URBAN FORESTRY IN FORTHCOMING;NEW FORESTRY SECTOR STRATEGY in Nepal

URBAN FORESTRY IN FORTHCOMING  

NEW FORESTRY SECTOR STRATEGY in Nepal

          Urbanization is a global phenomenon. The criteria of designating an area as urban defers from one nation to another. By definition, urbanization refers to the process by which rural areas become urbanized as a result of economic development. The urban population is growing in all the nations throughout the world. As a result, by 1990, less than 40% of the global population lived in cities, but as of 2010, more than half of the total people live in urban areas. Today, the number of urban residents is growing by nearly 60 million per year (www.who.int). Similarly, the United Nations projected that by 2050, 64.1% and 85.9% of the developing and developed world respectively will be urbanized.

Photo-Mahabouddha,Kathmandu

                    In case of Nepal, 17% of the total population lives in urban region which was 13% in 2001 (CBS, 2011). Further, it is estimated that there are 24% population living in the urban areas in Nepal as per the National Planning Commission. Although, the urban people are facing the noise, sound, water, air and land pollutions. The government is settling down such environmental issues emerged from the Kathmandu centered power, passiveness of  Kathmandu Valley Development Authority, poor implementation of National Urban Policy, 2007, false information flow about outer ring road construction, and haphazard development of urban centers.

photo-KhullaManch ,Kathmandu

               The escalating population exerts direct pressure on the natural resources. As a result, the accessible open space and greenery becomes inadequate to support the ever increasing population and those present, also get degraded due to their over-exploitation. This obligated for the development and maintenance of greenery and parks within the urban areas.

Photo-Bagmati,Kathmandu

                  Urbanization though brings alluring opportunities and services, hamper the environmental harmony as well. It can cause an increase in the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere, a higher need to clear lands and a loss of biodiversity in virgin forests. Moreover, unplanned urbanization can have more serious effects. Sadly, in a developing country like Nepal, urbanization sector is still haphazard. On the other hand, urbanization is undoubted regarded as the backbone of the development for any nation. Hence, there is an increasing concern towards reducing the environmental impacts from urbanization. Such concern has emerged the concept of urban forestry.

                     The term urban forest refers to all publicly and privately owned trees within an urban area including individual trees along streets and in backyards, as well as stands of remnant forest (Nowak et al. 2001). The list of goods and services that urban forestry can provide could be impressive. Trees and other vegetation intercept particles and gaseous pollutants (McPherson et al., 1997; Harris et al., 1999). Moreover, they act as carbon sinks that help mitigate global warming (McPherson and Simpson, 1999). They help keep cities beautiful, cool, act as natural filters and noise absorbers; improve microclimates, regulate runoff water, and provide habitats to a number of animals in general and birds in particular (Konijnendijk et al., 2004). In spite of providing several services, urban forestry has not flourished much. One of the primary reasons behind it may also be the negligence from government and related line agencies. Urban forestry programs often receive scant funds from municipal budgets or limited attention from the decision makers due to the financial demands of more pressing political and social problems facing cities, such as crime and education (Parker, 1995; Tate, 2000). Hence, inclusion of such issues in policy level has been an urgent need of the present time.

                      There are number of examples which can provide some hope for the urban forestry. Koteswor-Suryabinayak road has become a model road where roadside plantation carried out nearly two years ago has added value and enhanced the beauty of the Kathmandu Valley. It is hoped that the Bagmati Cleaning Campaign also gives high priority to plant trees and shrubs along the holy rivers in the Valley. Prior to the positive initiation in the Valley, Hetauda Municipality, clean city of the year, has already proved the success story of roadside plantation which is also a part of urban forestry. 

                  A number of researchers have carried out the prospects of urban forestry in Nepal. They found that there were lacking of co-ordination and clear cut responsibility among the institutions who claimed as so called development sectors. The researchers have recommended that selection of appropriate tree species for plantation is the most. Further, proper management of trees and vegetation, promotion of research, implementation of holistic planning, encouraging people's participation are areas to be considered in urban forestry is to be developed.  Moreover, regular monitoring and evaluation of the urban forestry is strong tools to maintain greenery in the city which is lacking so far. Similarly, Bindu Mishra also suggested to dream about our urban centers and plan for the best.

