Nepal Customary Right Reportpdf
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Documentation and assessing customary practices of managing forest resources at local level REDD Implementation Centre Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation Babar Mahal, Kathmandu, Nepal August 25, 2015 Produced by Nav Raj Baral Produced for REDD Implementation Centre, Ministry of Forests and SoilConservation, Nepal Copyright © REDD Implementation Centre, Ministry of Forests andSoil Conservation, Nepal Version Final Disclaimer: Although the REDD Implementation Centre, Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, Nepal, commissioned this study, neither the REDD IC nor the government assumes any responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information in the report. ii Acknowledgements Many individuals and institutions have contributed to this study and made it possible for me to complete this assignment. Therefore, I wish to thank all community members and respondents of Sankhuwsabha, Panchthar, Jhapa, Bara and Sarlahi, Sindhuli, Dolkha, Sindhuplachowk, Chitwan, Nawalparasi, Jumla, Kailali and Doti districts for sharing their views and insights, as well as their time and hospitality. I am very much grateful to REDD Implementation Centre, Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation Babarmahal for entrusting me with this assignment and providing necessary technical and institutional support related to the assignment. It has helped a lot to enrich my knowledge and skills on this important subject and also to work with a number of government officials, professional scholars, farmers and their networks. I would like to offer special thanks to Mr. Man Bahadur Khadaka, Chief REDD IC and also to Mr. Rajnedra Kafley, the former REDD IC Chief and all officials of REDD. I would like to thank in particular Dr. Narendra Chand, Mr.Mohan Khanal, and Mr. Kamal for their overall guidance, support and valuable inputs. Special thanks to Mr. Hem Aryal, District Forest Officer Jumla, for his great support and cooperation to make the Jumla/Kalikot field trip highly successful. My thanks also go to two Officers from District Livestock Service Office, Jumla Mr. Gobinda Mahat, Livestock Development Officer, and Mr. Naresh Singh Thapa, Planning Officer. I am equally grateful to the entire District Forest Officers and the staff, Forest Users groups and their networks for providing me their valuable time and sharing their hands-on knowledge, and experiences. I am equally thankful to Mr. Tika Ram Dhakal, Forestry specialist, for his assistance during the Kalikot-Jumla trip and for facilitating meetings and discussions with various stakeholders of the district. My heartfelt thanks goes to Dr. Dhruba Prasad Acharya for inspiring me to undertake the study, providing me his valuable inputs, insights and opinions in all phases of the study, from developing methodology of the study to finalizing the report. It would be impossible to me to complete the assignment without his sincere cooperation. Lastly, my thanks are also due to all the participants of inception workshop, and final workshop for their active participation and valuable inputs which helped to capture the perception, views and suggestions in prioritizing priority actions and developing their strategic actions as well as enrich the quality of the report. Nav Raj Baral Forestry and Environmental Specialist Kathmandu August 7, 2015 iii Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................ XVIII ABBREVIATIONS ..................................................................................................................................... XXI 1. SECTION ONE: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 24 1.1. BACKGROUND AND RATIONAL ................................................................................................................... 24 1.2. OBJECTIVE AND OUTPUT OF THE STUDY ...................................................................................................... 25 1.3. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY ....................................................................................................................... 25 1.4. STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT ........................................................................................................................ 26 2. SECTION TWO: STUDY METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................... 27 2.1. OVERALL STUDY PROCESS AND METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................... 27 2.2. REVIEW OF THE SECONDARY INFORMATION ................................................................................................ 28 2.3. CONSULTATIONS AND MEETINGS WITH CONCERNED STAKEHOLDERS ......................................................... 29 2.3.1. FIELD VERIFICATION ............................................................................................................................... 29 2.4. ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CUSTOMARY PRACTICES ..................................................................... 30 2.5. PRIORITISING CUSTOMARY PRACTICES RELEVANT TO REDD+ PROGRAMME .............................................. 30 2.5.1.1. DATA ANALYSIS ..................................................................................................................................... 30 2.5.1.2. PREPARATION OF DRAFT STUDY REPORT AND STAKEHOLDERS WORKSHOPS ......................................... 31 3. SECTION THREE: CUSTOMARY PRACTICES OF MANAGING FORESTS AND PASTURELANDS IN NEPAL ..................................................................................................................... 32 3.1. INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AND NATURAL RESOURCES ....................................................................................... 32 3.2. CUSTOMARY LAWS AND LAND /R ESOURCE TENURE .................................................................................... 32 3.3 RESOURCE TENURES AND PROPERTY RIGHT REGIMES IN NEPAL ....................................................................... 36 3.4 CUSTOMARY INSTITUTIONS ................................................................................................................................ 38 3.5 FIELD SURVEY AND MAJOR OBSERVATIONS /FINDINGS ........................................................................................ 39 3.5.1 Field Observations ..................................................................................................................................... 39 3.5.2 Case Studies ............................................................................................................................................... 43 3.6 CUSTOMARY LAND (L AND , FORESTS AND PASTURE ) MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN THE HILLS AND MOUNTAINS OF NEPAL ...................................................................................................................................................................... 47 3.6 Customary institutions of managing forests and pasture resources of Nepal ............................................... 59 3.7 INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICES OF USING FOREST AND PASTURE BIODIVERSITY ............................... 66 3.8 CUSTOMARY /I NDIGENOUS FOREST AND PASTURE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN TARAI ................................... 69 3.9 MAJOR FEATURES OF CUSTOMARY PRACTICES OF FOREST AND PASTURE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT OF NEPAL ( BASED ON LIERATUERE REVIEW AND FIELD SURVEY ) .............................................................................................. 69 3.10 STATUTORY LAWS AND OTHER POLICIES ON FORESTS AND PASTURE MANAGEMENT ..................................... 72 3.11 EFFECTS OF CHANGE IN RESOURCE REGIMES ON INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AND FORESTS /PASTURE RESOURCES ..... 75 4. SECTION FOUR: DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS ................................................................................. 79 4.1 CONTEXT ........................................................................................................................................................... 79 4.2 ASSESSING INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE AND CUSTOMARY PRACTICES OF FORESTS AND PASTURE LANDS MANAGEMENT .......................................................................................................................................................... 79 4.4 RELEVANCY OF IK AND CUSTOMARY PRACTICES .............................................................................................. 82 4.5 EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF CUSTOMARY FOREST AND PASTURELAND MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS /PRACTICES ................................................................................................................................................ 83 4.5.1 Management of Forest Fire ....................................................................................................................... 83 4.6 OVERALL ASSESSMENT OF RELEVANCY , EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF IFPM PRACTICES /SYSTEMS ....... 93 5. SECTION FIVE: PRIORITISATION OF IK AND CUSTOMARY PRACTICES .................................... 95 5.1 STATUS OF IK ACROSS ECOLOGICALREGIONS OF NEPAL .................................................................................... 95 5.2 THE CONCEPT OF BEST PRACTICES ..................................................................................................................... 96 iv 5.3 REDD+ BENEFITS , SAFEGUARDS AND MONITORING , REPORTING AND VERIFICATION (MRV) .........................