The latest government study shows an increase in forest cover by 5.14 per cent in the last 15 years, from 39.6 per cent in 1999 to 44.74 per cent this year.
The scientific forest survey that lasted shows that forests cover 40.36 per cent of country’s land area and 4.38 per cent by shrub. The latest survey even establishes that more forest area is in the mid-hills section while the previous studies stated that the Tarai belt contains more forest area.
Out of the total forests, 37.8 per cent are in mid-hills, 32.25 per cent in mountains, 23.4 per cent in the Chure area and 6.90 per cent is in Tarai. The tree census revealed 2.56 billion trees are of more than 10 cm in diameter. These included 443 species of trees belonging to 239 genera and 99 families.
Bharati Pathak of the Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal (FECOFUN credits the contribution of community forests to forest conservation. “In the past, community forestry was blamed for deforestation, but this study proves that community forests have played an important role in increasing total forest cover.”
Canopy cover in the mid-hills is growing due to transmigration of people to the plains and urban areas, according to the study. “Land abandoned during the conflict is now covered with trees,” said Yam Prasad Pokharel of the Department of Forest Research, which conducted the survey. “Small patches of forest, which were not visible earlier, were noticeable during the research and ultimately contributed to the increase in forest area.”
This has augmented Nepal’s total carbon sink, at a time when the government hopes to cut down on emissions of greenhouse gases.