Ii IL- I ,.'I .Ill• , FORESTR~{ RESEARCH PAPER SERIES I ..'1 • ~,' Number 3 December 1986 " - , =- ATTITUDE, AWARENESS, AND LEVEL OF PEOPLE'S 'PARTICIPATION IN THE COMMUNITY FORESTRY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, NEPAL '. ,,I, Uma Kant Silwal "I. , ,f , ..• HMG-USAID-GTZ -IDRC-FORD-WINROCK PROJECT . "" .. ' ~... - '. , . STRENGTHENIN<3 INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY IN T.HE. FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL SECTOR IN NEPAL , ' II';, .. ' -" ' ~, \ ' •011 ... p. FOREWORD :.. This Forestry Research Paper Series is funded through the project, "Strengthening Institutional Capacity in the Food and Agricultural Sector in Nepal," a cooperative effort by'theMiuistry of Agriculture (MOA) of ·His Majesty's Government of Nepal ~nd the Winrock International Institute for Agricultural Development. Thi~ project has been made possible by substantial financial support from the u.S. Agency for International Development (USAID),. the German Agency' for Techni~al , Cooperation '(GTZ), the Canadian International Development. Research Centre (IDRC) I and the Ford FOUIldation. One of the most important activities of this project is funding for .. problem oriented research by young professional staff of . agri~ultural agencies of the MOA and related institutions, as well as for concerned individuals in the private s~ctor. In particular, fundingisprovided by the Ford Foundation t6 support research activities related to the human aspects of natural resource management. This res~arch i~carried out with. the active professional assistance of the Winrock staff. I . \ • The purpose of this Forestry Research Paper Series is' to make the I results of the research activities related.. to forestry available to a larger audience, and to acquaint younger staff and studeri~s with advanced methods of research and statistical ~nalysis. It is also hoped that publication of the· Series will' stim~late' dis~ussion among policymakers and thereby assist in the formulation of policies which' are suitable to the management of the natural resource systems upon which the development ofN~pal's ~griculture ~epends. The views expressed in this Forestry Research Paper Series are those of the authors, and do not. necessarily reflect the views of. their' parent institutions. ,. Sarah J. Tisch Michael ·B. Wallace I-:-~--- .' .Seri'es' Edi'tbrs" ," U.' I =' 'j:"" .",', ...:_;c".... I'j\': -',' ~ _.. '. - FORESTRY RESEk~CH PAPER SERIES Number 3 December 1986 -= ATTITUDE, AWARENESS, AND LEVEL OF PEOPLE'S PARTICIPATION IN THE COMMUNITY FORESTRY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, NEPAL Uma Kant Silwal ,:. HMG-USAID-GTZ-IDRC-FORD-WINROCK PROJECT - STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY IN THE - FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL SECTOR IN NEPAL TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION 1 Background 1 Literature Review 1 Objectives 2 Limitations 3 METHODOLOGY 3 Selection of Study Area 3 Sampling Procedure 3 Data Collection 3 Background on the Panchayats Surveyed 4 Background on the Households Surveyed 6 - ~ FINDINGS 7 Awareness Regarding the Forest 7 Attitude Towar.ds Community Forestry 9 Participation in Community Forestry Development 10 Helpful Factors for Community Forestry 12 Hindering Factors for Community Forestry 12 CONCLUSION 13 14 REFERENCES 15 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ LIST OF TABLES ~ Table 1. Background on Households Surveyed 6 Table 2. Trees Owned by the Households 7 Table 3. Trees Planted on Private Land in Last Five Years 7 Table 4. Condition of the Forest 8 Table 5. Extent of Forest Change 8 Table 6. Causes of Forest Change 8 Table 7. Disadvantages of Forest Destruction 9 ~ Table 8. Villagers Who Have Seen Community Forestry 9 Table 9. Attitude Toward the Establishment of Community Forest 10 Table 10. Community Forestry Development Activities 11 Table 11. Participation in Community Forestry Development 11 !!' Program Tabla 12. Potantial Participation in the Community Forestry 11 ~ Development Program ATTITUDE, AWARENESS, AND LEVEL OF PEOPLE'S PARTICIPATION IN THE COMMUNITY FORESTRY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, NEPAL Uma Kant Silwal* INTRODUCTION Background The reckless depletion of Nepal's forest has grave consequences for the more than 90 percent of the population who live in the rural areas. ~ccording to some estimates, the accessible forest of the hills may disappear within 15 years. This environmental crisis is closely assoc­ iated with the exploitation of forest resources by a rapidly increasing population. Much of the land has been cleared to meet the growing demand for food and livestock. The forest is being denuded faster than it can regenerate. The involvement of the local community in the conservation and development of natural resources remains the only effective solution to -...