How Can Timber Rents Better Contribute to Poverty Reduction through Community Forestry in the Terai Region of Nepal?

Abstract

The paper explores the existing situation of Community Forestry (CF) in Nepal's Terai in relation to timber rents. The legislation behind CF in Nepal is explained, and it is argued that Nepal's model of CF goes a long way to mitigating the fundamental ‘anti-poor' characteristics of timber enterprise. Nevertheless, the poor are still unable to benefit sufficiently from timber rents. This is because many poor, particularly in the Terai, are not even members of Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs), and even within CFUGs, there are a number of constraining factors preventing: 1) optimal productivity of CFs; 2) minimisation of costs; 3) maximum realisation of rents; 4) CFUG value addition; and 5) equitable distribution of benefits. Nevertheless, in comparison with other existing forest management modalities in Nepal's Terai, CF offers considerable potential for contributing to poverty reduction if a number of systematic reforms are undertaken.

Key words: community forestry, poverty reduction, Terai, benefit-sharing, forest policy.  

Full text is available at the ForestAction website  

Journal of Forest and Livelihood 6(1) February 2007 pp.28-47