All prices are in NRs/KG

*** Price not available
*Ban for export outside the country (Nepal) without processing (except Kutki) and prior permission from DoF; **Ban (in Nepal) for collection, trading and export ;
† Prices of Harro and Barro of Kathmandu are for without seed. For other markets, the prices are of with seed

Note:
1. All prices are in Nepalese Rupees per kilogram.
2. Prices indicated above are for good quality dried parts offered by the buyers of particular market.
3. Above prices are indicative only and need to be confirmed with the traders before making actual business transaction.

This manual on nursery development and cultivation of Paris polyphylla (Satuwa) has been prepared as a part of SNV technical assistance to ‘Market Access and Growth Intensifi cation Project (MAGIP)’ funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and implemented by Ministry of Agriculture and Forests (MoAF), Royal Government of Bhutan, and provides guidance and instructions for the nursery development, cultivation and domestication of the species.

DOWNLOAD (PDF, 463 KB)

This manual on nursery development and cultivation of Chiraita (Swertia chirayita) has been prepared as a part of SNV technical assistance to ‘Market Access and Growth Intensifi cation Project (MAGIP)’ funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and implemented by Ministry of Agriculture and Forests (MoAF), Royal Government of Bhutan, and provides guidance and instructions for the nursery development, cultivation and domestication of the species.

DOWNLOAD (PDF, 922 KB)

The REDD+ pilot project was implemented since 2009 in 112 CFUGs by ANSAB, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and Federation of Community Forest Users, Nepal (FECOFUN) with the financial support of Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD). It is one of the world’s first carbon offset projects involving local communities in monitoring the carbon in their forests and providing the necessary training for them to do so, and covers 10,364 hectares of community-managed forest and has an outreach to over 17,535 households with about 98,196 forest-dependent people. The project established a pilot Forest Carbon Trust Fund (FCTF) in 2011 for the development of an institutional mechanism to ensure equitable benefit sharing and forest carbon payments to local communities, and provided US $100,000 as seed money per year from 2011 to 2013. FCTF has already made two forest-carbon payments to the three watersheds in 2011 and 2012.

As the three pilot sites are heterogeneous in terms of forest area, population density, ethnic composition, and livelihood conditions, the pilot fund addresses equity issues by combining performance criteria with social and economic criteria. Thus REDD payments are allocated to local communities based on six basic elements: 1) the quantity of the carbon stock maintained, 2) increment of forest carbon above the baseline, 3) the number of households of indigenous people, 4) the number of households of minority groups, 5) the ratio of men and women, and 6) the number of poor households within the project area.

The 6,094 hectare Charnawati watershed in Dolakha sequestered a total of 4.75 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2013, an increase of 63,166 tonnes of carbon dioxide compared to 2012. Based on the above criteria, this watershed received an amount of US $43,156.

The 1,888 hectare Ludikhola watershed in Gorkha sequestered 1.53 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2011, an increase of 28,469 tonnes over 2010. This watershed received an amount of US $26,184.

The 2,382 hectare Kayarkhola Watershed in Chitwan sequestered about 2.58 million tonnes in 2013. This represented an increase of 25,467 tonnes over 2010. The watershed received an amount of US$ 25,659.

On average, between 2012 and 2013, the increase in carbon stored in forests under the pilot project through their conservation and sustainable management was 2.96, 3.93 and 3.72 tonnes of carbon dioxide per hectare in the community forests of Dolakha, Gorkha, and Chitwan, respectively.

The communities from the three watershed areas and the project implementation partners thank NORAD for this project.

For more information, please contact Sudarshan Khanal – Research, Planning and Communication Manager at sudarshankhanal@ansab.org

All prices are in NRs/KG

*** Price not available
*Ban for export outside the country (Nepal) without processing (except Kutki) and prior permission from DoF; **Ban (in Nepal) for collection, trading and export ;
† Prices of Harro and Barro of Kathmandu are for without seed. For other markets, the prices are of with seed

Note:
1. All prices are in Nepalese Rupees per kilogram.
2. Prices indicated above are for good quality dried parts offered by the buyers of particular market.
3. Above prices are indicative only and need to be confirmed with the traders before making actual business transaction.

