CLIMATE CHANGE AND COMMUNITY FOREST IN NEPAL: LOCAL PEOPLE’S PERCEPTION A CASE STUDY FROM TWO COMMUNITY FOREST USER GROUPS OF MID-HILLS OF NEPAL

Climate change is regarded as one of the most fundamental threats to sustainable livelihood and global development. There is growing a global concern in linking community-managed forests as potential climate change mitigation projects. This study was conducted to explore the local people’s perception on climate change and the role of community forestry (CF) to combat climate change impacts. Two active community forest user groups (CFUGs) from Rukum West District in Nepal were selected as study sites, and various participatory tools were applied to collect primary data. Although most of the respondents were aware about the words “Climate Change” in study sites, they were more familiar with the irregularities in rainfall season and other weather extremities. The study focuses on perceptions of, and on adaptations to climate change by Community Forest User Groups. Information was collected from both primary and secondary data sources. Climate data were analyzed through trend analysis. Results show that most community forest users perceive climate change acutely and respond to it, based on their own indigenous knowledge and experiences, through both agricultural and non-agricultural adaptations at an individual level. 70% of the respondents had the idea that, due to increase in precipitation, there is a frequent occurrence of erosion, floods and landslide. Around 78% of the people agreed that community forests help in stabilizing soil, reducing the natural hazards like erosion, landslide. Biogas as an alternative source of cooking energy, and changes in crops and their varieties are the common adaptation measures that local people start practicing in both CFUGs in Nepal.