Policy Vacuum Stalls Forest Management in Sudurpashchim, Threatening Livelihoods and Resources

Kailali. Since the abolition of the 'Scientific Forest Management' working procedure in the fiscal year 2077 BS, hundreds of community and partnership forests in Sudurpashchim have been caught in a vortex of policy uncertainty. The inability to carry out any technical work for forest conservation, other than collecting fallen and uprooted trees, has resulted in lost local employment and severely impacted forest protection and management.

According to Hitu Chaudhary, Chairman of the Muktakamaia Community Forest in Kailali, local employment opportunities have been lost due to the halt in forest management. A similar problem is observed in the Singhpur Community Forest in Kanchanpur. Jograj Chaudhary, Chairman of this forest which first implemented scientific forest management in the district in 2074 BS, warned that if the provincial government does not introduce a new sustainable forest management policy, forest operation will become difficult, potentially leading to the situation where they might have to return the forest to the government.

This problem is not limited to community forests. Yadav Bhandari, Chairman of the Bhartal Partnership Forest in Kailali, stated that the stoppage of forest management and product utilization has negatively affected government revenue. Due to the inability to timely cut and utilize old trees within the forest, their quality is deteriorating, and the timber is rotting. On one hand, timber worth millions is going to waste inside the forest, while on the other hand, consumers cannot obtain timber for their own needs. Timber traders are also suffering due to this policy vacuum.

Senior Divisional Forest Officer Ramvichari Thakur of the Division Forest Office, Kailali, clarified that work cannot proceed until a sustainable forest management working procedure is issued at the provincial level. This has created a large gap in revenue collection from local to national levels. Although a task force was formed under the coordination of Forest Director Hemraj Bista last Mangsir and submitted a report after consumer groups announced protests with 23 demands, the working procedure has not yet been approved.

Explaining the difference between scientific forest management and sustainable forest management, Professor Dr. Rajesh Rai noted that these are not two different modalities but merely a lack of understanding. According to him, sustainable forest management requires coordination between its three aspects: social objectives, technical management, and economic feasibility. However, due to the absence of a working procedure in Sudurpashchim, the productivity of the forest has declined. Old trees are blocking sunlight, preventing new saplings from growing. While Sal trees should be managed in an 80-year cycle, the natural regeneration cycle has been disrupted due to 'over-mature' trees.

While the other six provinces in the country have started work by creating working procedures according to the 2081 standard from the Federal Ministry, the process in Sudurpashchim is stuck due to disputes at the preliminary stage. However, Dirghnarayan Koirala, Secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forest, and Environment, informed that preparations are underway to approve the working procedure soon. Due to the policy uncertainty, forest consumers in Sudurpashchim are currently awaiting a concrete decision from the government so that the resources rotting in the jungle can be linked to the economy and livelihood.