Rajan Kotru

Gender Equality Challenges to the REDD+ Initiative in Nepal

Abstract Despite widespread gender issues in natural resource management and rural livelihoods strategies, there has been little study of how new development strategies, such as Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), consider gender issues. Gender consideration in REDD+ is especially important in mountainous countries like Nepal, where the majority of the rural population, especially women and socioeconomically disadvantaged households, depend on forests for many of their subsistence needs. Any changes in forest access or use rights or rules as a result of REDD+ would impact marginalized people whose inclusion, voice, and access to and control over forest resources are influenced by deeply gendered power relations and socio-institutional practices in Nepali society. This article analyzes ways the REDD+ initiatives in Nepal have considered gender issues identified in earlier studies. The main finding is that the REDD+ policy process is inadequate to account for underlying power dynamics, and thus is unable to achieve equity goals. In the absence of accounting for power, the consideration of gender issues in forest management by explicit inclusion of women in the payment criteria and policy discussions within REDD+ programs, including the REDD+ payment pilot project, is insufficient to redress gender imbalances. Forest actors such as the government and other project implementers—including community institutions—lack strategies and responsibilities for applying REDD+ initiatives that are gender equitable and ensure REDD+ benefits and decision-making opportunities for women and other marginalized people. To tap the potential of REDD+ to contribute to both climate change mitigation and mountain development, efforts are needed to make REDD+ national strategy- and policy-making gender sensitive. The critical areas to be addressed in Nepal include framing the REDD+ strategy within the forest ministrys Gender and Social Inclusion Strategy 2008, and then by judicious implementation ensuring access of poor and disadvantaged women and men to forest resources, carbon funds, and decision-making roles in order to undermine entrenched unequal relations.

Forest Condition Monitoring Using Very-High-Resolution Satellite Imagery in a Remote Mountain Watershed in Nepal

Satellite imagery has proven extremely useful for repetitive timeline-based data collection, because it offers a synoptic view and enables fast processing of large quantities of data. The changes in tree crown number and land cover in a very remote watershed (area 1305 ha) in Nepal were analyzed using a QuickBird image from 2006 and an IKONOS image from 2011. A geographic object-based image analysis (GEOBIA) was carried out using the region-growing technique for tree crown detection, delineation, and change assessment, and a multiresolution technique was used for land cover mapping and change analysis. The coefficient of determination for tree crown detection and delineation was 0.97 for QuickBird and 0.99 for IKONOS, calculated using a line-intercept transect method with 10 randomly selected windows (1×1 ha). The number of tree crowns decreased from 47,121 in 2006 to 41,689 in 2011, a loss of approximately 90 trees per month on average; the area of needle-leaved forest was reduced by 140 ha (23%) over the same period. Analysis of widely available very-high-resolution satellite images using GEOBIA techniques offers a cost-effective method for detecting changes in tree crown number and land cover in remote mountain valleys; the results provide the information needed to support improved local-level planning and forest management in such areas.

Diversity and use of wild and non-cultivated edible plants in the Western Himalaya

BackgroundLocal people in the Himalayan region use a wide range of wild and non-cultivated edible plants (WNEPs) for food, spice, medicinal, and cultural purposes. However, their availability, use, status and contribution to livelihood security are poorly documented, and they have been generally overlooked in recent agro-biodiversity conservation and management programmes. The study aimed to investigate WNEP diversity and current status in a part of the Kailash Sacred Landscape—a transboundary landscape shared by Nepal, India and PR China—in terms of collection, use, management and conservation initiatives.MethodsMultiple methodologies and tools were used for data collection. A series of participatory tools (45 key informant interviews, 10 focus group discussions, a crop diversity fair, direct observation of species through a transect walk and rapid market assessments) was followed by a household survey (195 respondents) and complemented by a literature review.ResultsThe study recorded 99 WNEPs belonging to 59 families of which 96 were angiosperms, one gymnosperm and two pteridophytes. Species were used for food, spice, medicine, rituals and income generation. Thirty-five species had multiple uses, including these: 40 species were used for fruit and 31 for vegetables. WNEPs contribute significantly to daily food requirements, especially the vegetables. The use value of Dryopteris cochleata was found highest (0.98) among frequently used vegetable species. The values of informant consensus factor were found maximum for worms in the stomach (0.99) and minimum for skin disease treatment (0.67). Nearly 85% of households depended exclusively on WNEPs for at least more than a month per year. Results on the importance and use of different species, gender roles in WNEP activities and conservation approaches are presented.ConclusionsPeople living in the Kailash Sacred Landscape depend significantly on WNEPs, and this is especially critical in times of food shortage. The WNEPs have considerable potential as an important supplement to cultivated food crops. Farmers prioritise species with multiple use values and popular vegetables. However, there are numerous challenges and interventions needed to ensure conservation and management of species and their continued availability to support food security and local livelihoods.

