Thank you Badri Paudyal for your timely analysis of forest management issues in Nepal in 'Hariyo Ban Nepal Sarkar Ko Dhan' (#158). It is very true that community forestry is one of the few notable success stories in Nepal in the national context of widespread corruption and poor public sector management. The present decision by the government to take 40 percent of the income from community forest user groups is an example of how the government wants to impose yet another controversial law through ordinances without any proper homework and consultation with the stakeholders. What guarantee is there that the income collected in the national treasury will be redistributed in a proper and equitable basis when the country is plagued by lawlessness, rampant corruption and lack of transparency and accountability? How will the major concern of economic benefits not going to the poorest of the poor be addressed by such a hasty decision?

The forest is not a meagre source of timber and revenue as the government sees it, but the basis of (sustainable) livelihoods for the majority of poor people who depend on it for various resources. Instead of taking away income from local people, why doesn\'t the government control illegal timber harvesting in the tarai by the network of timber mafia and political patronage? Why can\'t the government see the drain of national income from more valuable commercial sal forests? Instead of creating confusion and tension through controversial decisions, it would be better for the government to focus its efforts on transparent, accountable mechanisms and devolving decision making, including economic ones, to local users themselves. The government should focus on ensuring the equitable distribution of benefits through better monitoring and evaluation mechanisms when the CFUGs use the collected fund locally for development interventions. Only by empowering them will the locals develop a 'sense of ownership' and preserve the forests that they regenerated over the years.

Poshendra Satyal Pravat
Cambridge, UK