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Imprint
Influencing factors on forest utilization in participatory forest user groups in Nepal
Project
Project code: TI-WF-08-4.1
Contract period: 01.01.2014
- 31.07.2014
Purpose of research: Inventory & Assessment
Despite the crucial role of agriculture for the provision of food assets, communities in rural settings are still heavily dependent on forest resources. This rural dependency on forest resources is often argued to be the main driver for small scale deforestation and forest degradation. The objective of this study is to better understand the needs and behaviour of the people who are on the one side concerned by forest loss and degradation and are on the other side impacting the resource themselves. The study is investigating which factors drive the forest utilisation intensity of rural households organised in participative forest user groups. Additionally it is tested whether the forest dependency hypothesis holds true and which role poverty and the availability of product and income substitutes play for the forest use intensity.
The study was conducted at the example of 357 households in 8 forest user groups in the Chitwan district in southern Nepal, based on a household survey. Internal and external household related data was analysed using descriptive data analysis and linear regression techniques.
Influences from all five livelihood capitals (natural, human, physical, financial and social) were assessed. Prelimary results show that the remoteness of the user groups is an important factor deciding on the forest utilisation intensity. Furthermore, significant influences on the households’ forest utilisation intensity is found by the availability of the forest resource (distance to forest), by human household capital (working hours per week, education), by the availability of physical assets (livestock, home garden) and by the institutional setup of the forest user group.
The preliminary results show that poverty, tested by total household income (direct and in kind), displays a significant positive impact on the forest utilisation intensity. This positive influence, however, is contrary to what the forest dependency hypothesis presumes. In the considered sample allover low income households are considered, for which the lack of alternatives seems to dominate the influence of their income. This assumption is supported by the finding that households with access to income and product alternatives, exhibit a reduced forest utilisation intensity.
Section overview
Subjects
- Silviculture
- Agricultural Sociology
Framework programme
Funding programme
Excutive institution
Institute of International Forestry and Forest Economics (TI-IW)
