This national level study conducted by Asia Network for Sustainable Agriculture and Bioresources (ANSAB) and its consortium partners on behalf of the Multi Stakeholder Forestry Programme (MSFP) of Nepal, assesses and analyses the current status and future potential of developing economically viable and socially and environmentally responsible forest-based industries leading to sustainable, green and inclusive development model in Nepal. The study has prioritized forest enterprises along four major subsectors, namely, timber, non-timber forest products, ecosystem services (especially ecotourism and carbon) and forest bioenergy and developed a thorough understanding of the current status and future potential of the private sector involvement and investment in these subsectors along with the development of appropriate intervention strategies.

Forest rights devolution in Nepal from the late 1980s created different types of community-based forest management institutions, in particular community forestry user groups. Effective forest regeneration led to a new focus on entrepreneurial opportunities for improving livelihoods and social equity, resulting in considerable if unstable enterprise growth. Employing the concept of enabling and asset investments, the study examines how user groups have established and managed forest-based enterprises, taking account of regulatory and non-regulatory factors. The study is based on primary data from interviews with 12 community-managed forest enterprises as well as secondary data from the published, government and grey literature. In light of the high export demand for non-timber forest products from India and elsewhere, there has been gradual policy support for enterprise development from the government. Enabling investments by the government, donors and non-governmental organizations have built momentum and contributed to success. Forest-based enterprises have the potential to change the face of Nepal’s rural economy. However, complex and poorly harmonized regulatory requirements have kept many community-managed forest enterprises in a state of informality and unable to attract asset investment. An emerging second generation of community-managed forest enterprises can benefit from reductions in regulatory burdens and attract asset investments capable of overcoming current obstacles to growth.

This book contributes to our understanding of linkages between carbon management and local livelihoods by taking stock of the existing evidence and drawing on field experiences in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region, an area that provides fresh water to more than 2 billion people and supports the world’s largest population of pastoralists and millions of livestock. This edited volume addresses two main questions: 1. Does carbon management offer livelihood opportunities or present risks, and what are they? 2. Do the attributes of carbon financing alter the nature of livelihood opportunities and risks? Chapters analyze the most pressing deficiencies in understanding carbon storage in both soils and in above ground biomass, and the related social and economic challenges associated with carbon sequestration projects. Chapters deliver insights to both academics from diverse disciplines (natural sciences, social sciences and engineering) and to policy makers.

Research in recent years has increasingly shifted away from purely academic research, and into applied aspects of the discipline, including climate change research, conservation, and sustainable development. It has by now widely been recognized that “traditional” knowledge is always in flux and adapting to a quickly changing environment. Trends of globalization, especially the globalization of plant markets, have greatly influenced how plant resources are managed nowadays. While ethnobotanical studies are now available from many regions of the world, no comprehensive encyclopedic series focusing on the worlds mountain regions is available in the market. Scholars in plant sciences worldwide will be interested in this website and its dynamic content. The field (and thus the market) of ethnobotany and ethnopharmacology has grown considerably in recent years. Student interest is on the rise, attendance at professional conferences has grown steadily, and the number of professionals calling themselves ethnobotanists has increased significantly (the various societies, like the Society for Economic Botany, the International Society of Ethnopharmacology, the Society of Ethnobiology, and the International Society for Ethnobiology currently have thousands of members). Growth has been most robust in BRIC countries. This new MRW on Ethnobotany of the Himalayas takes advantage of the increasing international interest and scholarship in the field of mountain research. It includes the best and latest research on a full range of descriptive, methodological, theoretical, and applied research on the most important plants in the Himalayas. Each contribution is scientifically rigorous and contributes to the overall field of study.

The system of tenure defines how people and communities gain access to land, forests and other resources. In many part of the world, forest tenure system is weak, not pro-poor, and contested. Many countries in Asia have initiated forest tenure reform programmes to improve livelihoods of rural poor. However, the outcome of such reform is mixed and potential benefits to rural people are not fully realised. Restrictive and weak regulatory frameworks, tenure insecurity, and insufficient institutiona l capacity are key factors limiting the impacts of forest tenure reform. Against this backdrop, FAO initiated a regional programme on "Strengthening Forest Tenure for Sustaining Livelihoods and Generating Income" in Cambodia, Nepal and Viet Nam in 2014. This book summarizes key findings of the regional project ‘Strengthening Forest Tenure for Sustaining Livelihoods and Generating Income’ implemented between 2014 and 2016 in Cambodia, Nepal and Viet Nam. It was part of the Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and implemented at the request of the governments in these countries. During the course of project implementation, each country undertook national assessment of forest tenure policies and institutional capacity and identified gaps in these areas. A series of consultations, multistakeholder policy dialogues and capacity development activities was also conducted as part of the project.

