Concepts and perceptions of biodiversity in community forestry,Nepal |
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Authors: | Acharya Uma Petheram R John Reid Rowan |
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Institution: | (1) Institute of Land and Food Resources, The University of Melbourne, 3010 Parkville, Victoria, Australia |
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Abstract: | International and national development programs in Nepal place high priority on management of forests for biodiversity. Communities
are expected to embrace and cooperate in this endeavour for biodiversity conservation, yet little research has been carried
out to understand community viewpoints on biodiversity conservation, or even to ascertain people’s understanding of the concept
of biodiversity. This paper explores perceptions and concepts related to biodiversity and its conservation held by people
involved in community forestry in Nepal. Data were obtained from in-depth individual interviews and focus group discussions
carried out in two contrasting geographical districts. The results show that the Western term ‘biodiversity’, translated into
Nepalese as jaiwik bibidhata, is new and confusing to most forest people, who interpret the term in a variety of ways. People’s perceptions of biodiversity
vary widely and a considerable gap exists between policy-makers and forest users in the understanding and interpretation of
this Nepalese term and its related concepts. These findings have important implications for the design and implementation
of development programs and in formulation of forest policy in Nepal. |
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Keywords: | biodiversity definition jaiwik bibidhata Nepal community forest user groups |
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