Forest Cover Change Physiography Local Economy

Authors: Ambika P Gautam Ganesh P Shivakoti Edward L Webb

Publish Date: 2004/01/08

Volume: 33, Issue: 1, Pages: 48-61

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Abstract

This study assessed changes in forest cover in a mountain watershed in central Nepal between 1976 and 2000 by comparing classified satellite images coupled by GIS analyses and examined the association of forest change with major physiographic economic and local forest governance parameters The results showed an increase in forested area forest plus shrublands by 76 during 1976–2000 Forest dynamism changes including improvement deterioration gain and loss was highest in lowelevation southfacing and lesssteep slopes that were closer to roads Proportionately the highest net improvement and gain to forested area also took place in those locations Forest degradation occurred at twice the rate of improvement in high elevation areas 2300 m Forests located in urban and semiurban areas ie a marketoriented economy experienced a proportionately higher amount of net improvement and gain than forests in rural areas ie a subsistence economy Among the three governance arrangements proportionately the highest net improvement and gain took place in semigovernment forests forested area legally under the forest department but with de facto control and claim of ownership by local communities and/or municipality followed by formalized community forests including leasehold Government forests which were mostly found in the southern high mountains and had virtually open access remained relatively stable during the study period Over 50 of the watershed forests have not come under communitybased management despite favorable policy and more than two decades of government intervention with continuous donor support The findings indicate that the present “one size fits all” approach of community forest handover policy in Nepal needs rethinking to accommodate biophysical and socioeconomic variations across the countryFinancial support for this research was provided by DANIDA through a doctoral research grant to Ambika Gautam under the Integrated Watershed Development and Management program of the Asian Institute of Technology ANUTECH Pty Ltd Australia through the Nepal Australia Community Resource Management Project and a MacArthur postdoctoral research grant made available to Ambika Gautam through The Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis at Indiana University We thank the Center for the Study of Institutions Population and Environmental Change at Indiana University for sharing Landsat satellite imagery from 1976 The authors would also like to thank Dr Charles M Schweik University of Massachusetts and two anonymous reviewers for valuable comments on an earlier version of this paper

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