Exploring archaeology, community engagement and cultural heritage protection in South Asia, this book considers heritage management strategies through community engagement, bringing together the results of research undertaken by archaeologists, heritage practitioners and policy makers working towards the preservation and conservation of both cultural and natural heritage. The book highlights the challenges faced by communities, archaeologists and heritage managers in post-conflict and post-disaster contexts in their efforts to protect, preserve and present cultural heritage, including issues of sustainability, linkages with existing community programmes and institutions, and building administrative and social networks. The case-studies illustrate larger-scale projects to small micro-level engagement, across a range of geographical, political, social and economic contexts, providing a framework that links and synchronises programmes of archaeological activities alongside active community engagement. The chapters ‘Introduction’, ‘Community Engagement in the Greater Lumbini Area of Nepal: the Micro-Heritage Case-Study of Dohani’ and ‘Conclusion’ of this book are available open access under a CC BY 4.0 license at link.springer.com.

During the last decade or so the extent of natural ingredients used by the cosmetics industry has increased, but there is no comprehensive publication on beauty products based on forest products, although scattered information does exist. By bringing attention to the role of forests in supplying beauty products and the connections with livelihood security and utilization of NWFPs, awareness of the importance of forests and their connection with cosmetics will be raised. Within this context, FAO and the Non-Timber Forest Products – Exchange Programme (NTFP-EP) Asia have conducted this regional assessment of NWFPs related to the cosmetics and fragrance sector. The study compiled a set of case studies that examined specific NWFPs and the various traditional contexts in which they are collected, processed and marketed. The main objective of this volume is to present the case studies and the emerging synthesis, while encouraging cross-sectoral discussions in Asia on forests and beauty products. The study also provides recommendations on further enhancing equitable arrangements between forest communities and industry players. The initiative also organized a mini-seminar on forest product contributions to the cosmetics industry as part of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week 2016 in Clark, Pampanga, the Philippines.

The book presents methodological and applied aspects of sustainability and sustainable management from different countries and regions around the globe. It discusses approaches to sustainability assessment, demonstrates how ideas of sustainability and sustainable management are incorporated into public policies and private actions at local and national levels. Authors focus on promoting greater sustainability in natural resource management, energy production and storage, housing design, industrial reorganization, coastal planning, land use, and business strategy, including sustainability indicators, environmental damages, and theoretical frameworks. Chapters reflect environmental, economic and social issues in sustainable development, challenges encountered, and lessons learned as well as solutions proposed.

Tropical dry forests are the most exploited and endangered ecosystems in the world. A combination of climatic and human factors often reduce these forests to patches of dry scrubs or savannas. Because these ecosystems experience a more arduous and less anticipated environment, they are more prone to environmental stress as plant communities are developed. Therefore, urgent research is necessary to understand both the detrimental issues and problem-solving approaches to conserving these important forests. The Handbook of Research on the Conservation and Restoration of Tropical Dry Forests is a pivotal reference source that combines theory and practice on the current trends and issues in this important ecological subject and discusses future challenges towards conservation strategies of these tropical dry forests. While highlighting topics such as forest management, natural regeneration, and silviculture, this publication examines the anthropogenic impacts on tropical dry forests and the necessity to rebuild their ecosystems. This book is ideally designed for state forest agency professionals, resource managers, non-governmental organization agents, ecologists, botanists, environmentalists, students, and researchers seeking current research on the threats to these forests.

This book examines the processes for the inclusion of women, and the role of women employees in Nepal’s forestry bureaucracy. The book adopts a “gender lens” drawn from feminist institutionalism and is framed around the following four objectives: evaluating the effectiveness of current legislative and policy frameworks for the inclusion of women in the Nepalese forest bureaucracy; examining the dynamics of organizational culture, formal and informal institutions, and structure and agency in and around forest bureaucracy in Nepal; assessing power relations in forestry institutions focusing on influential participation of women forestry professionals in the bureaucratic structure; and gaining insights about the alternative space of feminist institutionalism in connection with women inclusive forest bureaucracy. Findings in the book inform and extend feminist institutionalism perspectives by applying it to a context which remains under explored, providing insights on the efficacy of public sector cultural change, especially as it relates to those areas within bureaucracies less in a position to adopt the changes mandated by society and principles of good governance.