KATHMANDU: It has been a year since Minister for Forests and Environment Ain Bahadur Shahi Thakuri assumed charge of the ministry. During this period, the ministry has achieved significant success in facilitating development projects through policy reforms.

The ministry says that policy reforms have succeeded in overcoming the anti-development charges leveled against it. During this period, 108 development projects have been facilitated, 564 hectares of forest land have been provided with tenure rights, and permission has been granted to remove 88,271 trees from that forest area.

Talking to RSS about the progress made by the ministry in the past one year, Minister Shahi informed that significant work has been done in policy, institutional and procedural reforms. He mentioned that this will help in forest, environment, biodiversity conservation, pollution control, reduction of human-wildlife conflict, facing the challenges of climate change and getting sufficient benefits from ‘carbon credits’.

Minister Shahi said, “Important agreements have been reached for foreign grant assistance to address the challenges of forests, environment, biodiversity conservation, and climate change.”

During this period, the National Forest Integrated Strategic Plan, 2081-2100, Sustainable Forest Management Standards, Standards to be followed while extracting minerals from forest areas for national priority industries, Community Forestry Guidelines, National Strategy and Action Plan for Management of Alien Species, National Bamboo and Cane Development Strategy, and other strategies and plans have been approved and implemented. In addition, the benefit sharing plan from the carbon emission reduction program is in the approval stage.

The Ministry has mapped and published the national territory of Nepal so that the land use areas of Nepal can be viewed on a single map. In addition, the Nepal Flora has been published so that details of the flora found in Nepal can be studied in a single book.

A survey of the status of snow leopards has been completed and a report has been made public showing that there are 397 snow leopards. Nepal has already made public its third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0). In which, quantitative and policy targets have been set for reducing greenhouse gas emissions related to energy, transport, and forestry sectors within the next 10 years, and for climate adaptation.

Legal and institutional reforms
During this period, the ministry has stated that the Forest Act has reached the final stage of revision through some Nepal Act amendments.

Minister Shahi said that the homework of amendments is being done to make the Environment Protection Act, National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act and Regulations timely and practical. The approval process of environmental study reports and the process of granting permission to use forest areas have been simplified to facilitate development projects.

The ministry has said that it has reached the final stage of formulating carbon trading regulations to facilitate carbon trading by including the private sector in the multilateral sector. It is expected that this will add a new dimension to the country’s carbon trading. Minister Shahi said that preparations are underway to enact a separate law on climate change and name the ministry as the ‘Ministry of Forests, Environment and Climate Change’.

Homework is underway to amend the Buffer Zone Management Regulations and the Conservation Zone Management Regulations to manage and utilize natural resources in a manner that maintains human-nature coexistence in buffer zones and conservation zones.

The Standards for Providing Raw Materials for National Priority Mining Industries, 2081, has been approved to facilitate the extraction and utilization of minerals from forest areas and to determine certain criteria. The Guidelines, 2081, have been approved to facilitate the collection and transportation of Yarsagumba, an important herb for the livelihood of citizens in the Himalayan region.

The ministry has extended the deadline for the management of the Jawalakhel Central Zoo to the National Trust for Nature Conservation during this period. Preparations are underway to formulate standards for the operation and management of the zoo and to relocate more one-horned rhinos to the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve for rhino conservation. An online ticket system has been implemented for easy entry to the park for tourists and entry.

Development assistance and agreements
The ministry stated that Nepal had participated at the COP29 conference last year at a high level and strongly advocated for compensation for climate-related losses, protection of mountain ecosystems, access to climate finance, technology transfer and capacity building. He informed that a bilateral agreement has also been signed with the Swedish government for carbon trading in accordance with the Paris Agreement.

“Just a few days ago, Nepal received a grant worth Rs. 5 billion from the Green Climate Fund for glacial lake risk reduction. This will be utilized for the development of glacial lakes and lower coastal areas of Koshi and Gandaki. A project to protect soil and water has been launched, covering the marine area of Sindhuli,” Minister Shahi said.

He informed RSS that a land-based climate resilient development program has been launched to operate land conservation programs covering the hilly districts of Karnali and the Far West.

The Nepal government has decided to obtain membership of the ‘International Big Cat Alliance’ for biological and wildlife conservation. This is expected to provide multilateral support for the conservation of tigers, leopards, snow leopards and their habitats.

Similarly, an additional grant of $12 million has been agreed upon for the ‘Forest for Prosperity Program’ operating in Madhes and Lumbini provinces to develop forests on vacant/public/riverbank/riverbank land and private land that does not have sustainable forest management and forest areas. The Kigali Amendment under the ‘Montreal Protocol’ on ozone has been approved by the parliament and implemented.

Forest conservation and tree plantation campaign
The ministry has taken forward various programs for the upcoming fiscal year’s budget and programs, especially sustainable management of forests, including timber and firewood production, tree plantation in private, public and riverine areas, soil and watershed conservation, and conservation of forest wildlife and biodiversity.

It has been proposed to develop the forest area as an economic and productive sector while maintaining conservation and utilization of herbs, integrated conservation of the Chure region, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, and environmental protection.

The Ministry has adopted a policy of increasing the production of firewood by collecting fallen, dry and old trees in the forest for sustainable management of the forest, supplying firewood and providing raw materials to the industries producing forest products including furniture in a simple manner.

The Ministry has stated that arrangements have been made to provide loans at concessional rates to the industries producing wood products through the Agricultural Development Bank.

During this period, the first edition of the Sagarmatha Dialogue was held under the co-organization of the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Forests, with the main theme of ‘Climate Change, Mountains, and the Future of Humanity’.

The issue of human-wildlife conflict has emerged as a major challenge in recent times. The government’s attention is being continuously drawn to this issue even in Parliament. In this context, the Ministry is continuing various efforts to find immediate and long-term solutions.

Minister Shahi said that habitat improvement programs such as management of grasslands and water resources have been implemented to protect wildlife so that they can enjoy themselves within the forest.

“Despite the adoption of preventive measures, if human-wildlife conflicts occur and cause damage to humans, livestock and agricultural workers, necessary funds have been allocated for relief,” he said. “Wild red monkeys and wild boars have been declared as agriculturally harmful wildlife. Arrangements have been made to rescue and control orphaned and problematic wildlife.”

He said that attention has been paid to the idea of keeping monkeys in forest areas by planting fruit trees as a means of managing their food supply in their natural habitat. The ministry has stated that arrangements have been made to mobilize a ‘Rapid Response Team’ to solve the elephant problem that has emerged in various parts of the country, including Jhapa.

The Ministry has stated that the Chure Master Plan, which guides the President Chure Program, is being revised in a timely manner to ensure ownership by all three levels.

The Ministry has stated that it is striving to raise its strong voice and presence on the international stage to combat the climatic inequalities and climate crisis that the country has been experiencing recently.