Importance and opportunities of locally controlled forest enterprises in Nepal

Locally controlled forest enterprises involve the engagement of the local communities in forest-based activities as their primary sources of income. These enterprises are established close to the forest, often by or with – and employing – local people, and are inherently tied to the communities in which they operate.

The characteristics of the smallholder and community-scale economic activities as – they tend to be labor intensive, and they cater to local and domestic markets – make them an important positive and long-term contributor to employment and economic development. When these smallholder activities include forest-based actions, they typically contribute more benefits because of the range of the products and services they offer.  To name them, they offer tangible source of incomes as wood and non-wood forest products.  The forest enterprises also offer opportunities on payments for ecosystem services like carbon sequestration, watershed protection, and biodiversity conservation, in the arena of the global climate change.

The characteristics of the smallholder and community-scale economic activities as – they tend to be labor intensive, and they cater to local and domestic markets – make them an important positive and long-term contributor to employment and economic development. When these smallholder activities include forest-based actions, they typically contribute more benefits because of the range of the products and services they offer.  To name them, they offer tangible source of incomes as wood and non-wood forest products.  The forest enterprises also offer opportunities on payments for ecosystem services like carbon sequestration, watershed protection, and biodiversity conservation, in the arena of the global climate change.

The scope and potential. In several cases, development of locally controlled forest enterprises is seen to provide products and services for local subsistence and income and employment opportunities to local communities while contributing to poverty reduction, national economies and conservation of biodiversity.

Clearly, the scope and potential in Nepal is huge and the following facts can give some idea on it.

• Rich Natural Resource Base: The varied ecological conditions prevailing due to altitudinal and climatic variation have resulted to the rich diversity of natural resource products, upon which rural communities rely for food, medicines and other products. It consists over 7,000 species of higher plants, out of which over 700 species are medicinal and aromatic plants.
• Market Scope: Nearly 1,000 plant species of known uses: 700 for MAPs, 440 wild food, 30 spices, 71 fibers, 100 fodder.  More than160 species, some unique and high value products are in trade; generating over Rs. 2.5 billion ($35 million) in 2002
• The positive experience of over thirty years of community-based natural resource management and policy reforms showing unique advantages of community based forest management and enterprises.

Economic Incentives to conservation. Evidence gathered from ANSAB’s enterprise-based biodiversity conservation programs in Nepal suggest that small and medium forest enterprises (SMFEs) create economic incentives for conservation. Communities that are not getting meaningful benefits from forest resources were found to be indifferent to the conservation practices. Enterprise based biodiversity conservation programs changed the conservation dynamics of the harvesting and processing of valuable NTFPs and income of the local harvesters. For example, in highlands, local people used to burn their forest and pasture, destroying valuable medicinal and aromatic plants, such as Jatamansi (Nardostachys grandiflora), to promote growth of grasses for their livestock grazing. Despite several temptations from the government and project rangers they were not interested in community forestry. With the introduction of a community based enterprise in their locality, due to which they got opportunity to sell NTFPs harvested from adjacent forest, they became interested to get tenure of forest so that they can be assured of regular income from the sustainable collection of NTFPs. The enterprise oriented community forestry allowed them to exclude outsiders and manage their group members. It was worthwhile to establish enterprises that added value to the resources and allowed communities to perceive they were making economic gain from their biological resources.

Emerging opportunities. Community based forest enterprises and SMFEs are getting more and more attention from governments, donor agencies, development organizations and private sector. The community right over forest products and resources under the community forestry system has been recognized by the Government of Nepal.

Besides, there are emerging opportunities at all levels. At local level, paradigm shift is taking place from subsistence oriented, state control to enterprise oriented community-based resource management. At national level, shift towards policies in favor of community based natural resource management is evident in Nepal. This has resulted in experimentation on community based enterprises development and providing us the successful and innovative models of community organization and community based forest enterprises. Even in small number, the successful community-based enterprises that have been able to harness the opportunities as building blocks for commercially viable and sustainable long term livelihood option offer us the ways forward.

