Forestry in Tarai: Review of Present Condition and Way Forward Dr. Binod Bhatta Dr. Akhileshwar L. Karna

Outline of the Presentation Background – Geographical features History of forest management in Nepal Tarai Various Policy Implications on Tarai Forest Management and Access/Equity aspects of Tarai People Current Activities and Efforts in terms of Forest Management Way forward

Background All Tarai districts not uniform considering existing forest resources, settlements and other features – Districts need to be grouped considering forest and their management Churia Area/Ecosystem – includes Churia hills, Bhabar, Tarai, Dun Community Forest – Panacea

History of Forest Management in Tarai Time line PeriodMajor Events and Policies Until 1951–Consolidation of State  Extensive forests inhabited by indigenous/tribal groups at low density  Tarai forestlands granted by rulers to clients for services rendered 1925 Creation of Kath Mahal (government timber house) and extraction of Tarai timber for supplying to British India 1942 Formation of Department of Forest

PeriodMajor Events and Policies 1951– Formulation of Nationalisation Act 1961 Forest Act and Forest Protection Act 1967 (the so-called ‘Shoot the Bullet Act’) strengthened the powers of the DoF  Government resettlement programme under Nepal Punarvas Company encouraged clearance of Tarai forests for distribution to hill people National Forestry Plan, 1978 and regulations enacted , World Bank-funded Tarai Community Forest Development Project 1989 Master Plan for the Forestry Sector (MPFS) FINNIDA supported Forest Management and Utilisation Development Project GTZ supported Churia Forest Development Project’ Participatory forestry project in eastern Tarai Time Line (Contd.)

PeriodMajor Events and Policies Forest Act and Forest Regulation 1995 provided legal basis for the implementation of community forests with CFUGs as institution 1998 Operational Forest Management Plans for 18 Tarai and Inner Tarai districts prepared and approved but not implemented 1998 Local Self Governance Act (LSGA) Time Line (Contd.)

PeriodMajor Events and Policies Govt order: Provision to include growing stock and prediction of sustainable harvest of forest products in operational plan (OP) made 2000 Government imposed 40% share of revenue in sale of Sal and Khair species from Tarai and Inner Tarai CFs (if sold in market or to non-members of their CFUG) 2000 HMGN Revised Forestry Sector Policy, introduced ‘Collaborative Forest Management (CFM) for the management of Tarai, Inner Tarai and Siwalik forests 2002 SNV-Nepal supported Biodiversity Sector Programme for Siwalik and Tarai (BISEP-ST) and DFID-funded LFP assist in initiation of CFM 2002 CFM Directives and Guidelines developed and approved by MoFSC to conduct the CFM pilot programme in a few Tarai districts 2004 Government reduced the share of royalty in CF from 40% to 15% of revenue from the sale of Sal and Khair timber Time Line (Contd.)

History of Forest Management in Tarai (Contd.) Land grant/lease to various development projects (now encroached) – Sagarnath and other forestry plantation projects – University – Hospitals – Tea estates Establishment of TCN Resettlement Program of Government

Various Policy Implications on Tarai Forest Management and Access/Equity of Tarai People Denial of access to forest by 1993 Forest Act – no “Purji”; concept of “District Supply Committee” Most of the CFUG members were those who were near the forest – encroachers in the past No recognition of distant users

Various Policy Implications on Tarai Forest Management and Access/Equity of Tarai People (Contd.) Participatory Forest Management – CF: Tarai CF Project (WB/IDA); – MPFS – ChFDP – NRMP-CARE – Sagarnath and other Forest Development Project (Ratuamai, Nepalgunj) Taungya approach Emergence of Collaborative Forest – BISEP-ST: CFM, PLF

Current Activities and Efforts in Forest Management in Tarai – Various Experimentation? Various Forestry Related Projects – TAL – BISEP-ST – WTLCP – LFP – CHULI – CARE Nepal – Rashtrapati Churia Conservation Program – Hariyo Ban – Multi-Stakeholder Forestry Program – ……

Current Activities and Efforts in Forest Management in Tarai – Various Experimentation? (Contd.) Who benefits from such programs? Where is the bottom-line? How long will it take before their results will benefit the poor and excluded people at large?

Way Forward Policy required – CFM – PLF – CF (modifications needed) – Leased forest – Private Forest Role and involvement of Private Sector Commercial Forest Management Public land agro-forestry, private forestry, NTFPs management Forest Management by objectives Multiple Use Forest Management

Thank you