Forest Utilization and It s Consequences in a Rural Society : A Case Study of a Mountain Village in Central Nepal

Abstract

Forest deterioration in Nepal which typifies the forest destruction problem in the developing world is attracting worldwide attention. The deterioration has a close connection with forest utilization of the rural inhabitants. Moreover, as production facilities are not developed and as there is no hope of heavy investment which could carry out extensive afforestation in this country, the participation of the inhabitants becomes essential for the reforestation and conservation programs. In this paper, various aspects of forest utilization by the inhabitants of a village in the Middle Mountains of Nepal are studied. In the area, forms of the forest utilization are basically reclaimation for cultivation and gathering of feed for animals which maintain the agro-pastoral system, together with extraction of firewood and timber for daily life. These exploitations have been accelerating in recent decades , affected by socio-economic changes from outside of the village. Consequences of this deterioration are damage by landslides, shortage of cultivable land and livestock, as well as conflicts among villages. All of these results cause oppression in rural life. From the comparison of the main uses of the forests, it became apparent that fodder lopping for livestock has the greatest influence upon both the forests and the lives of the inhabitants by its characteristics and the way of gathering rather than its amount. AS a solution to this problem, coordination of agro-pastoral production and forest conservation, and especially the plantation of fodder crops in the devastated area is recommended. For the practical management, consideration of the landuse and life-style of the inhabitants is necessary

ネパールにおける森林荒廃は, 開発途上諸国での森林破壊問題の典型として注目を集めている。この森林荒廃は, 地域住民の森林利用と密接なつながりを持ったものであり, また, 生産基盤が未発達で, 多額の投資を行なって大規模な再造林を進める事も困難なこの国では, 森林の保全, 育成に住民の参加が不可欠な要素となる。本論では, こうした地域住民の森林利用を, ネパール中間山地の一山村において多面的に考接した。この地域における住民の森林利用は, 基本的に農牧システム維持のための農地開墾と家畜の飼料採取, 及び日常生活のための薪, 木材採取である。こうした森林からの搾取は, 外部からの社会的, 経済的影響を受け, ここ数年に著しく加速されてきており, 土砂崩壊による被害, 可耕地及び家畜の不足, 村落間の争議の増加などの現象引き起こし, 住民の生活を圧迫している。本論は, 村民の様々な森林利用形態のうち, 家畜の飼料採取が, 量の大きさよりもむしろその資源としての性格や, 採取法における特徴から, 森林資源と住民生活の両面に, 最も大きな影響を与えていることを明らかにした。この森林破壊問題を解決するためには, 農業生産と森林保全の両立がなされるべきであり, これには荒廃地への飼料木の植栽が有効であろう。また, 施業にあたっては, 住民の土地利用や生活様式を考慮する必要がある。