Recent initiation from government and other partners including ANSAB for the inclusion of carbon and other payment of ecosystem services to the community managed forest system in Nepal shows that there are opportunities to generate income from locally based eco-tourism, hydrological services, and other forest services (biodiversity, water and soil quality).

- This article has been based on the keynote speech offered by Radhesh Pant, CEO of Nepal Investment Board in the third International Forest Connect Workshop organized last February in Kathmandu.

Inventory of Forest products: ANSAB’s experience in Participatory Inventory

Inventory has been an important component towards sustainable forest management, as it determines the existing stock of the forest products and their growth rate. Participation of the forest users during inventory process is important for many reasons. One reason is that it provides the users an idea about the production potential of their forest and they can then develop the forest management plan accordingly. Also, it gives disadvantaged groups an opportunity to express their requirements and expectations; and it helps the users to assess the forest condition and analyze possible decisions for improvement.

Over the last two decades, ANSAB has developed and tested simple and participatory forest inventory methodology in community forest user groups in Nepal. The methodology has been used in calculating existing stocks, developing sustainable forest management plan and determining feasibility of community based enterprise development. ANSAB has also been conducting trainings on the easy to understand methodology, which has also been applied by other individuals and institutions working in the forestry sector, including forest user group members, development organizations, and forestry officials.

Recently, ANSAB has documented a toolkit on Participatory inventory of non-timber forest products, which has been used for inventory at national and international levels. In 2012/13, the toolkit was used during the preparation of sustainable harvesting plan of selected NTFPs at Gaurishankar Conservation Area of Nepal, and for resource inventory of Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) in the Swat district of Pakistan. Upon the request of USAID Entrepreneurs Project/Mennonite Economic Development Association (MEDA) – Pakistan, ANSAB also conducted trainings on participatory MAPs inventory to their technical staff and community persons.

PROJECT/STUDY AWARDS

blue moon fund (bmf) awards ANSAB for the Ecosystem-based Commercial Agriculture program

The blue moon fund (bmf) has recently funded ANSAB for the next round of Nepal Center of Excellence in Rural Development project to design Agribusiness Model for Ecosystem-based Commercial Agriculture in Nepal and contribute to national policy reform and program design. ANSAB has previously implemented two years of the Nepal Center of Excellence in Rural Development with bmf.

Read more on first year of the project >>>
Read more on the second year of the project >>>

Two major forestry projects award ANSAB to conduct studies in Nepal

USAID/Hariyo Ban and Multi Stakeholder Forestry Programme (MSFP) have recently awarded ANSAB for conducting studies. USAID/Hariyo Ban has awarded ANSAB a study to assess Carbon Stock in the Chitwan Annapurna Landscape for REDD+, while MSFP has awarded a study to identify the opportunities and constraints for private sector involvement and investment in Nepal’s forestry sector. The Hariyo Ban program is a five-year program that responds to the USG Presidential Initiative for Global Climate Change and aims to reduce adverse impacts of climate change and threats to biodiversity. MSFP is an initiative of the Government of Nepal that builds on its achievements of the past 20 years of work in forestry sector and is supported by the Governments of Finland, Switzerland and UK.

Read more on ANSAB’s current projects >>>

MARKET PRICES

	Nepal		India
Aconite	700	-	934
Chiretta	725		790
Cinnamon	57.5	-	97.25
Dried ginger	170		199.5
Indian mastiche	575	-	1140
Long piper	837.5		1144
Madder	97.5	-	143.5
Prickly ash	172.5		238
Rock foil	42.5		72
Soap nut	24.5	-	38.75	-
Spikenard	412.5	-	940
Wild asparagus	400		510
Indian valerian	215		530

March 2013 prices in NRs./Kg. Average of two markets (Kathmandu and Nepalgunj) for Nepal; and four (Delhi, Tanakpur, Lucknow and Kolkata) for India. Variations calculated from the previous month.

Consult the complete price list (33 products) >>>

EVENTS

3^rd International Forest Connect Workshop

ANSAB in partnership with the International Institute of Environment and Development (IIED) and the Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations (FAO) organized the third Forest Connect International Workshop from February 12-15, 2013 in Kathmandu Nepal. A total of 30 individuals and institutions from 19 countries participated the workshop.

