Keshav Raj Adhikari

Forest fragmentation and regrowth in an institutional mosaic of community, government and private ownership in Nepal

This study analyzes forest change in an area of Nepal that signifies a delicate balance between sustaining the needs and livelihood of a sizable human population dependent on forest products, and an effort to protect important wildlife and other natural resources. The study area, a portion of the Chitwan valley district of Nepal, represents what may be becoming a common institutional mosaic in many countries of the world who have a population reliant on forest products for their livelihood: (1) a national park; (2) a designated park buffer involving participatory forest management programs; (3) scattered patches of designated community forest; and (4) large areas of adjacent landscape made up of mostly private landholdings under agricultural practices. Utilizing Landsat images from 1989 and 2000, we analyze land cover change in each of these management zones using landscape ecology metrics and quantifying proportional distributions of land cover categories. Our results show significant differences in terms of land cover dynamics and landscape spatial pattern between these land ownership classes. These findings indicate that community-based institutions (participatory management programs in the park buffer and the designated community forests) are capable of halting or even reversing trends in deforestation and forest fragmentation.

LAND-COVER CHANGE AND FOREST INSTITUTIONS: A COMPARISON OF TWO SUB-BASINS IN THE SOUTHERN SIWALIK HILLS OF NEPAL

Land-cover change was studied in two adjacent sub-basins of the Kair Khola watershed in the Chitwan District of Nepal using air photographs and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). It was determined that between 1978 and 1992 dramatic forest conversion occurred in both sub-basins. However, the form of conversion differed significantly. In one sub-basin dense forest was most often converted to maize-based agriculture, while in the other dense forest most often became degraded forest. A village-level investigation of forest governance was undertaken to determine whether community and institutional arrangements explain the differences in land-cover change or whether they are the result of human response to physical and topographic influences alone. It was found that in both sub-basins there are similar institutional structures that are inadequate to control the overexploitation of forest resources and this common attribute, coupled with topographic differences, is responsible for the different forms of land-cover change in the area. Some policy recommendations based on these findings are presented.

Reducing Nitrogen Leaching from Agriculture: An Essential Step toward Protecting the Environment in High Rainfall Areas of Taiwan

ABSTRACT Reducing nitrogen (N) leaching from croplands is important to protect environmental quality and improve recovery of applied N. To contribute to this broader goal of nutrient management, a simple pot experiment evaluated the potential differences among urea (250 kg N ha−1), urea+compost (125 kg N ha−1 from urea + 125 kg N from 8 Mg ha−1 of compost), compost (250 kg N from 16 Mg ha−1 of compost) and a zero control (Ctrl), in terms of their effects on apparent N recovery (ANR), mineral N (Nmin) leaching and soil retention of applied N. Cabbage (Brassica oleraceae L.) and corn (Zea mays L.) were grown in rotation where compost application was not repeated in the 2nd year. Nmin leaching was monitored by adding 83 mm and 62 mm of water fortnightly to cabbage and corn crops, respectively for a total of 28 times in a two-year period. Combined (urea+compost) and independent (compost) treatment application retained 1.5 to 2 times higher N, and lowered 2.1 to 4.6 times Nmin leaching, relative to independent (urea) application. We conclude that farmers’ practice of fertilization that has an inherent problem of N leaching for high rainfall areas in Taiwan could be improved by proper compost and urea combinations within agronomically recommended rates of N application.