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NepalFORESTS, NEPAL
From 1950 to 1980, Nepal lost half of its forest cover.
The
first scientific measurement of forest resources was done
in a 1964
survey, which estimated about 6.5 million hectares of
forest area.
Studies indicated that as of 1987 the forest area in the
hills had
remained the same but that elsewhere forests had been
degraded. By
1988 forests covered only approximately 30 percent of the
land
area. Deforestation was typical of much of the country and
was
linked to increased demands for grazing land, farmland,
and fodder
as the animal and human populations grew. Further, most of
the
population's energy needs were met by firewood. All these
factors
exacerbated deforestation.
Fuelwood needs of the population mainly resulted from
the lack
of alternative sources of energy. This fact was
particularly
evident during the 1989 trade and transit impasse with
India when
the dispute resulted in a shortage of domestic cooking
fuel.
Because of the decreased availability of kerosene during
this
period, the demand for fuelwood rose sharply in the
Kathmandu
Valley, and fuelwood consumption increased by an estimated
415
percent.
Deforestation caused erosion and complicated
cultivation,
affecting the future productivity of agricultural lands.
Although
several laws to counter degradation had been enacted, the
results
were modest, and government plans for afforestation had
not met
their targets. The government also established the Timber
Corporation of Nepal, the Fuelwood Corporation, and the
Forest
Products Development Board to harvest the forests in such
a way
that their degradation would be retarded. In 1988-89 the
Fuelwood
Corporation merged with the Timber Corporation of Nepal,
but forest
management through these and other government agencies had
made
very little progress. In FY 1989, more than 28,000
hectares were
targeted for afforestation, but only approximately 23,000
hectares
were afforested that year.
A twenty-one-year forestry master plan was devised in
FY 1989
to stem deforestation. Implemented with the help of the
Asian
Development Bank, the program targeted reforestation and
education.
It sought to maintain the forestation level at 37 percent
of land
area.
Data as of September 1991
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