Dipesh Pyakurel and Bhesh Raj Oli The value of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) has been recognized widely with its increasing contribution to the Nepalese economy. Collection and trade of NTFPs is a major source of rural income and contributes from 10% to 100% of the total annual income in some hilly areas. The major categories within the NTFPs trade/export comprise of crude herbs, essential oils, fibers & handmade papers, ayurvedic products, cosmetics and vegetable oils. Commercialization of resources, specially the enterprise and business promotion of NTFPs through Public–private partnership (PPP) model has been sought as essential by the recent study carried out for Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and Nepal Herbs and Herbal Products Association (NEHHPA) in process of developing a NTFPs business promotion strategy. The strategy…

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…

Rajendra Gyawali Traditional healers in Kavre, Lalitpur, Makawanpur, Rasuwa and Dolakha  districts of Nepal have been utilizing the medicinal plants available in these areas which provides immense scope for the detailed study on their therapeutic properties. The research has been carried out on the medicinal plants collected from different geographical locations of Nepal, and twenty two medicinal plants were evaluated for their phytochemical profile, antimicrobial properties against human pathogenic microorganisms, cytotoxic properties. Essential oils of R. anthopogon, C.  glaucescens and Z. armatum oils possessed higher sensitivity to, S. aureus, E. coli and K. pneumonia respectively. Cytotoxic evaluation of these oils showed that R. anthopogan oil was found to be more toxic than C. glaucescens and Z. armatum. Synergistic effect with standard antibiotics and C. glaucescens oil on E. coli and…

Mohan Prasad Devkota Mistletoes do not only contribute as one of the important components of rich Nepalese biodiversity but have also been closely affiliated with culture of many indigenous communities of Nepal. Since early days, they have been considered as one of the most magical, mysterious and scared plants in Nepalese folklore, as well. Probably due to their parasitic nature, elusive method of dispersal, and strange growth habit, many indigenous communities have revered, feared, or considered them to have magical properties. Despite mistletoes of Nepal Himalayas have been overlooked by the researchers in the past and their ethno-botanical studies have never been carried out but the indigenous communities of the country have developed the traditional knowledge regarding their uses long back and inherited them from their ancestors. The most common…

Ila Shrestha Langtang National Park is one of the floral and phytogeographically diverse area of Nepal. The park is situated in Central Nepal located at 28 degree 00’ N to 28 degree 20’N latitude, 85  degree 15’E to 86 degree 00’E longitude, occupying 1,710 sq. km where the altitude differ from 600 to 7,234 m  above the sea level. The area is bounded on the north by China, on the south by Nuwakot district, on the east by Dhading district and on the west by Sindhupalchowk district. The park is mainly inhabited by Tamang and Sherpa communities followed by Brahman Chhetri, Newar, Gurung, Ghale and Sarki are also inhabited. The people of this park have rich indigenous knowledge since time immemorial and also have been depend on herbal practices. Altogether…

Steve Adkins and Sangita Shrestha Nepal is very rich in medicinal and aromatic plant biodiversity. However, various anthropogenic activities coupled with predicted climate change scenarios are major threats to the survival of many of the species in the coming decades. Therefore, this potentially high value plant biodiversity should be judiciously conserved, characterized and utilized for the future and in order to generate national benefits for health and economic benefits. In consideration of these facts, an International collaborative project is proposed which in the long term will not only conserve the medicinal plant biodiversity in both a national and an international seed banks, but will also characterize many of them at physiological, biochemical and molecular levels. In addition, the research outputs in the disciplines of seed science and technology, biotechnology, molecular…

Mary M Cameron The presentation explores the multiple natures co-existing in Nepal in the context of widely expanding biodiversity conservation projects aimed at sustainably cultivating and marketing medicinal plant species. As a framing concept of nature, the sustainable use of Nepal’s rich floral biodiversity (1463 of 7000 higher flowering plants are used medically) is reified in development and government circles. In Nepal, the differing visions of scientists, farmers, and Ayurvedic doctors, all deeply committed to natural forms, in the end compels one to ask whose methods best serve the future of human-nature relationships, the poor, and the diversity of plant species. The paper assesses this issue for Nepal through the lens of Ayurvedic medicine, a widely popular practice with global interest and socially recognized efficacy. Ayurveda’s materia medica are traded…