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Box 7.1 Community Engagement in Navigating Solutions to the Loss of
BES in SEPLS in Nepal
Nepal is a biodiversity-rich country with a multicultural population representing significant ethnic diversity. Nature is considered a complementary part of
everyday life, and the majority of people’s livelihoods depend on natural
resources in a rural economy based on subsistence agriculture. Communities
are dependent on the forest for fuelwood, fodder, and timber, and inland freshwater resources for fishing, irrigation, and daily water consumption for drinking, washing, and bathing. SEPLS in Nepal face social and ecological
challenges such as low education levels, high use of chemical fertilizer, overharvesting, insufficient infrastructure and social services, and an increasing
population density that has led to rising food insecurity challenges.
Nonetheless, local communities are contributing to the effective management of local natural resources through their traditional knowledge and a variety of localized resource-based management systems such as the Federation
of Community Forestry User groups, farmer to farmer and community-based
cooperatives, community drinking water management groups, and communitybased protected area management (Adhikari 2011; ILEC 2012; UNDP 2014b;
Pandit et al. 2016). They often do this through livelihood (economic) and
inclusion (institutional) solution sub-types, which are found with the highest
frequency in South Asia. Moreover, marginal and indigenous communities
undertake entrepreneurial activities through sustainable use of the resources
found in the surroundings in which they inhabit. For instance, their beliefs in
maintaining an eternal relationship with nature are evident in their development of sustainable solutions for improved local community livelihoods
through strategies such as domestication of wild medicinal aromatic plant
species (Pandit et al. 2016).
Similar to South Asia as a whole, in Nepal there is an abundance of local
NGOs, civil society organizations such as Ward Citizen Forums, and
community- based organizations including youth clubs, which are engaged in
conservation and restoration activities. These organizations are also actively
involved in realizing the significant role of the community in raising awareness to address issues of biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of
resources through trainings, workshops, exposure visits, posters and pamphlets, as well as for mobilization and strengthening of community groups
(Adhikari 2011; ILEC 2012; UNDP 2014b; Pandit et al. 2016). In Nepal, as
in South Asia, there is a strong presence of intergovernmental agencies
engaged in project management, and that provide technical support for
implementation.
Technical solutions such as ecological conservation and restoration are
found most frequently in South Asia. In Nepal, forest area covers 40% of the
total land area, and forest resources make a major contribution to addressing
poverty and enhancing the resilience of local communities. Nepal has become
(continued)
R. Kozar et al.
Box 7.1 Community Engagement in Navigating Solutions to the Loss of
BES in SEPLS in Nepal
Nepal is a biodiversity-rich country with a multicultural population representing significant ethnic diversity. Nature is considered a complementary part of
everyday life, and the majority of people’s livelihoods depend on natural
resources in a rural economy based on subsistence agriculture. Communities
are dependent on the forest for fuelwood, fodder, and timber, and inland freshwater resources for fishing, irrigation, and daily water consumption for drinking, washing, and bathing. SEPLS in Nepal face social and ecological
challenges such as low education levels, high use of chemical fertilizer, overharvesting, insufficient infrastructure and social services, and an increasing
population density that has led to rising food insecurity challenges.
Nonetheless, local communities are contributing to the effective management of local natural resources through their traditional knowledge and a variety of localized resource-based management systems such as the Federation
of Community Forestry User groups, farmer to farmer and community-based
cooperatives, community drinking water management groups, and communitybased protected area management (Adhikari 2011; ILEC 2012; UNDP 2014b;
Pandit et al. 2016). They often do this through livelihood (economic) and
inclusion (institutional) solution sub-types, which are found with the highest
frequency in South Asia. Moreover, marginal and indigenous communities
undertake entrepreneurial activities through sustainable use of the resources
found in the surroundings in which they inhabit. For instance, their beliefs in
maintaining an eternal relationship with nature are evident in their development of sustainable solutions for improved local community livelihoods
through strategies such as domestication of wild medicinal aromatic plant
species (Pandit et al. 2016).
Similar to South Asia as a whole, in Nepal there is an abundance of local
NGOs, civil society organizations such as Ward Citizen Forums, and
community- based organizations including youth clubs, which are engaged in
conservation and restoration activities. These organizations are also actively
involved in realizing the significant role of the community in raising awareness to address issues of biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of
resources through trainings, workshops, exposure visits, posters and pamphlets, as well as for mobilization and strengthening of community groups
(Adhikari 2011; ILEC 2012; UNDP 2014b; Pandit et al. 2016). In Nepal, as
in South Asia, there is a strong presence of intergovernmental agencies
engaged in project management, and that provide technical support for
implementation.
Technical solutions such as ecological conservation and restoration are
found most frequently in South Asia. In Nepal, forest area covers 40% of the
total land area, and forest resources make a major contribution to addressing
poverty and enhancing the resilience of local communities. Nepal has become
(continued)
R. Kozar et al.