A Forest Community or Community Forestry? Beliefs, meanings and nature in north-western Nepal

Abstract

In this paper I outline a history of community forestry in Nepal and highlight how it has been embedded within different understandings of ecosystems and development. In particular, the Theory of Himalayan Environmental Degradation (THED) was instrumental in catalyzing the formation of community forestry. I briefly review the history of the programme as it arose nationally and then delve into the daily functioning of a user-group in Mugu District, north western Nepal to give a more nuanced snap-shot of community forestry in action. Through this narrative I try to draw out the ways in which different kinds of knowledges are both employed by different actors within community forestry contexts, but also how the methodologies and theoretical constructs used to investigate the programme produce different knowledges of community forestry and the forests themselves.