                         One study dig out the root causes of failure of urban forestry and highlighted the problems include lack of participation, protection of plants, inappropriate choice of planting species, and low priority in urban forestry.  One of the important tasks in urban forestry is to find out the planting sites and appropriate species to be planted. Further, species must be ever green, perennial, dust tolerant, capacity to reduce sound and air pollution as well.

                In recent years, the forests around the Kathmandu Valley have been treated as urban forestry. A large number of visitors have been moving around the parks, forests, gardens for recreation, rest, peace, research, religious purposes etc. Further, community forests and religious forests in the fringe area of city of Nepal are promoting ecotourism. Gradual shifting of people's needs and requirements from direct use to non-use values of forests around the urban centers has also forced to the policy makers to review the existing provisions in rules and regulations. Because, ever changing socio-economic condition made the conductive environment to develop urban forestry for non-use values.

                           Faulty urban forestry planning in the past lost the life and property of the people in the city areas. Big trees like Eucalyptus, Grevillea have been planted along the road and ring road of the Kathmandu Valley which were fallen and uprooted due to storms and poor management. Further, the ring road has become the parking areas for vehicles, storage of construction materials, and farm land for encroachers. Recently, the expansion of the ring road evacuated the existing trees so far.

                       Apart from state, a number of club, civil society, and corporate have initiated the greenery program to make the city healthy and green through urban forestry in Kathmandu Valley. However, the efforts are inadequate and lacking maintenance of the sites.

                      Since urban forestry is a recent issue, there have been some major gaps and challenges:

Ø  The issue of urban forestry has not been properly addressed; neither in policy level nor in public level.

Ø  There is lack of co-ordination among the government line agencies as to who will lead the urban forestry issue

Ø  Lack of concern as well as commitment from the political parties sideline the urban forestry from the mainstreamed policy and action plans

Ø  Lack of relevant database concerning the distribution and area of urban forestry patches as well as number and variety of species in it caused difficulty in identifying the baseline scenario

Ø  Absence of/insufficient scientific research

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                 Some major issues urban forestry which are identified in Nepal as follows:

• Absence of a leading organization to work in the field of urban forestry
• Poor co-ordination among the related government departments
• Inadequate efforts to formulate urban forestry acts and regulations
• Insufficient scientific research
• Poor documentation of urban forestry in public land
• Inadequate awareness among the people regarding the benefits from urban forestry

Photo-ideal                                                        urban forest

                        Nepal is formulating new forestry sector strategy at present. To address the urban forestry issues, the following points should be considered by the government and the stakeholders.

• The government should prepare urban forestry strategy should be developed as soon as possible having criteria and indicators for the promotion and development of urban forestry.
• The government should  make clear cut legal arrangements including policy and rules
• The government should authorize appropriate institution to lead urban forestry, potential one is Department of Forests.
• Coordination mechanisms must be built among the lead agencies and related institutions like  Municipality, Department of Urban Development and Building Construction (DUDBC) to improve the current situation.
• Conduct advocacy campaign for incorporating urban forestry in Acts and Regulations and conserving biodiversity by the non-governmental organization
• Government and donor partners should provide financial and technical support to increase awareness among the people for planting shrubs and trees in the cities.
• Conduct more scientific research on urban forestry in collaboration with research institutions.

• Implement the concept: “One house, one tree; one VDC, one forest and one city, many gardens”.
• Declare a decade of forest and biodiversity conservation as soon as possible.

• Make land use plan and delineate areas for urban forestry as soon as possible.
• Municipality must prepare integrated plan with participatory ways through eco-clubs incorporating urban forestry
• Conduct self and joint and regular monitoring visits of the approved activities.
• Eco clubs must establish modern trees and shrubs nurseries for supplying sizable and preferred seedlings and saplings matching for the sites like roadside, riverside, parks, traffic islands, roof-top, public and private lands by joint cooperation among private sector, co-operatives, community forest user groups and public sector.
• Donor partners must provide modern tools and equipments to pitting, planting, irrigation, pruning, harvesting, decorating used for maintaining the urban forestry for making greening cities through ecoclubs.
• The residents and visitors of cities must be responsible to care and protect the plants and shrubs.
• The existing and recently declared urban or municipalities, from 58 to 130 must develop integrated plans, so that the life of the people here will be comfortable and feel satisfaction.
• The issue of urban forestry should be incorporated right from the initial phase of planning of urbanization in all the cities of the nation.