Participatory forest restoration for sustainable livelihood: A case study from Himalaya

Abstract

Forest restoration based on the concepts of integrated, adaptive and co-management with active community participation was attempted in a village in the temperate region of Indian Himalayan region. Mixed plantation of multipurpose broad-leaved trees, bamboo and medicinal herbs selected by the inhabitants based on pooled traditional and scientific knowledge was established, with an understanding that funding will be limited to inputs unaffordable by people and will be terminated after economic benefit/cost ratio is > 1. Stakeholders would voluntarily maintain and upscale/outscale it thereafter and analysis of socio-ecological outcomes would continue for at least next 20 years. Accordingly, the funding was terminated after 7 years when economic benefit/cost ratio crossed the mark of one. Voluntary planting of Alnus nepalensis in gaps arising from gregarious flowering induced mass mortality of bamboo two years after cessation of funding maintained progression of recovery. After 20 years, the restored area had 17% of aboveground and 75% of belowground carbon stocks, and 39% of flowering species as compared to intact forests. Further, restored forest after 20 years was monetarily the most efficient land use even though there were no payments for its regulating ecosystem services. People maintained but did not upscale/outscale the forest restoration trial as also cultivation of medicinal herbs having high biodiversity conservation on farm land triggered by it. In the study village abandonment of cropping in 39% of private farm area and leasing 24% of it to a pharmaceutical company were the land use changes between 8th and 20th year of restoration. Nullification of carbon sequestration by forest restoration by emission from agricultural abandonment resulted in no net sequestration at landscape (village) scale. Land use/cover changes resulted in change in flowering plant species diversity at ecosystem but not at village landscape scale. There is a need of tailoring forest restoration as an activity enhancing traditional knowledge, culture and income of people, ensuring its synergy with other land uses/non-land activities and determining financial support for contribution of farm-forest cultural landscape mosaics to biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation around biodiversity hotspots in developing countries