People's Participation in Community Forest Management A Case Study of Shree Ashwara Community Forest- Tulsipur-11 Ashwara, Dang

Abstract

The Community Forestry Programme in Nepal officially started in the late 1970s. Since then concerning movement has been evolving to involve local communities in the management and utilization of forests. The policy of the government was originally intended to meet the basic forest products required by the communities through active participation in forest development and management. Later, it was expanded to include the mobilization and empowerment of the members of CFUGs in the development of their local communities. Under community forest program 1.6 million hectares of forestland have been handed over to community, up to 14,000 user groups, representing 1.2 million households in 2007. It was observed that the trend of forest degradation has decreased since the handing over of national forests to local communities, but a number of unintended social anomalies have also cropped up. Such anomalies essentially constitute of the inequality and unfairness in the local and national level and in terms of long-term sustainability of forest resources. The status of women’s participation in implementation process was high while the rate of participation of ordinary women in monitoring and evaluation process and participation in general assemblies was not found satisfactory. Usually, social activities conducted by CFUG were found to have benefited equally to both sexes. Women member of the CFUG had not got opportunity to participate in training and study tours. This study attempts to identify various issues of community forestry, especially focusing on women’s participation in community forestry. It calls for rethinking the CFP in order to face the present days challenges of linking CF with affecting factors in people’s participation, livelihood promotion, good governance and sustainable forest management. It also lays out strategies for reforms in CF.