During the workshop, the country teams from Nepal, Cambodia, Vietnam, Congo, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Brazil and Mexico presented forward-looking reports in response to increasing threats of global climate, biodiversity loss and excessive nitrogen use associated with changes in forest land use. Invited forest institutions concerned with farm forest enterprises from Indonesia, Myanmar, Guatemala, Uganda, Mali, Ghana, Canada, USA, Finland and United Kingdom also gave presentations presented about their current state of activities and support

During the event, participants made a field trip to the Charnawati CFUG – Dolakha that is involved in national level REDD+ demonstration activities and production of FSC certified handmade paper, Sikre briquette enterprise  – SIndhupalchok that is manufacturing briquettes at community level, and Himalayan Biotrade – Kathmandu that processes and trades handmade paper and essential oils.

The first two International Forest Connect Workshops were organized in Edinburgh, Scotland and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Visit FCN webpage >>>

Visit Forest Connect page >>>

36^th NNN meeting

ANSAB organized the 36th sharing meeting of Nepal NTFP Network (NNN) on March 15, 2013 at ANSAB office. During the meeting, sharing of the methodological framework and outcome of study that ANSAB conducted lately on prioritizing NTFP enterprises and support activities that would make the greatest contribution to socio-economic impacts and integrated, intensified and climate smart land use. The participating institutions and individuals also shared their activities and programs in NTFP sectors, and also discussed on harmonizing Community Forestry and IEE/EIA practices and process was done for making the environmental assessment process in community forestry more efficient and less bureaucratic.

Read the minutes of the 36th NNN meeting >>>

Find the archives of the minutes >>>

ANSAB presents at the Annual Meeting of the Asia REDD+ Working Group

Executive Director Dr. Bhishma Subedi presented on the ecological information for community Payment of Ecosystem Services (PES) project with the Nepalese experience in the 3rd Annual Meeting of the Asia REDD+ working group (January 8-10, 2013) in West Java, Indonesia. The presentation focused on the REDD+ pilot project’s forest carbon measurement approach and activities of linking payment and forest carbon enhancement. It also focused on the involvement of communities and bundling of community forests to monitor carbon stocks, which provides a rapid and cost-effective way of CO2 sink and monitoring, as well enhancing ownership over the process.

Learn more on the REDD+ pilot project in Nepal >>>

ICRAF’s consultative workshop identifies capacity development needs in Agroforestry for South Asia

Programs Manager Puspa L. Ghimire participated the consultative workshop on World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF)’s Capacity Development Strategy & South Asian Partners’ Capacity Needs Assessment in Dhaka from 30 to 31 January 2013. Institutions from Nepal, India, Srilanka, Bangladesh, Maldives and Bhutan were present in the consultation, where ICRAF’s capacity development strategy was shared and capacity needs in Agroforestry (AF) of each of the participating country of South Asia was identified. The identified capacity development needs of Nepal by the consultation workshop are:

• Support for drafting national agroforestry policy process
• Piloting of the already envisioned Ecosystem-based Commercial Agriculture including other best practices of AF in different agro-ecological zones
• Developing organizational capacity on AF and conduction of national level trainings on AF
• Developing AF network within the country for sharing the issues on AF regularly

ANSAB participates in FSC International Generic Indicator workshop

Dr. Kalyan Gauli-Manager –Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Climate Change participated in a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) International Generic Indicator (IGI) workshop on 4 -5 April 2013 in Kuala Lumpur. Eight countries including Nepal that are in the process of developing FSC National Standards following IGI participated in the event and shared on the newly developed IGI and its application to National Standards.

FROM THE FIELD

District coordinator serves as a resource person in Dolakha district, Nepal

Dolakha District Coordinator – Mr. Sagar Godar Chhetri presented on sustainable harvesting technique of Wintergreen at Suspa Kshamawati VDC on 5-6 March 2013 on request of the Dolakha District Forest Office. A total of 20 individuals from the district forest office and community forest user groups participated the event.

