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Forests are crucial to the livelihoods of millions of poor people in developing countries. Yet quantitative approaches to estimate the economic value of forest products and other environmental resources at householdlevel across different... more
Forests are crucial to the livelihoods of millions of poor people in developing countries. Yet quantitative approaches to estimate the economic value of forest products and other environmental resources at householdlevel across different sites have only recently been developed and experiences on using such methods are only presently emerging. This paper presents methodological experiences from using a structured household survey approach to estimate household forest dependency in two high altitude areas in Central Nepal. Area and village level background and contextual information was collected using qualitative techniques; this was followed by a structured household (n = 180) survey conducted over a full year from December 2005 to December 2006. Households were randomly selected and inter alia subjected to quarterly income surveys. The emphasis in this paper is on investigating whether own-reported value data is valid and reliable. It is concluded that it is reasonable to use house...
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Research Interests: Biology, Livestock, Predation, Ecology and Evolution, Transect, and 3 moreSnow leopard, Leopard, and Ungulate
In spring of 2012, we studied the feeding habits of snow leopard using a comprehensive approach that combines fecal genetic sampling, macro and microscopic analysis of snow leopard diets and direct observation of Naur and livestock in... more
In spring of 2012, we studied the feeding habits of snow leopard using a comprehensive approach that combines fecal genetic sampling, macro and microscopic analysis of snow leopard diets and direct observation of Naur and livestock in Kangchenjunga Conservation Area of east Nepal. Out of collected 88 putative snow leopard scat samples from 140 transects (290 km) in 27 (4*4 km2) sampling grid cells, 83% were confirmed to be from snow leopard. The genetic analysis accounted for 19 individual snow leopards (10 male and 9 female) with a mean population size estimate of 24 (95% CI: 19- 29), and an average density of 3.9 snow leopards/100 km2 within 609 km2. Total available prey biomass of Naur and Yak was estimated at 355,236 kg (505 kg yak/km2 and 78 kg Naur/km2). From the available prey biomass, we estimated snow leopards consumed 7% annually which was comprised of wild prey (49%), domestic livestock (45%), and 6% unidentified items. The estimated 47,736 kg Naur biomass gives a snow le...
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Wildlife attacks on people in and around protected areas have become one of the main challenges for wildlife management authorities. We assessed all correlates of wildlife attacks during 2003–2013 in the vicinity of Chitwan National Park,... more
Wildlife attacks on people in and around protected areas have become one of the main challenges for wildlife management authorities. We assessed all correlates of wildlife attacks during 2003–2013 in the vicinity of Chitwan National Park, Nepal. We used data from various sources (discussion with stakeholders, field observations, questionnaire surveys). Wildlife attacks were significantly correlated to factors such as site, season and time, activity, gender and awareness. Moreover, 89% of recorded attacks occurred outside the Park. The number of attacks fluctuated widely and patterns of attacks were significantly uneven across seasons and months. Of the 87% of attacks that occurred during the day, 63% occurred in the morning. Most victims were male and c. 45% of attacks occurred when people were collecting forest resources or working on croplands. Attacks were carried out predominantly by rhinoceros Rhinoceros unicornis (38%), tigers Panthera tigris (21%), sloth bears Melursus ursinu...
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... Abstract. A review on community forest management in the inner Tarai of Nepal and in postwar Japan is presented. The results of case studies on management efficiency of timber forests and plantations in Nepal and Japan are reported. ...
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Climate change may significantly impact the assets, activities and income of rural households throughout developing countries. Estimating possible future vulnerability is therefore essential to climate change impact assessments. This case... more
Climate change may significantly impact the assets, activities and income of rural households throughout developing countries. Estimating possible future vulnerability is therefore essential to climate change impact assessments. This case study paper aims to assess household-level coping and adaptation possibilities in high altitude villages in Lower Mustang, Nepal. These are generally characterised as having limited economic resources, low levels of technology, low skill levels, poor infrastructure and weak institutions, and are thus likely to have low coping and adaptive capacity. Village-level background information was collected using qualitative techniques. This was followed by a structured household survey (2009), emphasizing household assets and income, and a separate survey focusing on households' response to economic shocks. Livelihood strategies were identified using cluster analysis and adaptive responses to shocks (coping strategies) were modelled on the basis of the...
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Human activities are the prime reasons that cause the decline of Chinese Pangolins (Manis pentadactyla) throughout the world. Globally, the limited area is managed under protected area while most of the area lies outside protected areas... more
Human activities are the prime reasons that cause the decline of Chinese Pangolins (Manis pentadactyla) throughout the world. Globally, the limited area is managed under protected area while most of the area lies outside protected areas where anthropogenic threats are experienced high. Incessant increase in the threats has lead Pangolins to a high risk of extinction in Nepal. This study was carried between October 2016 to January 2017 in Balthali VDC of Kavrepalanchowk district using semi-structured questionnaire interview (n=117) to assess prevailing anthropogenic threats to Chinese Pangolins and habitat. Almost all respondents agreed that human activities are major threats to Pangolins and habitat. More than half of the respondents stated that poaching and illegal trade, habitat destruction and haphazard construction and development activities like hotel and road constructions have resulted in reduced Pangolins population. Moreover, intentional human induced forest fire, heavy gra...
