Assessing carbon stocks in forest ecosystems is essential for the development of effective management strategies. This study was carried out with aim to assess the tree species richness, phytomass carbon stock, and soil organic carbon (SOC) in Barandabhar forest in Chitwan, Bagmati Province, Nepal under four management regimes within forest such as: Buffer Zone Forest (BZ), Buffer Zone Community Forest (BZCF), Community Forest (CF), and Protected Forest (PF) using concentric circular plots of 20 m radius (each of 0.12 ha). Altogether 256 sample plots were employed. Among them, 119 plots were in BZ, 48 plots in BZCF, 56 plots in CF, and 33 plots in PF. All tree species in each plot were recorded and their height and diameter at breast height (DBH ≥ 5cm) were measured to calculate phytomass carbon stock. Soil parameters such as pH, Bulk density, and SOC for soil samples collected from 0–10 cm depth in each plot were also analysed. In total, 30 tree species were recorded in the study, with Shorea robusta contributing the highest phytomass carbon stock. The mean phytomass carbon stock across the study area was 201±5 t/ha, while the mean SOC in the soil was 10.2±0.2 t/ha. Across the regimes, the highest phytomass carbon stock was recorded in the BZCF i.e., 239 ± 14 t/ha, followed by PF (207 ± 12 t/ha), BZ (202 ± 6 t/ha), and CF (162 ± 8 t/ha), respectively. The better predictors of phytomass carbon were soil pH and bulk density including tree basal area. These findings emphasize that forest management practices could have a significant impact on the carbon storage potential of forests.

Human-wildlife conflict is increasing at an alarming rate despite government efforts and local community support, posing a threat to both humans and wildlife species. Relief support for people affected by wildlife induced damage is a widely applied post-conflict mitigation approach. We reviewed relief provisions from government (policies, act, regulation, directives and five-year plan) and non-government organisations, including CBD, FAO, IUCN, and relevant peer-reviewed articles. The relief program was initiated through the Buffer Zone program at periphery of Chitwan National Park. The Buffer Zone Management Committee of Chitwan formed under ‘Buffer Zone Management Regulations, 1996, piloted a relief distribution practice in 1998 for wildlife damage using the 50% of the park’s revenue provided to buffer zone as per the regulations. This relief provision was designed as a compassionate measure to secure local community support for protected area management, offering cash support for losses of livestock, crops or in cases of human casualties. The Government established a legal mechanism of relief support payments to victims for wildlife caused damage through the Directive related to distribution of relief for wildlife caused damage 2009 under the provision of the National Park and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1973, and its Regulations 1975. By incorporating one and half decades of lessons learnt, the most recent Directive was formulated in 2023 to provide relief support for damage caused by 16 wildlife species. Such a provision reduces economic risks to surrounding communities and is expected to minimize retaliatory killings of wildlife. The high number of human-wildlife conflict cases demands substantial financial resources, raising concerns about the long-term sustainability of such relief programs. This has prompted the exploration of alternative measures to minimize human wildlife conflict, including endowment funds and crop and livestock insurance.

A shelterwood system was implemented, with regeneration felling carried out in the most degraded areas and mother trees retained to support seedling establishment. Empirical findings indicate high regeneration density but low species richness. Additionally, concerns remain regarding the quality of regeneration, including the origin of seedlings following regeneration felling. In this context, this study examines regeneration dynamics in six community-managed Sal (Shorea robusta) forests in Nepal’s far-western region, where dry climatic conditions and forest fragmentation pose significant challenges to regeneration. A total of 376 sample plots were surveyed, with managed plots (subjected to regeneration felling) compared to natural stands. Seedling and sapling densities were assessed using systematic sampling, and a semi-destructive method was employed to determine the origin of seedlings (seed vs. seedling coppice). The findings revealed that managed plots had significantly higher density and species richness across both seedling and sapling stages of regeneration. Seedling coppice dominated both managed and natural stands, with significantly higher seed-originated seedlings in natural stands. Overall, the study highlights the effectiveness of regeneration felling under a shelterwood system, which enhances regeneration density and species richness, and improves the mechanical properties of wood by promoting seed-originated seedlings.

The Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) have recently been recognized as a viable tool for conserving biodiversity beyond protected areas. As a new concept, it is essential to evaluate the current knowledge on OECMs and their prospects for conserving biodiversity resources outside protected areas. We conducted a systematic review of the literature on key concepts, including OECMs, governance, and biodiversity, using the Publish or Perish Software Program in Google Scholar. Out of the total 200 articles identified through the keywords, 54 were shortlisted for a comprehensive full-text review. Based on the closeness of the study objectives to our research questions, 27 articles were selected for detailed analysis. As no journal articles related to the OECM in Nepal were found within the set time frame, contemporary policies and legal documents of Nepal were also reviewed. Additionally, to account for the lengthy publication process, a few more recent journal articles were also reviewed. The review revealed that nearly half of the studies (13) focused on global and regional scales, while eight studies were conducted in eight different countries, and two studies in each of three additional countries. Recent studies on the integration of OECM principles in Nepal’s forestry sector policies and practices were also reviewed. Community-led conservation, supported by coordination and collaboration among multilevel governance systems - including both state and non-state actors-has been found effective in conserving biodiversity resources outside protected areas. However, further studies on natural resources governance beyond protected areas are needed to ensure long-term in-situ conservation of biodiversity through the OECM model.

This study aims to analyze diameter class, quality class, wood production potential and timber and firewood values of trees outside forest along the urban-rural gradient in Kathmandu valley of central Nepal. Inventory was performed in 209 randomly selected points. Circular plots of 20 m radius were used for inventory. All trees (height > 1.3 m and DBH ≥ 5 cm) in the plots were identified to species level and their height, DBH & quality class were recorded. In total 6,210 trees (236.35 ha-1) of 150 species belonging to 111 genera and 57 families were recorded. The total merchantable timber volumes of timber class A and B, and total timber volumes were highest in the urban stratum (537.08, 84.88 and 621.96 cu ft ha -1 respectively) followed by rural (442.94, 66.82 and 509.76 cu ft ha -1 respectively) and suburban (250.04, 47.31 and 297.35 cu ft ha -1 respectively) strata. But due to higher merchantable price of tree species recorded in rural stratum, total market value of class A timber was higher in rural stratum (NPR 7,89,871/US$ 6,085), class B timber was higher in urban stratum (NPR 1,08,255/US$ 834), total timber was higher in rural stratum (NPR 8,70,410/US$ 6,706), firewood was higher in urban stratum (NPR 4,88,709/US$ 3,765) and total wood was higher in urban stratum (NPR 12,95,531/US$ 9,981). Cinnamomum camphora was found as tree species with highest market price of total wood value in the study area. The study provides the baseline data of useful timber species through TOF suggesting a need for appropriate timber producing species selection for plantation.

Large-scale plantations of pine species were done in the bare hills of the Middle Mountain region of Nepal during the early 1980s. There is a growing concern on the sustainability of the planted pine forests in the country due to the presence of invasive alien plant species (IAPS). Invasive alien plant species are considered as one of the drivers of forest degradation and deforestation. Ageratina adenophora is one of the problematic IAPS found in the planted pine forests throughout the country. In this study, we employed different treatments to control the invasion of A. adenophora in the planted pine (Pinus patula) forest. The research design included four different treatments, viz., (i) control, (ii) stem felling, (iii) floor clearance, and (iv) stem felling cum floor clearance in one block (Block I), which was replicated in another block (Block II). The data were collected using circular sample plots with 2m radius. The ANOVA and TukeyHSD Tests were applied during the analysis process so as to determine the effects of treatments on invasion of A. adenophora. The "floor clearance treatment" was found to be significantly effective to reduce the presence of A. adenophora in the planted pine forest. On the contrary, the "opening of forest cover treatment" was found to be conducive to this invasive species to invade the area. The "stem felling cum floor clearance treatment" could be an effective strategy to control invasion of A. adenophora in planted forest, but as it demands a high cost, it is likely to be appropriate for small forest areas where promotion of regeneration is of high priority.

Springs in the mountains and hills are getting affected by both climatic and non-climatic changes. Hydrologic models are used to simulate the response of spring systems to the changes; however, only a limited number of studies using the hydrologic modeling approach have been accomplished on studying springs and spring-dominated watersheds in Nepal. This research aimed at understanding changing hydrological processes through hydrologic modeling in a spring catchment. A micro-catchment named 'Sikharpur' of West Seti watershed of Nepal was selected to get insights into the process influencing the spring system. The RRAWFLOW models with gamma distribution and time variant IRFs were calibrated and validated for the catchment to get the best fit model. The discharge was simulated according to the future projected climate scenarios. Then, a water balance was assessed for the micro-catchment. The results showed that understanding of likely response of hydrologic variables to potential future climate scenarios is critical for water resource management. It was estimated that the spring discharge would be decreased by more than 40 percentage after 50 years mainly due to the increase in evapo-transpiration (91.47% of the precipitation). Evapo-transpiration was found as a major hydrologic process impacting upon water balance in the spring catchment; therefore, its management for better spring resource conservation is recommended by considering high evapo-transpiration months, water deficient period and crop factor. The change in the storage was observed to be 51.78%; so, detail isotopic analysis and long-term monitoring of water balance is required for further characterization of water balance components.

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