All prices are in NRs/KG

*** Price not available
*Ban for export outside the country (Nepal) without processing (except Kutki) and prior permission from DoF; **Ban (in Nepal) for collection, trading and export ;
† Prices of Harro and Barro of Kathmandu are for without seed. For other markets, the prices are of with seed

Note:
1. All prices are in Nepalese Rupees per kilogram.
2. Prices indicated above are for good quality dried parts offered by the buyers of particular market.
3. Above prices are indicative only and need to be confirmed with the traders before making actual business transaction.

Major agenda
• Presentation and discussion on Prioritizing NTFP enterprises & support options that deliver integrated, intensified and climate smart land use
• Discussion on EIA/IEE provisions in CFUG

Other agenda
• Sharing of the activities and programs in NTFP sectors by the participating institutions and individuals
• Identification of tentative agenda for next NNN meeting

1. Introductory session
Puspa L. Ghimire, Programs Manager of ANSAB, welcomed the participants and briefed on the agenda of the meeting. He expressed his expectation that the participants would provide their valuable inputs and ideas, and wished the network would be able to produce concrete outputs for developing community based enterprises in the country. Upon his request, the participants provided their brief introduction.

Dr. Bhishma P. Subedi, Coordinator of NNN and the Executive Director of ANSAB briefly introduced NNN. Since its establishment in 1995, NNN as a forum of community, business, donors, environmental, and government representatives, discusses and work together on natural resource management in the country. NNN has 50 organizational and 250 individual members. The Network activities have contributed to sharing of knowledge and information, collaboration among NTFP actors and minimization of duplication of efforts. Through serious deliberations, NNN has identified some strategic NTFP promotion intervention nodes: training, marketing, policy review, and they are being addressed by several organizations.

2. Presentation and Discussion on Prioritizing NTFP enterprises & support options that deliver integrated, intensified and climate smart land use

Dr. Subedi presented on assessing and designing support activities for most promising NTFP enterprise options that would make the greatest contribution to socio-economic impacts and integrated, intensified and climate smart land use. The presentation focused on the methodological framework (Table 1) and outcome of the prioritized NTFP enterprises (Table 2) and support activities that ANSAB developed and studied lately.

Based on the methodological framework, 22 districts – 20 of the western and central mid-mountain regions and mid-mountainous portion of the 2 mountain districts (Dolakha and Sindhupalchok) were considered. Eight enterprise options were shortlisted after the following criteria:

• a history of production, collection and trade of the product in the area at least locally by the community
• high potentiality of increasing production at the local level by introducing new variety, crop and technology
• high potential for local value addition through improved trade practices and processing

A preliminary screening of the enterprises was done by attractiveness mapping based on industrial growth potential and income potential for smallholders. Four of the eight enterprises were found to lie in the attractiveness zone (Table 3).

Table 3: Attractiveness of the enterprises

Final screening was done with the integrated impact scoring of the enterprises in terms of their contribution/impact to gender, food security, energy security, climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity, soil fertility and nitrogen inputs. Based on the scoring, the top two enterprises – biomass based energy enterprises and ecosystem based farming enterprises were finally selected for designing support options.

The required support options were finally designed for the enterprise considering the brief context, issues and challenges. The recommended support activities for the two enterprises are presented in Table 4.

A discussion followed after the presentation, where the participants discussed on the approach and outcome of the presentation. The participants mentioned that the approach was well developed and it could be adopted while program design and approach. The participants also shared their experience for some support measures to NTFP enterprises. Research and development (R&D) on technology, market and conducive environment was mentioned as the most needed support. Support for providing incentives to research, and the commercialization and systematization of research are necessary. An actionable point in this regard could be the identification of the research need from the private sectors that could also be shared in this type of forum. Other support measures could be the assistance to the enterprises for cultivation at commercial scale. Production of the products in volume (at least at the level of a truckload) and their transportation sealed in a truck would reduce the transport barriers. Sometimes donor-assisted mass production of NTFPs doesn’t capture the sustainable market demand leading to their overproduction as is currently observed in Stevia and Aloe Vera sub-sectors. In this context, support in the feasibility study of the products should be ensured before the cultivation and production of NTFPs. Some other support options for the NTFP enterprises could be the assistance in uniform quality and quality control, certification, and authenticity and validity of the products for gaining continuous demand in national and international markets.

