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Strategic Pathways to Scale up Forest and Landscape Restoration: Insights from Nepal’s Tarai

Author

Listed:
  • Sushma Bhattarai

    (Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University, Pokhara 33700, Nepal)

  • Basant Pant

    (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Kathmandu 44700, Nepal)

  • Hari Krishna Laudari

    (Ministry of Forests and Environment, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal)

  • Rajesh Kumar Rai

    (Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University, Pokhara 33700, Nepal)

  • Sharif A. Mukul

    (Tropical Forests and People Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, QLD 4556, Australia
    Centre for Research on Land-use Sustainability, Dhaka 1229, Bangladesh
    Department of Earth and Environment, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA)

Abstract

Deforestation and forest degradation mostly caused by human interventions affect the capacity of the forest ecosystem to provide ecosystem services and livelihood benefits. Forest and landscape restoration (FLR) is an emerging concept that focuses on the improvement of the ecosystem as well as the livelihood of the people at the landscape level. Nepal has successfully recovered degraded forest land mainly from the hilly region through forest restoration initiatives, especially community-based forestry. However, the Tarai region is still experiencing deforestation and forest degradation. This study navigated the gaps related to forest restoration in the existing policies and practices and revealed that the persistence of deforestation and forest degradation in Tarai is a result of a complex socioeconomic structure, the limitations of the government in implementing appropriate management modality, unplanned infrastructure, and urban development. We suggest that forest restoration should focus on ecological and social wellbeing pathways at the landscape level to reverse the trend of deforestation and forest degradation in the Tarai regions of Nepal. The study provides critical insight to the policymakers and practitioners of Nepal and other countries (with similar context) who are engaged in forest/ecosystem restoration enterprise.

Suggested Citation

  • Sushma Bhattarai & Basant Pant & Hari Krishna Laudari & Rajesh Kumar Rai & Sharif A. Mukul, 2021. "Strategic Pathways to Scale up Forest and Landscape Restoration: Insights from Nepal’s Tarai," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-16, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:9:p:5237-:d:550335
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sharif A. Mukul & Anja Byg, 2020. "What Determines Indigenous Chepang Farmers’ Swidden Land-Use Decisions in the Central Hill Districts of Nepal?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-16, July.
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    3. Pandit, Ram & Bevilacqua, Eddie, 2011. "Forest users and environmental impacts of community forestry in the hills of Nepal," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 13(5), pages 345-352, June.
    4. Julie Guthman, 1997. "Representing Crisis: The Theory of Himalayan Environmental Degradation and the Project of Development in Post‐Rana Nepal," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 28(1), pages 45-69, January.
    5. Laudari, Hari Krishna & Aryal, Kishor & Maraseni, Tek, 2020. "A postmortem of forest policy dynamics of Nepal," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
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    Cited by:

    1. Laudari, Hari Krishna & Aryal, Kishor & Maraseni, Tek & Pariyar, Shiva & Pant, Basant & Bhattarai, Sushma & Kaini, Tika Raj & Karki, Gyanendra & Marahattha, Anisha, 2022. "Sixty-five years of forest restoration in Nepal: Lessons learned and way forward," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    2. Poudyal, Bishnu Hari & Khatri, Dil Bahadur & Paudel, Dinesh & Marquardt, Kristina & Khatri, Sanjaya, 2023. "Examining forest transition and collective action in Nepal’s community forestry," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    3. Ahammad, Ronju & Hossain, Mohammed Kamal & Sobhan, Istiak & Hasan, Rakibul & Biswas, Shekhar R. & Mukul, Sharif A., 2023. "Social-ecological and institutional factors affecting forest and landscape restoration in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    4. Chunying Ning & Rajan Subedi & Lu Hao, 2023. "Land Use/Cover Change, Fragmentation, and Driving Factors in Nepal in the Last 25 Years," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-19, April.

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