Community forest coordination committee prioritizes alternative income generation alongside conservation efforts

Kanchanpur: The Community Forest Coordination Committee has developed and is implementing its annual action plan for the fiscal year 2082/83, focusing on forest conservation, biodiversity promotion, and the economic empowerment of forest-dependent consumers.

Committee Chairman Mahesh Dutt Joshi emphasized the importance of expanding alternative income generation programs to reduce local dependence on forest resources. “Providing economic alternatives is essential for forest protection. Therefore, this year’s plan balances both conservation and livelihood development,” he stated.

Key activities outlined in the action plan include fire control, open range management, support for dry livestock farming, grass and fodder production, and forest improvement. Joshi added that poaching control teams will be mobilized, with enhanced patrol arrangements, accident insurance for members, installation of mesh wire and electric fencing to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts, as well as wildlife rescue and relief programs.

The plan also features initiatives such as construction and conservation of water sources, grassland management, promotion of private forests, operation of multi-year nurseries, soil erosion control, biological embankments, river revitalization, and protection of riverside forests. “We are contributing to climate mitigation by planting betel, bamboo, vetiver grass, and amriso along riverbanks,” Joshi explained.

Additional priorities include conservation of water sources in the Chure region, stakeholder coordination meetings, and special programs. The committee plans to support the renewal of action plans for 15 community forests.

To support economic empowerment, the committee intends to develop industries such as duna-tapari (leaf plates), masala, hojiari, amriso broom, bet-bamboo, and furniture, in partnership with local authorities. Alternative agricultural enterprises like lemon farming, local breed poultry, and fish farming will also be promoted. The committee will produce and market various fruits, ornamental, and medicinal plants through sustainable multi-year nursery management.

Tourism promotion efforts include support for Vijaysal homestays and construction of observation infrastructure at the Sisne wetlands, said Shivdatta Pant, team head of the coordination committee. The plan also incorporates programs supporting alternative energy use, such as electric stoves and cow dung gas, along with continued assistance for people with disabilities.

Conservation of endangered species like Vijaysal and operation of a wildlife rescue center are additional components of the action plan. “This plan is more than just a document; we will implement it from the village courtyard to the forest canopy,” Pant assured.

The committee oversees 91 community forests within the Laljhadi Conservation Area and anticipates that successful implementation of this plan will serve as a model for community forest conservation and economic empowerment in Kanchanpur.