Social Capital and Collective Management of Natural Resources in Nepal: A Case Study of Community Forestry

Community-based forest management has been popular and effective in Nepal. Community forest comprises 96 percent of the total forest under different community based management regimes. This case study of Debnagar community forest shows that forest protection (grazing bans, forest fire control and cessation of illegal timber harvesting) is the first important objective. Members of the Community Forest Users Group (CFUG) reported feeling proud and satisfied with working in a group for the management of forest resources. The theoretical underpinning of the social capital approach was used to analyze the process and progress of the CFUG. They have been successful in linking forest management practices with economic activities such as marketing forest-based products, saving-credit, and the domestication of high value medicinal and aromatic plant species. The CFUG has noticed an improvement in regeneration and increased floral and faunal diversity in forest areas.