3. Sharing of the activities in NTFP sectors by the participating institutions and individuals

A sharing session followed after the presentation and discussion where the participating institutions and individuals shared on their current activities in NTFP sectors.

Two projects – HIMALI and HVAP of the AEC/FNCCI have identified NTFP as having potential for improving livelihoods of the community while conserving biodiversity. HIMALI is providing upto 80% of grant for the farmers group for enterprise development. The commodity associations, FNCCI and the PMUs have been supporting the user groups in preparing business plan.

SNV has been promoting NTFP sectors beyond the prioritized commodities (example as identified by the Herbs and NTFP trading policy) and is currently working in NTFPs including kurilo, aloe vera, and essential oils – mentha, eucalyptus and citronella.

Himalayan Naturals is exploring on the opportunity of linking the forestry sector to the energy sector. Currently they are involved in producing bio-briquettes at community level and have been marketing the products in urban market centers. A fair benefit sharing mechanism has been established among the communities and the marketing company.

The Institute of Forestry, Pokhara has established NTFP based museum and been supporting in information dissemination. They are working on increasing research activities in the sector with coordinated efforts of the government.

Department of Plant Resources (DPR) of the government of Nepal has been conducting and providing services in the field of research and development of plant resources in Nepal. The research component is vibrant and conducting resource survey and collection of plant materials and preservation of the specimens, chemical and biological researches for the utilization of medicinal, aromatic and other valuable plants, and biotechnology research, improvement and propagation of plants of economic value.

Nepal Herbs & Herbal Products Association (NEHHPA) has documented the commonly traded medicinal and aromatic plants of Nepal and developed NTFPs/MAPs Business Promotion Strategy (2012-2016) focusing private sector’s perspective.

ECARDS has been working on knowledge sharing and promoting understanding of the dynamics of the NTFP related activities.

Raising Income of Small and Medium Farmers Project (RISMFP) of the Government of Nepal has been working to reduce the market and business risks faced by the small and medium farmers diversifying into high value commodities in the Mid-West and Far-West Development Regions of Nepal.

WWF Nepal has been addressing the sustainable harvesting issues of NTFPs/MAPs in mountains of Nepal and been working on providing concise information of the prioritized species.

RIMS has been implementing and conducting research and development projects in the field of community forestry, entrepreneurship development, policy advocacy and social justices.

The NTFP section of the Department of Forest of the Government has been working in reducing the transportation hurdles and barriers of NTFPs in the country. They have recently provisioned the sealing of the products in the origin and opening that in the destination to reduce the hurdle. They have also been studying on the prospects of NTFPs for income generation and smooth operation of NTFP enterprises.

4. Discussion on EIA/IEE provisions in CFUG

A brief discussion on the recent amendment of the Environmental Protection Regulations (1997) on EIA/IEE issue regarding community forestry was made. With this amendment, there is now no provision of IEE/EIA while preparing the work plan of the community forests up to 500 hectares, while IEE is provisioned for the community forests from 500 to 750 hectares and EIA for community forests above 750 hectares. While this increase in threshold for IEE/EIA has some positive impacts in terms of community forestry handover and establishing community enterprises with resources from these forests, there was an understanding among the participants for preparing operational plan by inventory of NTFPs and then incorporating that in the CFUG operational plan instead of IEE/EIA. The CFUG operational guideline already considers economic, social and environmental elements with scientific inventory procedure and acts as a tool for sustainable forest management and the existing provision of CF inventory also considers most of the elements of the requirements of IEE/EIA. So, there is need to harmonize the CF and IEE/EIA practices and process to make the process efficient and less bureaucratic.

5. Identification of the agenda for next NNN meeting

Some possible agendas identified by the participants for next NNN meeting are:

• Identification of the technological need of the products from the organizations working in the sector
• Identification of the research need for the conservation/restoration of NTFPs while improving livelihood and promoting climate

The participants will also suggest agenda if they find it appropriate for discussing in the NNN forum. Agendas could also be proposed if the participants want to share important information and researches on NTFPs.

