ABSTRACT Nepal is one of the leading countries embracing community forestry with about 45% of households being members of community forest user groups. However, there has been a failure to deliver the full potential of forest wealth because of a lack of proper silvicultural management, a constraining policy environment and a complex socio-institutional context. Meanwhile, mid-hill agriculture has not kept pace with the changing economy and out-migration. Food insecurity is rife in a landscape of under-utilised forests and under-utilised land. Australian development assistance between 1978 and 2006 supported the establishment of 21 000 ha of community forests and significant contributions to community forest institutions. In the light of the under-performance of this sector, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research established the project Enhancing Food Security and Livelihoods through Agroforestry and Community Forestry in Nepal, locally known as EnLiFT, which ran from 2013 to 2018. This paper aims to explain Australia’s contribution to Nepal’s forestry, with a focus on more recent achievements supporting pathways to realise the potential wealth in Nepal’s forests. It begins with an outline of the early Australian support and origins of community forestry in Nepal via the Nepal–Australia Forestry Project, and then the current status of community forestry. It then describes the research process of the EnLiFT project starting with new conceptual models and methods such as: (1) the Pathways Approach to link forest and food security; (2) the EnLiFT Bioeconomic Model of the Farm-Forest Interface; (3) the Silvo-Institutional Model for Scientific Forest Management; (4) Active and Equitable Forest Management; (5) Rapid Silvicultural Appraisal; (6) the Strategic and Inclusive Planning process and (7) EnLiFT Policy Labs. We also highlight many significant development impacts of EnLiFT. The demonstration and training of silvicultural methods released considerable forest wealth into the community. This occurred around the time of the 2015 earthquake when timber was in need for reconstruction. It was also associated with the re-vitalisation of a defunct sawmill by facilitation of community-private partnership. It was responsible for turning the public debate from resistance to acceptance of scientific forest management. It also developed inclusive planning processes for the revision of operational plans of community forests. On privately owned land, EnLiFT demonstrated: (1) the possibility for marked and rapid changes in livelihoods from relatively simple agroforestry interventions based on horticultural commodities and tree fodders; (2) an even greater potential for livelihood enhancement through private forestry and (3) articulated the current institutional and regulatory constraints on sale of trees from private land. We conclude by highlighting the contributions of EnLiFT in policy debate which led to policy outcomes that further the improvement of community forestry, agroforestry and bringing under-utilised land back into productive use.

中文翻译：

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尼泊尔森林财富之路

摘要 尼泊尔是社区林业的主要国家之一，约有 45% 的家庭是社区森林用户群体的成员。然而，由于缺乏适当的造林管理、限制性的政策环境和复杂的社会制度背景，森林财富的潜力一直未能充分发挥。与此同时，中山农业并没有跟上不断变化的经济和外迁。粮食不安全在森林未充分利用和土地未充分利用的地区普遍存在。1978 年至 2006 年期间，澳大利亚的发展援助支持建立了 21 000 公顷的社区森林，并对社区森林机构做出了重大贡献。鉴于该行业表现不佳，澳大利亚国际农业研究中心于 2013 年至 2018 年在尼泊尔建立了通过农林业和社区林业提高粮食安全和生计的项目，当地称为 EnLiFT。 本文旨在解释澳大利亚对尼泊尔林业的贡献，重点是最近的成就支持实现尼泊尔森林潜在财富的途径。它首先概述了澳大利亚通过尼泊尔-澳大利亚林业项目对尼泊尔社区林业的早期支持和起源，然后是社区林业的现状。然后描述了 EnLiFT 项目的研究过程，从新的概念模型和方法开始，例如：(1) 将森林和粮食安全联系起来的途径方法；（2）农林界面EnLiFT生物经济模型；(3) 森林科学管理的林地制度模式；(4) 积极和公平的森林管理；(5) 快速造林评估；(6) 战略和包容性规划流程和 (7) EnLiFT 政策实验室。我们还强调了 EnLiFT 的许多重大发展影响。造林方法的示范和培训为社区释放了可观的森林财富。这发生在 2015 年地震前后，当时需要重建木材。它还与通过促进社区-私人伙伴关系重振已倒闭的锯木厂有关。它负责将公众辩论从抵制科学森林管理转变为接受科学森林管理。它还制定了修订社区森林运营计划的包容性规划流程。在私有土地上，EnLiFT 证明：（1）基于园艺商品和树木饲料的相对简单的农林业干预措施有可能显着和快速地改变生计；(2) 通过私营林业改善生计的更大潜力和 (3) 阐明了当前对从私人土地出售树木的制度和监管限制。最后，我们强调了 EnLiFT 在政策辩论中的贡献，这些贡献导致了进一步改善社区林业、农林业和将未充分利用的土地重新投入生产用途的政策成果。(2) 通过私营林业改善生计的更大潜力和 (3) 阐明了当前对从私人土地出售树木的制度和监管限制。最后，我们强调了 EnLiFT 在政策辩论中的贡献，这些贡献导致了进一步改善社区林业、农林业和将未充分利用的土地重新投入生产用途的政策成果。(2) 通过私营林业改善生计的更大潜力和 (3) 阐明了当前对从私人土地出售树木的制度和监管限制。最后，我们强调了 EnLiFT 在政策辩论中的贡献，这些贡献导致了进一步改善社区林业、农林业和将未充分利用的土地重新投入生产用途的政策成果。