Nepal was once an extensively forested country. Hariyo Ban Nepal Ko Dhan (Green forests, Nepal’s riches) used to be a popular saying that high-lighted green forests as one of the important commodities of the nation. Land clearings for agricultural land, demand for timber and firewood, interest of people to earn money from deforestation besides the political situation have been some major reasons for deforestation.
According to a report prepared by the Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources and Means of 2067 B.S. (2010), deforestation was high in Nepal in 2018 B.S. (1961), which got much higher during the Panchayat System in 2036 B.S.(1979). It states that the rate of deforestation in the fiscal year 2066/67 B.S. (2009/10) was as high as that in 2036 B.S.
Forests have a big role to play for a balanced and healthy environment. In this context, the UN has declared the year 2011 as the International Year of Forests which has been endorsed by the Nepal Government too. The celebration of World Environment Day (WED) on June 5 with the slogan ‘Forests: Nature at Your Service’ is another significant step on global level that highlights the significance of forests.
Nepal too seems to be proactive to some extent to conserve and revive the once green and healthy forests.
According to a report prepared by the Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources and Means of 2067 B.S. (2010), deforestation was high in Nepal in 2018 B.S. (1961), which got much higher during the Panchayat System in 2036 B.S.(1979). It states that the rate of deforestation in the fiscal year 2066/67 B.S. (2009/10) was as high as that in 2036 B.S.
Forests have a big role to play for a balanced and healthy environment. In this context, the UN has declared the year 2011 as the International Year of Forests which has been endorsed by the Nepal Government too. The celebration of World Environment Day (WED) on June 5 with the slogan ‘Forests: Nature at Your Service’ is another significant step on global level that highlights the significance of forests.
Nepal too seems to be proactive to some extent to conserve and revive the once green and healthy forests.
Present status of forests
The last National Forest Inventory on forest resources of Nepal was carried out from 1989-1996. According to the inventory, forests and shrubs together cover about 39.6 per cent of the total land area of the country. That inventory has identified nearly 29 per cent as dense forest and almost 10 per cent as degraded land, which too is part of the forest land.
The Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010 – Nepal Country Report prepared by Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has highlighted the significance of community forestry in Nepal.
“Community Forestry policy has been implemented from the early eighties and started to handover all accessible national forests to local people for their management and use. This policy has brought about significant positive change to restore denuded mountain landscape."
The way community forests contributed to revive the forest land, can be it argued the forest area in Nepal? No, the forests in Terai region are going to vanish if deforestation is not checked on time.
The Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010 – Nepal Country Report prepared by Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has highlighted the significance of community forestry in Nepal.
“Community Forestry policy has been implemented from the early eighties and started to handover all accessible national forests to local people for their management and use. This policy has brought about significant positive change to restore denuded mountain landscape."
The way community forests contributed to revive the forest land, can be it argued the forest area in Nepal? No, the forests in Terai region are going to vanish if deforestation is not checked on time.
Action against deforestation
The report of the Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources and Means conducted in the previous fiscal years claims that Nepal saw the worst deforestation in the last 30 years. People, organization and even then prime minister had expressed concern as to what this report highlighted. In wake of the report, a high level Judicial Commission 2010 was formed to study deforestation. Though the findings of the Commission has not been made public, it is heard action against over 100 people have been recommended by the Commission.
The report submitted on February this year, however, has not been made public yet. There are doubts over the fairness and implementation of the report. Many officials with political links have not been named for action. First, the fairness of the findings should be ensured and it should be made public.
Why forests?
The significance of forests has been realized not only on the national but also on the international level. The year 2011 has been declared as the International Year of Forest that has been endorsed by Nepal Government declaring the same year as Plant Holiday Year. The theme of the WED is forests. People throughout the world will celebrate WED with the slogan Forests: Nature at Your Service.
This is the first time WED is being celebrated with the theme of forest globally. Forest is the cheapest mechanism that helps in reducing global warming and people to adapt to climate change, which is one of the reasons the significance of forest is being realized these days.
And it is true that around 80 per cent of the people in Nepal demand upon forest resources for their livelihood. Though Nepal’s emissions do not add too much, it is the moral responsibility of Nepalese people to save forests as the livelihood of the majority of people here is associated with forests.
Not only are human beings, even bio-diversities negatively affected by deforestation. Out of 5,800,000 hectares of forests in Nepal, 1,900,000 hectares is national forests outside of protected area. There are hardly any wild animals in these forests as they are not conserved. A proposal of not reducing the total forest cover of the nation to less than 40 per cent has been made in the new Constitution. It is surely a good step towards conservation. But, the improvement of governance with transparency is a must to save and conserve our forests.
Not only are human beings, even bio-diversities negatively affected by deforestation. Out of 5,800,000 hectares of forests in Nepal, 1,900,000 hectares is national forests outside of protected area. There are hardly any wild animals in these forests as they are not conserved. A proposal of not reducing the total forest cover of the nation to less than 40 per cent has been made in the new Constitution. It is surely a good step towards conservation. But, the improvement of governance with transparency is a must to save and conserve our forests.
…………………………..
