Suman Dhakal, Ripu M Kunwar, Ram P Acharya and Bijendra Basnyat Conservation friendly livelihood, an outcome of biodiversity conservation, livelihood improvement and institutional development at landscape level, is commonly adopted. However, the challenges are emerged due to biodiversity-livelihood conflict. Initiation of leasing degraded and barren forestlands to pro-poor community for farming and cropping in the western Terai region of Nepal led positive changes in livelihood. However the farming and cropping impeded natural regeneration and restoration and posed threats to conversion in agricultural lands. Opportunistic invasive aliens Ageratum conyzoides, Cassia tora, etc. were widespread in such cropped and abandoned forest areas, threatening native species and endangering landscape biodiversity. Introduction of high and fast yielding exotic varieties (chamomile, lemongrass, mentha, palmarosa) was devised to generate subsistence, household and commercial economy, and was…

Hemant R Ojha, Naya S Paudel, Sudeep Jana, Mani R Banjade, and Dil B Khatri Theories of power have focused on how an actor dominates the other, and very little insights exist on how hegemonic relations can be transformed at diverse domains of political life. The effort to democratize governance requires not just criticizing who is hegemonizing whom , but also finding ways to transform these relations so that everyone concerned can have a voice in public policy, and that policy decisions are translated into practice. In unjust societies where political representation is exclusive and governance carries colonial legacy of techno-bureaucratic control, a question arises as to how public intellectuals and critical researchers from the civil society domain can spark democratization of policy processes. Are there any conceivable pathways through…

Bhishma P Subedi Starting with a short context of untapped potential and challenges in the natural products sector in Nepal, the presentation introduces the approach that ANSAB has designed and developed over the past decade. The enterprise-oriented, community-based resource management and value chain development approach with special emphasis on ecological sustainability, social justice and equity, and economic efficiency has been designed and applied in a range of natural products including handmade paper, briquette, essential oils and a variety of other natural products. The experience is summarized and presented covering the design, outcomes and examples. The presentation concludes with some of the lessons learned and suggestions on how a green and fair value chain can be developed for the benefit of local communities and natural environment. The model of sustainable management…

Ripu M Kunwar, Laxmi Mahat and Keshab P Shrestha There are a large number of underutilized plant species in far-west Nepal, and they have been limitedly used. They are potential on alleviating prevalent food deficiency and complementing primary health care by furnishing ingredients where commercial cultivation is the least possible and health care is indigenously pursued. The present study documented potential underutilized plant species of far-west Nepal for their better management regarding wise use, ecosystem sustainability and cultural integrity. Resource availability, indigenous knowledge, and cultural integrity were opportunities for wise use of species as supplement of primary health care. Despite the fact that the importance of these plants to Nepalese subsistence and culture has long been reported (Manandhar 2002), the use potential of these plants was under-recognized, perhaps as a…