Nepal

Overview

Nepal is a land-locked country with a tremendous array of ecological and geographic regions. From the lowland Terai (primarily tropical forests) to the peaks of the Himalayas, Nepal’s altitude varies over 28,000 feet within borders a mere 150 miles apart, the largest variation on earth. 23% of the land falls within the Terai, 42% within the middle hill regions and 35% in mountain areas. Nepal’s population is about 23 million, located primarily in the Terai and hill regions, with a small percentage in the high mountains. Although Nepal only contains 0.1% of the world’s land, it has 9.3% of the world’s bird species, 4.5% of mammal species and 2.0% flower species. 18% of Nepal’s land is in national parks or other protected areas.

Economically, Nepal is faces a great deal of poverty. Eighty percent of the population depends on subsistence agriculture, which accounts for nearly 40% of the GDP. The average per capita income is about $250 per year and Nepal’s literacy, especially among women, is one of the lowest in the world. Tourism is one of the most significant areas of income for Nepal, but recent political tensions have caused a drop in travel to the country for safety concerns. The Nepali people are feeling the effects of this daily.

The strains on the environment in Nepal are increasing constantly. Biofuels (harvested timber, dung, etc.) account for 87% of the energy consumed. Deforestation to provide wood for cook stoves and warmth is perhaps the biggest problem facing Nepal’s ecology today. Pollution from these biofuels, both indoor and outdoor, is also significant. In urban areas, imported fossil fuels account for 90% of the energy used. In some areas, kerosene and other cleaner fuels are being used as energy sources, but they are still expensive for most Nepali people. Alternate forms of energy are being explored, primarily hydropower, to ease the burden on the land. It is estimated that only 1% of the economically accessible hydropower is tapped. Increasing this can be tremendously beneficial for both local use and export to places like Northern India, but can also be environmentally damaging if not done properly.

To address these growing concerns, Nepal has instituted several policies and plans. The recently formed Ministry of Population and Environment (MOPE) [link to: www.mope.gov.np] is a high level governmental department designed to deal with these issues via policy, research, international cooperation, monitoring and public relations. It has put forth the Sustainable Development Agenda for Nepal (SDAN) [link to: www.mope.gov.np/environment/sdan.php], along with other measures and involvement in international treaties and conferences, to make environmental goals official and ultimately attempt to find a balance between economics and ecology for current and future generations.

 
 
 
The over-arching goal of sustainable development in Nepal is to expedite a process that provides to its citizens and successive generations at least the basic means of livelihood with the broadest of opportunities in the field of social, economic, political, cultural, and ecological aspects of their lives.
-Ministry of Population and Environment

Recent news

Nepal is proactively looking to its environmental future. Nepal’s “Tenth Plan (2002-2007,” a government framework encompassing the economy and politics along with the environment, sets out several environmental goals, including:

• Managing efficiently and sustainably natural and physical resources
• Balancing development efforts and environmental conservation for sustainable fulfillment of the basic needs of the people
• Safeguarding national heritage
• Mitigating the adverse environmental impacts of development projects
• Integrating environment and development through appropriate institutions, adequate legislation and economic incentives, and sufficient public resources.

The SDAN has set a 15 year timeframe in which to make significant progress towards its environmental and developmental goals. The primary principle is the incorporation of local people in the development and management of resources. Local groups are not only brought into the process at early stages, but because they depend on their resources for their lives and livelihoods, they are allowed to share in the benefits of careful resource management. With this philosophy, resource maintenance becomes easier as those who depend on it, those who have indigenous knowledge of these resource, are more inclined and most apt to do it properly.

Two of the primary objectives are community forestry and easing the reliance on fossil fuels by increasing their hydropower production. For the reasons discussed above, community forestry is one of the best hopes for sustainable forest use. This is critical as deforestation is one of Nepal’s biggest environmental issues right now. Nepal also has tremendous potential for the use of hydropower to alleviate the dependence on foreign oil and its associated pollution. If properly implemented, Nepal could turn hydropower not only into an environmentally friendly solution for its own needs, but also into its chief export to neighboring countries such as India. If the SDAN methodology is followed, control of the hydropower would be left at the local levels, built and managed by Nepali expertise, and thus encourage economic development with environmental considerations.

Nepal has a comprehensive plan that will take them well into the next decade by employing models that have proved successful both in Nepal and elsewhere. By incorporating local groups—communities, NGOs, small businesses, and others—and ensuring the benefits of these efforts will be shared among those involved, a healthy balance between economics and ecology can be found that will benefit Nepal for many years to come.

Currently

Nepal has already taken several steps at various levels to enable the sustainable development of its resources. In addition to the SDAN and participation in the United Nations summits at Rio and Johannesburg, programs have been adopted at the government, community and education levels.

The government of Nepal has recently established the Environmental Protection Council and the National Commission on Sustainable Development, headed by the Prime Minister. In addition to these high level groups, the Nepali House of Representatives is also showing its support for sustainable development with the Natural Resource Management Committee and the Environmental Protection Committee, each led by elected members of parliament. These groups are responsible for overseeing policy and attempting to balance the needs of the environment, the economy and the impoverished. In addition, the MOPE is responsible for approving Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) for industrial, infrastructure and other development projects. Internationally, Nepal has ratified or recognized 16 environment-related treaties, agreements or conventions.

Rather than take over many of the resource management processes, the government has turned them over to local groups and community-based organizations (CBOs). Increasingly, local communities are becoming responsible for the investment, installation and maintenance of their own water and micro-hydropower energy production. The Government’s role has become more supportive, giving technological assistance, providing information and giving occasional financial assistance. The Local Governance Act, adopted in 1999, provides for the local management of resources while enabling the communities to consider forest, soil and biodiversity conservation, along with land use and environmental planning as key components of development.

Education is critical to the long-term preservation of Nepal’s environment. Currently, environmental education is integrated into social sciences and health and population studies at various levels in the school system. Environmental education represents 14% of the curriculum for older children and close to 7% at the younger levels. The main university in Kathmandu, Tribhuvan University, recently started a Master’s program in rural development with a strong focus on sustainability.

As of 2003, political unrest has been a major consideration in Nepal. It is unclear how severely this is affecting the current environmental situation and the programs in place. Regardless, the groundwork has been laid and significant progress has been made. Nepal has the opportunity to have a positive impact on its environment while still allowing for reasonable economic development. They are on track with their philosophy and long-range plans for sustainability. The key to success will be to not lose sight of this while dealing with other social and political issues. It will be a challenge for Nepal, but it can be overcome.

More online resources

Visit the Nepal links page to find out more about Nepal’s green plans.