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Abstract

This report provides an assessment of the nature and type of climate change impacts on forests and forest dependent people in Nepal, by reviewing available literature and compiling the observations and perceptions of local people.

People in the plains and the hills have observed unexpected changes in the weather, water availability and local ecology. Reduced rainfall and water supply, upward shifting of certain plant species and increased incidence of diseases on crops and livestock are major issues. These experiences of climate change and associated impacts are in line with scientific predictions.

The review confirms the high vulnerability of Nepal to climate change. Reports from diverse communities and locations in different ecological zones of Nepal show that climate change has already affected the livelihoods of millions of rural people who primarily depend on the forest-agriculture interface. The livelihoods of such peasant communities are likely to suffer most as they are the most exposed to extreme climatic events such as droughts and floods, and at the same time have very limited capacity to respond and adapt. Since forests are essential components of livelihoods systems for over two-thirds of the population of Nepal, their sustainable management can offer a basis for creating and safeguarding more climate-resilient livelihoods.

Recommendations are made regarding key directions for adaptation:

• Treat adaptation as part of development, providing the additional services needed to adapt, even if this adds complexity to the achievement of other development goals.
• Consider forest management an element of climate change adaptation, as adaptive and sustainable management of forest ecosystems is a vehicle for sustainable development by promoting the maintenance and improvement of environmental quality, social justice, and economic wellbeing.
• Improve forest governance, as enhancing participation of forest-dependent people in adapting to and mitigating climate change will be a prerequisite for sustainable development over the next decades. If challenges around governance, rights, and tenure in the forest sector are not addressed, the possibility of using forest ecosystems to successfully reduce vulnerabilities is extremely limited.
• Undertake pilot adaptation actions aimed at addressing climate change while demonstrating how to articulate the three spheres of forest resource governance at international, national and local levels.
• Influence international climate change policy whereby efforts to improve national and local governance are linked to effective participation at the UNFCCC negotiations. Improved participation in such international climate policy negotiations is necessary to enable forest dependent peoples in Nepal to have access to technology, financing and other adaptation resources.