Change in land use and ecosystem services delivery from community-based forest landscape restoration in the Phewa Lake watershed, Nepal

K Paudyal,R.J Keenan,H Baral,S Bhandari,L Putzel

doi:10.1505/146554817822330524

Abstract

Global initiatives to promote large-scale forest landscape restoration (FLR) require adaptive approaches that are consistent with locally relevant models of land use management. Nepal’s experience in FLR provides lessons for programme design with potential broader relevance to the Himalayas more generally and to other regions featuring similar upstream–downstream interactions that reflect the requirement of locally appropriate economic incentives for achieving change. The paper analyses land cover change over four decades (1975-2015) from satellite images and evaluate the status of ecosystem services (ES) and benefits delivery from community-based FLR (CBFLR) through community perception and expert’s opinion in the Phewa Lake watershed. Results reveal a substantial reversal of land degradation and forest recovery (12.1% of the total watershed area) due to the CBFLR that impact to increased delivery of a range of ES. Notably, while water discharge rates may have decreased following the increase in forest area, siltation has been reduced, protecting water quality in the lake and benefiting local economic development.

Highlights

Growing calls for forest restoration by scientists and international agencies interested in conservation, development and climate change are leading to major new global initiatives targeting land use change and forest restoration (Aronson and Alexander 2013, Haugo et al 2015)
The land use and land cover (LULC) change map reveals a significant shift in land use in the Phewa watershed over the past four decades (Figure 3, Table 5)
In 2015, forests and agriculture comprised the majority of land cover in the watershed, with forest cover more dominant on higher slopes and agriculture prevalent in river valleys and on hill terraces

Summary

Introduction

Growing calls for forest restoration by scientists and international agencies interested in conservation, development and climate change are leading to major new global initiatives targeting land use change and forest restoration (Aronson and Alexander 2013, Haugo et al 2015). For such efforts to succeed and generate expected benefits, approaches relevant to local ecological conditions are needed (Chazdon 2008, Stanturf et al 2014). Examples of community forestry in Nepal have the potential to bring important lessons and insights to the field of FLR and to restoration efforts targeting rural communities in hilly and mountainous landscapes

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Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion