Abstract
This article highlights a research carried out in Gaindakot municipality of Nawalparasi district, Nepal to evaluate the opportunities and challenges of urban forestry regarding identification of existing policies and documentation of institutions involved in the field of urban forestry. Systematic random sampling method was used for the data collection during household survey. The study revealed that urban forests are governed through the all-size-fits-all forest policies, which are not favorable to urban forestry development. Plantation in the barren lands, park development, social mobilization and awareness raising are the major activities of urban forestry. The research also showed that main opportunities of urban forestry development in the study area are newly formed local government, high level willingness of local people to participate in urban forestry development, and presence of community forests around the city. On the other hand, lack of public space, narrow roads, increasing fragmentation of land, and lack of coordinated and planned efforts are major constraints to urban forestry development. This study recommends that government should take necessary steps to establish the institutional setup to facilitate the urban forestry development programmes. For this, mobilizing social organizations could be an effective tool to promote urban forestry, but a long-term plan for plantation and their management needs to be in place.
Highlights
Before the concept found broader acceptance and support, urban forestry was developed in North America during the 1990s as an innovative approach to manage natural resources in urban environment, and in Europe during 1990s
The urban forests are governed through the all-size-fits-all forest policies, which are not favorable to urban forestry development
According to the local people, there is not any clear policy related to urban forestry in Nepal
Summary
Before the concept found broader acceptance and support, urban forestry was developed in North America during the 1990s as an innovative approach to manage natural resources in urban environment, and in Europe during 1990s. The role of urban forest in improving aesthetic quality, ecological maintenance, cleaning the air and modifying the temperature extremes has been pointed out by various researchers (Dwyer et al, 1991; Keller, 1979; Negi, 1998; Ulrich, 1990). The list of goods and services that urban forestry can provide could be impressive. Trees and other vegetation intercept particles and gaseous pollutants (McPherson et al, 1997). They help keep cities cool, act as natural filters and noise absorbers, improve microclimates, regulate runoff water, and provide habitats to number of animals in general and birds in particular. Urban forestry protects soils and moderates harsh urban climates by cooling the air, reducing wind speeds, and by shading. The level of biodiversity of urban green areas is often surprisingly high, representing nature close to where people live (Konijnendijk and Randrup, 2004)
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