Management of the Forested Catchments of Nepal's Mid-hills Amid Mismatched Perceptions of Forest–Water Relationships: Challenges and Opportunities

Mountain Research and Development

article

Manoj Badu¹  Ian Nuberg¹  Edwin Cedamon¹  Subodh Sharma² 

[1] School of Agriculture Food and Wine, University of Adelaide;Aquatic Ecology Centre, School of Science, Kathmandu University

关键词: forest;    water;    community perceptions;    Nepal mid-hills;    community forestry.;   

DOI  :  10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-18-00023.1

来源: BioOne

【 摘 要 】

The expansion of communityforestry practices since thelate 1970s and, recently,outmigration have led forestcover to increase in Nepal’smid-hills catchments (.52%of the 4.3 million ha). Thecatchments traditionallyprovide food and income for local communities, and they areincreasingly important for ecological functions, particularlydownstream water use. While the hydrological effects of increasingforest cover are generally unclear in the mid-hills region,mismatched perceptions of forest–water relationships betweensections of Nepalese society and scientists challenge themanagement of the catchments in meeting traditional communityneeds and growing water demand sustainably. This paper showsthe prevalence of the culturally formed notion of ‘‘more forest–more water’’ within broader Nepalese society and theconservation-centric attitude of forest policymakers, who focus onreforestation and afforestation. These perceptions contradictgeneral scientific evidence that shows forest development reducescatchment water yield. Conversely, the results of semistructuredinterviews (n ¼150) conducted among members of communityforest user groups (CFUGs) in the Roshi Khola catchment of themid-hills district Kavre showed that 44% of respondents considerthat forests contribute to increased water quantity, and 37% thinkforests decrease it. Furthermore, the respondents that viewedforests as reducing water quantity disliked pine forests becausethese allegedly caused the reduction. Interestingly, there was apositive correlation between the duration of membership in theCFUG and the perception that forests increase water. Thus, whilethere is a high research need to understand the forest–waterrelationships in the mid-hills, extensive communication of researchresults and deliberation about them are crucial to developingwidely acceptable plans for managing the catchments. This isparticularly important in the context of expanding communityforestry practices and the current debate on scientific forestrypresented by Nepal’s key forestry documents, including theForestry Sector Strategy 2016–2025 and Forest Policy 2019.

【 授权许可】

CC BY