- the present crisis. Taking this in consideration, the government has introduced radically new legislation in 1978, the Panchayat Forest (PF) Rules, and the Panchayat Protected Forest (PPF) Rules, whose objective is returning ownership of forests to villagers living nearby. One of the most important forestry programs in the past decade is the Community Forestry Development and Training Project (CFDP) financed by World Bank IDA credit. This project is designed to relieve the short­ age of fuelwood and fodder by encouraging rural people to manage the production of these resources at the panchayat level. The project began in 1980, and 400 panchayats in 29 hill districts are now actively participating in reforestation and forest management activities In a short time, the project has been successful in meeting objectives of afforestation, protection, and management of forest through local community participation (HMG/UNDP/FAO, 1982, 1984). Literature Review 7here is a growing awareness among Nepalese hill farmers of the negative effects of deforestation and soil erosion. The degree of this awareness varies considerably from area to area and depends on the extent of deforestation and soil erosion. Desire to improve the situa­ tion is also very strong. In the areas of high awar~ness, the conserva­ tion activities that attract the most interest are planting fruit, fodder, and fuelwood trees, conserving existing forest resources, . and developing better fodder grass (Campbell, 1981). Familiarity with the advantages of the forest, e.g., environmental protection and forest products is prevalent among rural people, especially the literate (New Era, 1980). In participating panchayats, knowledge of the community *Uma Kant Silwal is Assistant Research Officer at the National Commis­ sion on Population~ His Majesty's Government, Kathmandu, Nepal. ,/ forestry program ha& increased significantly. The awareness is consis­ tently highest ~n the central region, with the with the far-west showing comparatively more knowledge than either the eastern, midwestern or western regions (HMG/UNDP/FAO, 1983) • . After the nationalization of community forest laqd in 1957, - community motivation to develop methods of protecting and managing . forest resources was reduced. Despite the good intentions and partial -~ benefits of this act, nationalization resulted in the increased deple­ tion of the forest and negative attitudes toward external enforcement (Campbell, 1981). Villagers mistrusted the intentions of the Forest Department, fearing that if they improved their forests, the government would take them away. This apprehension was based on the effects of the 1962 Forest Nationalization Act (Wormald, 1976). Only after 1978, when the PF and PPF Rules were enacted, did the attitude of communities toward 'owning' and managing their own resources change considerably. The villagers in general are favorably disposed toward establishing private and village woodlots to meet their demand for forest products (New ERA, 1980). Government programs formulated for community forestry development emphasize community participation and involvement. Villagers provide the necessary voluntary labor for any forestry programs launched in their Village. Many of the households have already participated in similar programs by providing voluntary labor and even contributing to the remuneration of forest guards (New ERA, 1980). In principle, the pan­ chayat leaders have agreed that the people in their respective panchayats are ready to contribute voluntary labor (Forestry Services, 1985). However, a study conducted in the Integrated Hill Development Project (IHDP) in th~ Sindhupalchok and Dolakha Districts reveals that the interest in community forestry is less than desired. In general, however, the awareness, attitudes, and willingness of local people to participate in the development of community forestry is sati3factory. Objectives Although there are several studies concerning the conservation and development of natural resources through community participation, very little attention has ~~en paid to the extent and type of participation, the attitudes and awareness created by community forestry' development, and the influencial factors associated with implementation. This study examines these issues and suggests improvements for the Community Forestry Development Program. The objectives of this study are: 1. Compar~ the local awareness of the direct and indirect benefits from the forest in the intervention and control areas. 2. Compare the attitudes and opinions of villagers from two diff­ erent panchayats toward community forestry development. 3. Assess community, participation in the planting, protection, and utilization of the forest. 4. Identify the factors that influence the effective development of the community forest. 2 Limitations 1. This study covers