Forest inventory and analysis in Gilgit-Baltistan: A contribution towards developing a forest inventory for all Pakistan

Purpose The purpose of the study is to analyse the occurrence and distribution of different tree species in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, as a baseline for further inventories, and estimate the biomass per species and plot. Furthermore, it aims to measure forest biodiversity using established formulae for tree species diversity index, richness, evenness and accumulative curve. Design/methodology/approach Field data were collected, including stratification of forest sample plots. Statistical analysis of the data was carried out, and locally appropriate allometric equations were applied for biomass estimation. Findings Representative circular 556 forest sample plots of 1,000 m2 contained 13,135 trees belonging to nine tree species with a total aboveground biomass of 12,887 tonnes. Sixty-eight per cent of the trees were found between 2,600 and 3,400 masl; approximately 63 per cent had a diameter at breast height equal to 30 cm, and 45 per cent were less than 12 m in height. The Shannon diversity index was 1.82, and Simpson’s index of diversity was 0.813. Research limitations/implications Rough terrain, long distances, harsh weather conditions and location of forest in steep narrow valleys presented challenges for the field crews, and meant that fieldwork took longer than planned. Practical implications Estimating biomass in Gilgit-Baltistan’s forests using locally developed allometric equations will provide transparency in estimates of forest reference levels, National Forest Monitoring System in Pakistan and devising Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation national strategies and for effective implementation. Originality/value This paper presents the first detailed forest inventory carried out for the dry temperate and semi-arid cold region of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.

Advancing Regional and Transboundary Cooperation in the Conflict-Prone Hindu Kush–Himalaya

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) supports regional and transboundary cooperation to meet challenges of climate change, disaster risks, and sustainable development in the Hindu Kush–Himalaya (HKH). Action to sustain the HKH has the potential to directly improve the lives of more than one fourth of the worlds population. However, facilitating cooperation and policy coherence among the countries sharing HKH resources is a persistent challenge in a region that is prone to conflict and is highly variable regarding development. At ICIMOD, we work across HKH countries to help attain common goals related to sustainable development, using our skills in bringing together different groups within programmatic transboundary approaches covering topics such as river basins or transboundary landscapes. In addition, the Hindu Kush Himalayan Monitoring and Assessment Programme and the Himalayan University Consortium have made strides in promoting regional and transboundary cooperation among HKH countries, particularly emphasizing research synthesis and the role of academia.

Participatory Forest Management and Sustainable Development Outcomes in the Subtropical Himalayas: A Sequel of Environment, Economy and Equity through Social Empowerment

For rehabilitation of degraded hills of the Shiwaliks in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India, the Changar Eco-Development Project initiative between 1994 and 2006 adopted a watershed development approach, of which participatory forest management involving local communities in decision-making on forest resource planning and implementation was the key component. The operative planning sequence of the participatory forest management (PFM) was (1) problem identification and potential assessment, (2) planning of forestry resources on common land and private land involving village communities and user groups, (3) forest management capacity building of user groups, (4) local institutional strengthening and (5) orientation of the forest department to PFM practises. The productive and protective potential of afforestation measures on degraded land to address ecological, economic and social problems has been demonstrated visibly. These areas are now managed and rehabilitated through adapted forest management practises led by local communities, as increased supply of forest products (e.g. fuel wood, fodder) and services (e.g. water recharging) is met. Moreover, the standing stock in plantations has gained a substantial economic value. However, such innovations will have to be backed up and scaled up by forest managers (e.g. including the forest department) to obtain broader lessons which could then be mainstreamed through policy and management in practise, improving forest governance so that multifunctional goods and services of regenerated forest cover are sustained.

Review Forest Users: Past, Present, Future

From a frugal use of tropical forests by primitive indigenous communities a few centuries ago, their utility has grown to global significance with a wide array of goods and services sought by the world community. This evolutionary role of tropical forests, however, has come at a cost as these forests are under severe threat owing to persistent overuse. It is widely accepted that with the dawn of colonialism across the tropical belt, extraction of forest products for industrial use and infrastructure became intensive, and energy and livelihood demands of the growing population of forest-dependent communities soared. The resultant deforestation and forest degradation under state ownership was countered by handing over management to local communities. It has clearly emerged that tenure security is the key for getting communities committed to judicious management in the long run. With the increased demand for sustainable yield of goods and services, consultative processes amongst a range of stakeholders became important to minimise conflicts and influence policy and management in practise. Learning experience shows that for sustainable management of tropical forests state and community partnership is unequivocal, social inclusion and governance issues must be resolved, value addition of forest products must add to the local economy and employment, technical management must be simplified and the climate agenda must be addressed. Moreover, since sustainable forest management can no longer be seen in isolation from the politics and practise of other sectors regarding forests, it is inevitable that institutional capacities, learning and knowledge networks, participatory monitoring and advocacy forums are consolidated across vertical and horizontal levels of governance and relevant sectors.