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Climate change (CC) impacts on rural farming and adaptation practices are new areas of study in the rural farming systems. This study focused on better understanding the CC impacts and adaptation practices in rural farming in three... more
Climate change (CC) impacts on rural farming and adaptation practices are new areas of study in the rural farming systems. This study focused on better understanding the CC impacts and adaptation practices in rural farming in three different agro-climatic regions (Trans-Himalayan- Mustang, Mid-Mountain- Dhading and Inner Terai- Chitawan district) of Nepal. Household survey, key informant interview and focus group discussion methods were applied to collect primary information at household and community levels supplemented with national climate data. Soil moisture or irrigation deficiencies are the main limiting factors for farm production of the upland framers, particularly, in the midmountain region. It is observed that adaptation to CC is location specific and determined by different factors. Logistic regression model indicated different factors such as resources availability, family labor availability, farm income, institutional activities and involvement in the community level or...
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Nepal is prone to a variety of recurring natural disasters such as floods, landslides, snow avalanches, thunderstorms, drought, earth quake and epidemics. In particular, floods, landslides, hailstorms and drought are almost regular... more
Nepal is prone to a variety of recurring natural disasters such as floods, landslides, snow avalanches, thunderstorms, drought, earth quake and epidemics. In particular, floods, landslides, hailstorms and drought are almost regular phenomena. This paper has focused mainly on water induced disaster (Monsoon) prepared through review of documents, consultation with related line agencies and field level interaction with affected communities. The paper also seeks to explore and document the major disasters and their impacts in Nepal. It discusses policy and program, institutional arrangement and activities related to the disaster management as well as identification of gaps in the policy and program. Nepal has attempted to manage the prevalence of these hazards and their associated disasters through both informal civic involvement and formal government instruments. A legal and policy environment to deal with disasters has existed in one or the other form in Nepal since 1982, and these ha...
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Many tropical species are not yet explored by dendrochronologists. Sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn.) is an ecologically important and economically valuable tree species which grows in the southern plains and mid-hills of Nepalese Central... more
Many tropical species are not yet explored by dendrochronologists. Sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn.) is an ecologically important and economically valuable tree species which grows in the southern plains and mid-hills of Nepalese Central Himalayas. Detailed knowledge of growth response of this species provides key information for the forest management. This paper aims to assess the dendroclimatic potential of Shorea robusta and to understand climatic effects on its growth. A growth analysis was done by taking 60 stem disc samples that were cut 0.3 m above ground and represented different diameter classes (>10 cm to 50 cm). Samples were collected and analysed following standard dendrochronological procedures. The detailed wood anatomical analysis showed that the wood was diffuse-porous, with the distribution of vessels in the entire ring and growth rings mostly marked with gradual structural changes. The basal area increment (BAI) chronology suggested that the species shows a long-term...
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In order to monitor the woody biomass yield 241 permanent sample plots wereestablished in four forests (total 2017 ha) across three physiographic regionsof Nepal. Tree species identification, tree positioning and diameter at breastheight... more
In order to monitor the woody biomass yield 241 permanent sample plots wereestablished in four forests (total 2017 ha) across three physiographic regionsof Nepal. Tree species identification, tree positioning and diameter at breastheight (DBH) for all trees and height for a sample of trees were measured in2005 and 2010. Results presented are density and volume by forest, speciesand diameter class in 2010 and the species-wise increment between 2005and 2010 by forest. Standing volumes were between 134 and 311 m3ha-1, andannual volume increment was 2.5-7.6 m3ha-1. These plots may be utilized forfuture research, teaching and for local planning purposes.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/banko.v22i2.9194Banko Janakari: A Journal of Forestry Information for NepalVol. 22, No. 2, 2012 NovemberPage: 11-18Uploaded date: 12/1/2013
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To monitor the development of four community-managed forests, networks of permanent sample plots were established in 2005 at sites in Chitwan, Kaski and Mustang Districts, Nepal. This research note documents the procedures used when... more
To monitor the development of four community-managed forests, networks of permanent sample plots were established in 2005 at sites in Chitwan, Kaski and Mustang Districts, Nepal. This research note documents the procedures used when preparing for establishment of the plot networks, evaluates the applied stratification of the forest on the basis of data gathered in pilot surveys conducted in the early 2005, and provides a discussion on the implications of the choices made. Key words: Community-managed forests; permanent sample plots; stratification; allocation; estimates Banko Janakari Vol.16(2) 2006 pp.3-11
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This paper analyses the effectiveness of community management of copse forests in the hill region of Nepal. It presents: the major analytical issues of community or common property forest management and the research hypotheses; the... more
This paper analyses the effectiveness of community management of copse forests in the hill region of Nepal. It presents: the major analytical issues of community or common property forest management and the research hypotheses; the sampling strategies used ...