6. Closing

Dr. Annapurna Nanda Das, Director General of DPR delivered the closing remarks. He mentioned that identifying and addressing challenges should be dealt in holistic instead of facing them piecemeal. He thanked all the participants for their active participation and announced the closing of the meeting.

List of the Participants

• To strengthen the capacity of civil society actors in Nepal, to ensure their active participation in the planning and preparation of national REDD-strategies;
• To establish a Forest Carbon Trust Fund (FCTF) that is sustainable and creditable in the long run; and
• To contribute to the development of REDD strategies that can effectively and efficiently monitor forest carbon flux in community managed forests.

The project also aims to assess and establish the baseline value of watershed-level forest carbon stock, and to calculate forest carbon of individual community forests to support carbon payment. The approach of this project is to learn from piloting and demonstrating various REDD+ related activities (such as the baseline information collection, forest carbon measurement, benefit sharing mechanism, capacity building, forest carbon measurement, field testing and demonstration) as well as to contribute to the National REDD+ policy process and for demonstrating the feasibility of REDD payment mechanisms in community forests. Further the project has focused on the concerns of indigenous, marginalized people and local communities who are dependent on forests. This is done by involving them in the design and function of a national-level REDD governance and payment mechanisms that supports community forestry at the grassroots level.

Through the project’s capacity building activities, local communities have been trained to measure carbon stocks, thus developing technical skills within the community. Outreach-materials have been developed on subjects such as capacity building and institutionalizing REDD mechanism in Nepal. Many CFUGs have internalized the REDD provisions to include in their own Community Forests constituency and operational forest management plans (OFMP). The communities have initiated activities that enhance forest carbon stocks through promoting alternative energy in all three watersheds at the household level. Some of these include:

• Using biogas and improved cooking stoves;
• Enriching plantations through fire prevention; and
• Controlled grazing and fodder development measures.

These activities have resulted in the 2011 carbon stock of these three community forests to increase by 27391.6 ton carbon (equivalent to 100,435.8 tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) gas while sequestrating the carbon within the range of 1.32 t ha-1 yr-1 and 5.31 t ha-1 yr-1). These community-managed forests, are major sinks, covering close to 7.5 million ha in the Himalayan region.

The project has established the Forest Carbon Trust Fund (FCTF) and a benefit sharing mechanism that will be the foundation for developing a national REDD+ strategy. On June 14, 2011, FCTF was formally established with a US $100,000 seed grant from NORAD, by a multi-stakeholder task force that comprised of members from the Government’s REDD Forestry and Climate Change Cell, the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN), ANSAB, ICIMOD, FECOFUN, and the Joshi and Bhandari Company. FCTF distributed US $95,000 last June among the three watersheds, based on four basic elements established by the task force:

1. The quantity of forest carbon saved above the baseline;
2. The number of households of indigenous peoples and minority groups;
3. The female population and women; and
4. The number of poor households within the project area.

Based on these elements, the Charnawati watershed received $ 45,534.93, Kayarkhola received $21,904.94 and the Ludikhola watershed received $27,560.13. The watershed-level FCTF advisory committees determined the amount to be used for reserve funds when the funding was released (Ludikhola kept a reserve fund of NRs. 150,000 (US $2,142.86), Kayarkhola NRs. 100,000 (US $1,428.57) and Charnawati kept NRs. 100,000 (US $1,428.57)). Remaining funding has been distributed among the CFUGs in Ludikhola. The Kayarkhola FCTF advisory committee has retained half of the money and distributed only half of the funding. Retaining half of the distributable funds was done to ensure that CFUGs performed activities as per the plan. The CFUG has to spend the money on activities that reduce deforestation and forest degradation. The activities should include alternative energy promotion, conservation of forest carbon stocks, sustainable management of forest, biodiversity conservation, enhancement of forest carbon stocks, poverty reduction/livelihood improvement activities, forest carbon monitoring, awareness raising and capacity building on REDD and climate change, and auditing of FCTF and verification of data.

For more information, please contact Sudarshan Khanal at sudarshankhanal@ansab.org.

Read more on the project >>>