cause
man-made vulnerability
Since the early 1990s, Nepal has bucked the global trend of deforestation by dramatically restoring forests in the hill regions (“The Chure”) that lie to the north of the Terai. This follows the Nepal government delegating management of its forests to Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs) through the Forestry Act of 1993. There are now 22,000 CFUGs managing government-owned forests sustainably, with the proceeds of forest products shared between community and government on a 50:50 basis. In the space of just 25 years, Nepal’s national forest cover has increased from 25% to 45%.
severe impact for vulnerable groups
These impacts are particularly severe for vulnerable groups. While climate change is a global phenomenon, the impacts are felt most acutely at the local level. There is a growing urgency for communities to be able to respond to climate change. In the Madhesh region, drought and water scarcity threaten the continuation of traditional agricultural activities and jeopardise the livelihood of the Madheshi themselves.
Their livelihoods are threatened by rapidly changing weather patterns, and their lives are at risk from natural disasters such as flooding. In a region where water scarcity has been a rarity, the possibility of increasingly frequent droughts could cause many people to migrate to escape hunger. Ravi Ale, a farmer, for example, says he has been farming the family's two acres since he was old enough to help his father. But after a meagre harvest this year, and with his cash running low, he and five of his friends from the village will leave for India next month to look for work.
OUR VISION
Our Objectives are:
- To develop habitats and wildlife corridors on the Terai that provide safe havens for endangered species and that mitigate against the human-animal conflict that so often ends in tragedy.
- To support the CFUGs in restoring the forests of the Chure hills, especially on inhospitable terrain where reforestation is considered impossible.
- To implement rewilding initiatives that can encourage ecotourism and provide alternative incomes to failing agriculture.
- To educate and engage with communities and especially the younger generation on the need to conserve the natural environment and restore biodiversity.
how do we act ?
We plant forests at critical location to create wildlife corridors, help local communities regain their land and make a positive carbon offset. Through those projects, we alsoprovide short-term jobs to vulnerable people.
Last year key achievements
Working with our partner, MWT, the Nepal Department of Forestry and Community Forest User Groups (CFUG’s), we are restoring 52 hectares of community forest in Dhanusha District. This of course not only benefits the natural environment but also provides short term work for marginalised people (and especially for women), offering the longer-term prospect of livelihoods derived from forest products. In August 2021, the Prime Minister of Nepal presented one of our two CFUG’s with a coveted national award for being the best CFUG in Nepal – coming first out of 22,000 CFUG’s! Of the 75,700 saplings we have planted to date, only 29 were lost in the 2021 wildfires because the area was so well policed by the community.
In December 2021 we launched a new “tiny forest” project using the internationally acclaimed Miyawaki Method that produces dense, rapidgrowth, forests in the kind of small spaces that might only be available in urban settings. We are really proud to be pioneering this method in Nepal. This method has proven very useful to quickly establish a forest cover on degraded land that has previously been used for construction or agriculture. It follows the principles of natural forestry by planting 3 to 5 saplings per square meter in very high density. The goals of a Miyawaki technique include improving biodiversity, sequestering carbon, increasing green cover, lowering air pollution, and preserving the water table.
Creation of a wildlife corridor as a Gurkha Memorial Forest, with one sapling planted for each of the 110,000 Gurkhas who served in World War 2. This forest strip, which will follow the course of a river across arable land, will have 12 dense “Miyawaki” forests, with each forest cluster representing a Victoria Cross won during the conflict. The forest will serve a dual purpose, for as well as commemorating heroism we will also be sequestering carbon. For we will be creating a wildlife corridor that will run 10km south from our Bhatighadi plantation before connecting with the Dhanushadham Protected Forest (DPF). DPF is an important last vestige of the forests that once covered the southern plains (Terai).
We collaborated with Our Sansar, Guy’s Trust and local partners to run successful joint fundraising appeals that allowed us to deliver life-saving COVID lockdown food relief to all eight Districts in Madhesh Province. We managed to provide food to 14,860 men, women and children, many of whom are so marginalised that they lack citizenship and therefore did not qualify for government relief in response to the Delta variant. One of our conclusions from the experience was the need to build up an emergency relief fund so that in future we would be able to provide an even larger and immediate response in the event of floods, earthquakes, lockdowns or any other form of disaster.
Gurkha Memorial ForestDhanusha Bird ParkCommunity forest sites
disaster relief
Link to our charities partner :
Our SansarGuy’s Trust
EMERGENCY FUND
We aim to be in a position to respond immediately and save lives after disaster strikes, while being prepared to help people rebuild their lives and communities in the medium and long term. Since we are so involved at the grassroots, we are uniquely placed to deliver the most appropriate and timely relief supplies. We can even link this to offering short term employment so that people retain their sense of dignity. Our success is based upon :
- Building up an emergency relief fund so that we can act immediately. We do this through incorporating an emergency element into general grant applications and, most importantly, through Will donations.
- Collaborate with other small charities in launching joint disaster relief appeals so that we are not competing for funds.
- Ensure that our Nepal implementing partners coordinate so that there is no duplication of effort and waste.
- Through our trusted partners, we liaise with the Nepal authorities and CFUGs to ensure that relief gets to the points of greatest need.
other projects
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Test Your Knowledge in 2 minutes
Try out our new quiz about the Madheshi people in Nepal. Through those questions, we hope you will get a better understanding of the catastrophic situation they live in.
Take the quizHOW Pipal tree was born
a triumph over tragedy
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Registered charity number: 1159770
