With tropical and temperate forests covering about 40% of the Himalayan nation, the health of its trees is key to Nepal's prosperity
Published : 10 Jul 2023, 11:07 AM
Putwomenin charge of cultivatingforestsand thetreesgrow stronger. That's the takeaway from a pioneering 30-year scheme that has elevatedwomento the top ofNepal'scommunityforests- and paved their way into local and national politics.
Three decades of pickingwomenfor leadership roles has produced healthierforestsand happier workers, according to Nabaraj Pudasaini, joint secretary of the government's Department of Forest and Soil Conservation.
"In comparison to other communityforestsin the country, the ones managed bywomenare doing exceptionally well," said Pudasaini.
"Womenspend more time in the forest than men, so they naturally have a deeper love and understanding of it. They are honest, transparent and have good relations with villagers, so they became a success," he added.
Apsara Chapagain is typical of this trend for topfemaleforesters, as the firstwomento chair the Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal (FECOFUN), a national body that promotes community rights over local land.
With tropical and temperateforestscovering about 40% of the Himalayan nation, the health of itstreesis key toNepal'sprosperity and its roughly 29 million people.
Having run FECOFUN from 2010 to 2015, Chapagain is now deputy speaker of the assembly in Bagmati province, one of seven in the landlocked nation.
The 51-year-old credits her rise in local politics to her pioneering work with protectingtreesand championingwomen.
"We have worked to show the way for the state," said Chapagain, whose time with the forest movement taught her how to run teams, chair meetings and take decisions for the benefit of the community at large.
"Any institution of the state cannot ignore FECOFUN's contribution," she added.
FROM FOREST CONSERVATION TO POLITICAL LEADERSHIP
Nepal'scommunityforestswere set up in 1995 to use land more sustainably and help reduce local poverty.
The country's forested area has since increased to about 44% from 29%, according to the Ministry of Forest and Environment.
FECOFUN now represents 3 million Nepalis working theforestsin about 22,415 groups. Of those, 1,000 groups arefemale-led, and the rest are split equally by gender.
Popular Gentle, an expert in community forestry, said FECOFUN was a pioneer in Nepal in ensuring the equal representation ofwomen, ethnic groups and every caste.
He said the Nepali government had watched its success and followed suit, incorporating FECOFUN's policy to ensure thatwomentake a third of roles running all aspects of the state.
FECOFUN was still more ambitious, safeguarding half of its jobs forwomenin a groundbreaking provision that began in 1996 and propelled manywomeninto mainstream politics today.
Bharati Pathak, who stood down as chair of FECOFUN last month, said the programme "has enabledfemaleparticipation and empowerment forwomenwho could not come out from home".
Nepali society is male dominated, withwomenlargely confined to caring for family and home. Nearly 29% ofwomenare economically active - compared with about 53% of men - andfemaleworkers are much morelikely than their male counterparts to be in precarious employment, according to World Bank data.
Pathak - who has spent 15 years on FECOFUN's central committee - has been treasurer, general secretary and president.
Now serving as a member of the Bagmati assembly, she is one of a group of forestry trailblazers turned politicians.
In last November's election, more than 40 community forest campaigners - 30 of themwomen- won seats in the House of Representatives and the seven provincial assemblies in Nepal.
Overall,femalerepresentation in state and national politics stands at 33%.
WOMENIN CHARGE
Womenare vital to the cultivation and preservation ofNepal'sforests- and also key to fostering greater inclusion across state institutions, said Sindhu Dhungana, joint secretary of the Ministry of Forest and Environment.
"Nepal'scommunity forestry programme can serve as a model for the world," said Dhungana, whose ministry oversees the Department of Forest and Soil Conservation.
He praisedwomen's role in conservation efforts, saying they had plantedtrees, stopped grazing, fencedforestsand educated villagers about land preservation.
One such woman, Nanda Kuwar, has chaired the Madhumalati community forest in Kailali in western Nepal since 2014.
When the 50-year-old took over, the forest was sparse, and the land was under direct threat from construction, cattle-grazing and farming.
Kuwar's first task was to launch a campaign to get the community planting more vegetation in the forest - an initiative that opened her to attack by a developer armed with a sickle.
"Blood was flowing from my hand, and I immediately went to the hospital," she recalled.
"Now there is greenery and bigtrees. Seeing thetreesof my community forest makes me forget my pain."
Meanwhile, the Buddha Mangal TalWomenCommunity Forest in Nawalparasi district in the country's midwest has been hailed as a beacon of environmental rescue led bywomen.
Encroachment by villagers who cultivated paddy and reared cows had been a blight on the forest - and when local men failed to stop it, thewomenstepped up and took charge, said Kamal Pariyar, chairperson of FECOFUN in Nawalparasi.
A committee was established - managed bywomen- which fenced off the area and plantedtrees. Visitors to the forest must buy tickets, with the proceeds going towards poorer families, prioritisingfemale-led households.
"When thewomentook over leadership 15 years ago, they put a stop to encroachment," said Pariyar. "They made sure that every household understood the importance of the forest."