagers. Despite the numerous trainings and study-abroad opportunities, staff commitment to this change was not universal and still more institutional change was seen to be needed.

In addition, the DoF, due to the growing numbers of CFUGs and its limited resources, was not up to the task of meeting demands. Thus, the Project began to look for local non-government service providers (NGSP) CFUG networks, (international) non-government organisations (I/NGOs), DFOs and DSCOs, for example that could support capacity-building. This development, particularly the question of how the services provided would be paid for was still in its incipient stages when NACRMLP began. Two CFUG networks were established, one in each district, and there was some disbursement of grants to local institutions to support CFUGs. Ultimately, it is hoped that CFUGs will be able to fund themselves, but commercial utilisation of community forests needs to get further along for that to happen. This was another task for Phase 6.

Although the establishment in 2000 of a Joint Technical Review Committee to clarify GoN’s policy objectives and formulate a future strategy was positive, the regulatory and fiscal environment needed to support CF was still lacking when NACRMLP began. This, too, would have to change.