Funded by the UK’s Darwin Initiative, BirdLife International and Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN, BirdLife in Nepal) is implementing a three year project ( April 2015- March 2018) to ensure community forests in Nepal are managed sustainably. At the national level BCN will work with, the Department of Forests and Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal (FECOFUN) to tackle a number of problems currently faced by the unsustainable management of Nepal’s community forests.

Community forestry that benefits people and biodiversity

The natural environment is vital for the well-being of many people in Nepal, especially those living in poor communities. Many livelihoods depend on the forest, which provides a wealth of economic, health, and social benefits to people – termed ecosystem services. A more diverse forest is a healthier forest and one that can provide more ecosystem services. Likewise, managing forests for biodiversity is also actually managing forests for the people, and doing so can alleviate poverty.

Common land in Nepal is owned by the state, which has capacity constraints to monitor and manage the area and often leads to the overuse of resources by the community. In community forestry, the local community themselves plays a significant role in forest management and land-use decision-making, and in Nepal, this was introduced via the formation of ‘Forest User Groups’. Community forest management is also recognized by the country’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) to improve wellbeing and livelihoods.

When it comes to integrating conservation, good governance and the development of sustainable local livelihoods, Nepal’s community forestry programme is regarded as one of the world’s success stories. However, there is evidence that the potential benefits for biodiversity, as well as for social equity and community resilience, are not being maximised. The planning frameworks commonly in use focus on timber production (often to the benefit of a community’s elite). Local people are often unaware of their forest’s biodiversity values or the ecosystem services that forests provide; most of their forest management plans are not geared to the conservation of rare and indigenous species, including those of potential value to the local communities themselves.

Objective

By integrating biodiversity and ecosystem services into the training for forest officers, as well as into the operational procedures for community forest management, the project will raise awareness of the values of biodiversity and the steps women and men in local communities can take to conserve and use it sustainably. Training, awareness-raising, and provision of tools will ensure integration of biodiversity and ecosystem services into local level forest management plans whilst the subsequent implementation of plans will ensure community forests are managed sustainably, with benefits for biodiversity conservation as well as livelihoods.

Benefits to communities of sustainable forest management for biodiversity:

1. Preserving cultural values
2. Creating employment and incomes (e.g. ecotourism)
3. Maintaining water supplies
4. Enhancing resilience (diverse ecosystems and economies are more resilient to environmental shocks and climate change)
5. Conserving traditional medicines
6. Enhancing equity
7. Empowering women through the fairer distribution of more diverse goods and benefits 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3turhnSA4tE&t=50s