Tree Species Diversity in Community Managed and National Park Forests in the Mid-Hills of Central Nepal |
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| Authors: | Shiva Shankar Pandey Tek Narayan Maraseni Geoff Cockfield Karin Gerhard |
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| Institution: | 1. Faculty of Business Education Law and Arts, University of Southern Queenland, Toowoomba, Australia;2. International Centre for Applied Climate Sciences, University of Southern Queenland, Toowoomba, Australiashiva.pandey@usq.edu.au;4. International Centre for Applied Climate Sciences, University of Southern Queenland, Toowoomba, Australia;5. International Centre for Applied Climate Sciences, University of Southern Queenland, Toowoomba, Australia;6. Swedish Biodiversity Centre, Swedish University of Agriculture Science, Uppsala, Sweden |
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| Abstract: | Community forestry is expanding in developing countries but there is limited knowledge of, and contradictory findings about, its contribution to biodiversity conservation. This study aims at increasing the understanding of tree species diversity in community forests compared to National Parks. A forest inventory was carried out in four community forests and one National Park in the mid-hills of central Nepal. The study found that community forestry has contributed to high tree species diversity where forest management communities have interests in multiple species, but most community forests are moving toward promoting limited timber yielding species that have high economic value. Linking community forestry with economic incentives for conserving multiple tree species could therefore be a strategy to conserve biodiversity outside of protected areas. |
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| Keywords: | conservation species richness community forest management |
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