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Repeated forest-resource inventories provide indispensable information to evaluate, for example, the mean growth rate of stands and changes in tree-species composition in an area. This paper presents a summary of such longitudinal forest... more
Repeated forest-resource inventories provide indispensable information to evaluate, for example, the mean growth rate of stands and changes in tree-species composition in an area. This paper presents a summary of such longitudinal forest inventory data in the Middle Hills of Nepal, where deforestation has been an issue. Our first inventory was implemented between 1997 and 1999 and measured 3839 plots of 100 square meters (m2). Our second inventory was conducted between 2014 and 2016 and measured 3765 plots of 100 m2. We found that over these two decades, the number of trees per hectare (ha-1) significantly improved. The number of stands ha-1 with diameter at breast height (DBH) of 10 centimeters (cm) and above went from 361.2 in the first inventory to 466.2 in the second inventory. We also found that not only the number of stands but also the quality of stands significantly improved. The number of stands with DBH of 30 cm and above ha-1 increased from 72.9 to 99.6. The mean alpha di...
This paper contributes to two strands of literature: disaster literature on post-disaster mental health and economics literature on migration. Remittances are a sizable source of income in many developing countries. Evidence suggests,... more
This paper contributes to two strands of literature: disaster literature on post-disaster mental health and economics literature on migration. Remittances are a sizable source of income in many developing countries. Evidence suggests, however, that when adults migrate in order to support their families via remittances, family members left behind often experience poorer physical and mental health. We study the effects of remittances on the mental health of victims of a disaster, the earthquake (EQ) that hit Nepal in 2015. We used three waves of data from 335 individuals in 6 villages in Western Nepal in which emigration is prevalent. The first wave of the survey was conducted one year before the 2015 EQ. In the third wave, which was conducted one year after the EQ, the respondents aged 15 and older were assessed for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptoms. PTSD symptoms were evaluated by the 17-item Checklist Civilian (PCL-C), and depressive symptoms were measured by the 20-question Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scales (CESD) questionnaire. In order to avoid capturing the impacts of remittances for daily expenses and reduce possible endogeneity in the remittance variables, we measured the change in remittances following the EQ. After controlling for pre-disaster body-mass index and asset holdings, we found that the increase in remittances sent to HHs reduced psychological distress measured by the PTSD and depression severity scores. The remittance variables, however, did not alleviate mental disorder as defined by the international-standard cutoff points of PCL-C and CES-D.
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Chure landscape is important and valuable because of its topography, geology, geo-morphology and climate. It provides several ecosystem services to the areas downstream, and also, has direct influence on the quality of the environment.... more
Chure landscape is important and valuable because of its topography, geology, geo-morphology and climate. It provides several ecosystem services to the areas downstream, and also, has direct influence on the quality of the environment. The Government of Nepal (GoN) declared Chure landscape as Chure Environmental Protection Area in 2014, and also, formed President Chure-Tarai Madhesh Conservation Development Board (PCTMCDB) to look it separately. In the last four years, the government has entrusted to invest NRs. 6.15 billion in achieving the targeted objectives. This paper looks at whether the investment is worthwhile by assessing the effectiveness of the policies and programs in Chure landscape to achieve its target or goal. The information was gathered through consultative meetings, key informant interviews, focus group discussions and household surveys in the concentrated and distributive sites of river basin systems. The findings show that the formation of a separate body i.e., ...
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ABSTRACT Lack of combined forest productivity and income studies means there is scant evidence for the sustainability of rural household-level forest incomes in developing countries. This study examines levels and patterns of forest... more
ABSTRACT Lack of combined forest productivity and income studies means there is scant evidence for the sustainability of rural household-level forest incomes in developing countries. This study examines levels and patterns of forest increment, wood product extraction, and household-level incomes in three community managed forests in Nepal, using data from 240 permanent sample plots and a structured household survey conducted in 2006 and 2009 (n = 507 and 558, respectively). We find that analyses of sustainability need to recognize the complexity of forest stand utilization, and that there is considerable scope, by altering how existing local forest management rules are implemented, for increasing rural household forest incomes while keeping harvesting levels sustainable.
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... Affiliation of authors: Joel T. Heinen, Department of Environmental Studies, Florida Internationa] University, Miami, Florida; Santosh Raya-majhi, Institute ... importance in Nepal (Chitrakar, 1996;Tamang, 1993) as a result of both... more
... Affiliation of authors: Joel T. Heinen, Department of Environmental Studies, Florida Internationa] University, Miami, Florida; Santosh Raya-majhi, Institute ... importance in Nepal (Chitrakar, 1996;Tamang, 1993) as a result of both decentralization and democratization (Vaidya and ...
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Research Interests: Modeling, Time Use, Community, Biodiversity, Multidisciplinary, and 13 moreEcological Modelling, Biodiversity Conservation, Agent Based Modelling, Models, Indicator species, Firewood, Resource Management, Rural Areas, Protected Area, Biological Indicators, Agent Based Model, Simulation Models, and Market Access
ABSTRACT. This study compares the management performance of timber production among three management systems in Nepal: private forestry, community forestry with collective management, and community forestry with centralized management.... more
ABSTRACT. This study compares the management performance of timber production among three management systems in Nepal: private forestry, community forestry with collective management, and community forestry with centralized management. While ...