Carbon offsetting as an opportunity for sustainable rural development in Nepal - a participatory, community based approach
- Boden und Landökosysteme
- Wasser - Atmosphäre - Umwelt
- Nachwachsende Rohstoffe und neue Technologien
- Ressourcen und gesellschaftliche Dynamik
Abstract
Together with national representatives (experts to be nominated by the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, Government of Nepal, extension workers, experts of the partner institutions, NGOs, VDC leaders), the socio-‐cultural context, patterns of forest and land use, and environmental status of sub-‐regions of the target regions will be evaluated and one or two sub-‐regions with poor status and a certain development potential for Community based Forest Management (CbF) will be selected. Parallel, success and failure of ongoing CbF activities will be analysed. The reasons behind the present status of the selected sub-‐regions will be investigated and development options shall be derived in a participatory process of all subgroups at community level. In this process, one or two CbF user groups will select potential areas for reforestation and develop a management plan for the community forest area and socially feasible ways for utilizing them. Community representatives with the inclusion of the diverse (ethnic and caste) groups should be involved in the evaluation process, in the drawing of the base line and in monitoring activities. Participatory methods for protecting adjacent conservation areas are also a target of the project (ownership and sustainability). In addition, the options of additional income generation from NTFPs and agroforestry will be evaluated. The development of a reforestation and management plan will be supported via sending CbF-‐representatives to training workshops and showing them best practice examples. The establishment of reforestations will be supported both in terms of knowledge transfer as well as via provision of seedlings or establishment of nurseries (the latter again being a chance for income generation). On-‐site training in forest operations shall improve the practices in sustainable forestry. GHG sequestration will be evaluated based upon inventories of carbon stocks and stock changes in biomass and soil. The management should be adaptive and based upon scientific results of inventories and participatory research. Both staff and students of the partner institutions should be involved in the whole process. Partnerships between BOKU, local communities and institutional partners within the project are planned to cover a time period of 20 years. The community and site selection process, status documentation, the development of the community forest management plan and first reforestation activities are scheduled for the first three years of the project. At the same time, the options for supporting touristic development in an environmental friendly way (ecotourism, supply of alternative energy options like solar water heating…) shall be screened.
- Carbon offsetting
- participatory approach
- community based
- conservation areas
- forests and soil conservation
Project staff
Andreas Melcher
Priv.-Doz. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Andreas Melcher
andreas.melcher@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-93411
Project Leader
17.10.2019 - 23.02.2020
Project Leader
03.01.2024 - 31.12.2025
Florian Alexander Peloschek
Dipl.-Ing. Florian Alexander Peloschek Bakk.techn.
Project Leader
01.02.2016 - 16.10.2019
Dominik Ruffeis
Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Dominik Ruffeis
dominik.ruffeis@boku.ac.at
Project Leader
24.02.2020 - 02.01.2024
Project Staff
01.02.2016 - 23.02.2020
Klaus Katzensteiner
Ao.Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn. Klaus Katzensteiner
klaus.katzensteiner@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-91213
Sub Projectleader
01.02.2016 - 31.12.2025
Andreas Bauer
Andreas Bauer M.Sc.
andreas.bauer@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-93420
Project Staff
01.02.2023 - 31.12.2025
Georg Gratzer
Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn. Georg Gratzer
georg.gratzer@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-91215
Project Staff
01.02.2016 - 31.12.2025
Dominik Schmitz
Mag. Dominik Schmitz
dominik.schmitz@boku.ac.at
Project Staff
08.02.2016 - 31.12.2025
BOKU partners
External partners
Austrian Academy of Sciences
Dr. Viktor Bruckman
partner
National Trust for Nature Conversation Nepal, Govinda Gajurel
Govinda Gajurel
partner
Chinese Academy of Forestry, Prof. Wu Shuriong
Prof. Dr. Wu Shuirong
partner
Nepal Academy of Science and Technology
Dr. Anjana Giri
partner
Anil Bhandari MSc, multi-stakeholder forestry consult
Anil Bhandari MSc
partner
Kalinchok Utkrista Narsari Ba. Sa._x000D_ Kalinchock Excellent Nursery Management Committee
Bishnu Thakuri
partner
Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Amrit Campus, Devkota
Prof. Dr. Mohan Devkota
partner
University of Vienna, Institute of Tibetology
Dr. Gabriele Tautscher
partner