Author Archives: Rupantaran Nepal

Rupantaran Nepal undertook the task of consolidating the LAPA initiatives which was started in Livelihood and Forestry Programme (LFP) districts in early 2009 in order to mobilize community institutions to respond to the adverse impact of climate change. The LAPA and CAP initiatives have achieved significant progresses in terms of sensitizing vulnerable households and building their adaptive capacity. The initiatives have also tested and promoted institutional mechanism for ensuring collaboration and synergy among agencies at the local level. Important lessons have emerged during piloting and so have challenges in terms of institutionalizing and mainstreaming these initiatives. The project started from January to March 2012.

The consolidation process is necessary to identify sustainable process, mechanisms and modality of facilitating community based adaptation at local and district level. Consolidation will also harmonize the LFP/IFP learning with LAPA framework recently endorsed by Ministry of Environment. It is considered that this consolidation could also provide strategic roadmap for DFID and EU supported NCCSP and other donor-supported projects in facilitating the local level adaptation planning and delivery.

Objectives:

•  To document key learning and reflections of the CAP and LAPA process generated from piloting and implementation
•  To build ownership of district based stakeholders on the CAP and LAPA initiative by initiating district level sharing and discussion workshop
• Reflection paper consolidating learning and reflection of district on LAPA and CAP piloting

Interim Forestry Project (IFP) is the succeeding project of Livelihoods and Forestry Programme (LFP). The project started from July 2011 to April 2012. The overall objective of the project is to provide continued forestry and livelihoods services to forestry groups in 18 ex-LFP (Livelihoods and Forestry Programme) and ex-NSCFP (Nepal Swiss Community Forestry Project) districts, focusing on promoting multi-stakeholder governance, enhancing livelihoods of poor, excluded and climate vulnerable communities, helping to enrich the forest resources and environmental services along with the monitoring, reporting and communication.

The project followed different approaches according to area specific context and practices. Activities are delivered through local implementing agencies [NGOs, Networks] in close coordination with local government.  Joint monitoring with local stakeholders was performed to ensure the effectiveness of this project.

The project locations are distributed across 18 districts of Nepal.

• Central:Ramechhap, Okhaldhunga, Khotang
• East: Dhankuta, Terhathum, Shankhuwasabha and Bhojpur
• West: Baglung, Parbat, Myagdi,
• Terai :Kapilvastu, Rupandehi and Nawalparasi
• Midwest: Dang, Salyan, Pyuthan, Rukum and Rolpa

Project activities:

• Management of NGO partners and local implementing agencies
• Fund management and achieving value for money
• Promoting good governance in  forest user groups
• Creating and strengthening multi-stakeholder forums at VDC and DDC levels
• Ensuring active and inclusive targeting of poor, excluded and climate vulnerable households for social and economic empowerment
• Capacity development of forest users groups
• Strengthening and stimulating  sustainable forest based enterprises
• Enhancing forest resources and environmental services
• Helping forest users groups and theri networks to develop and implement climate change adaptation plans through the process of social mobilisation

Climate Adaptation Design and Piloting is an HTSPE/ Department for International Development (DFID) funded 11 months project started from June 2010 to April 2011.

Rupantaran Nepal undertook the design of the Local Adaptation Plans for Action (LAPA) for the forestry sector in Sukrauli VDC of Nawalparasi district, Dhungegadi VDC of Pyuthan district and Ransi VDC of Rukum district. The assignment was carried out with the purpose of preparing LAPA in three distinct ecological zones and assessing any constraints, the reach up and draw-down mechanisms and documenting the key lessons learnt from it.

Objectives:

• To review and update tools for climate change vulnerability assessment
• To assess the role of forestry institutions in integrating climate change adaptation into development planning
• To assess the appropriate finance and service delivery mechanisms to reach the most vulnerable
• To identify specific interventions to build the adaptive capacity of the most vulnerable communities in the Midwest region

Community Adaptation Plans of Action (CAPA) to LAPA and a direct LAPA were the two modalities adopted during the LAPA process. CAPA was prepared at CFUG level and later synthesized to VDC level LAPA in Pyuthan whereas the LAPA at VDC level was directly prepared for Nawalparasi and Rukum.

A total of nine CAPAs and three VDC level LAPAs were prepared. Specific tools and techniques (Participatory Well Being Ranking (PWBR) and Forest User Groups Categorization Tool) were reviewed and assessed in the context of climate change. The roles of local institutions including the CFUG, PILMG, VFCC and MoFSC line agencies (DFO and DSCO) as well as broader planning institutions  (VDC, DDC AND MoA line agencies (DAO and DLSO) were reviewed. The most appropriate finance and service delivery mechanisms that reaches the most vulnerable was identified along with the identification of the interventions that would enhance the adaptation capacity.  In addition Rupantaran managed and facilitated two regional consultation workshops on LAPA framework to finalise the framework at Nepalgunj and Pokhara.

Rupantaran Nepal with support from Livelihoods & Forestry Programme initiated Payment for Ecosystem Services in 8 VDCs of four districts (Dhankuta, Rupandehi, Baglung and Dang) in Nepal. The PES districts were selected in close coordination with REDD Cell, Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation (MoFSC) and the project VDCs/VFCCs/FUGs were selected in close consultation with DDC. In general, the project was designed to enhance livelihoods and reduce the vulnerability of poor rural people through equitable and sustainable management of forests and other tree resources. It was a 6 months project started from January 2011.

Specifically, the project had two broad objectives: 1. contribute assisting rural communities to access additional financial resources from PES (in the form of Plan Vivo credits). 2. To enhance learning and capacity building of local communities, government and non –government stakeholders on carbon financing project development and implementation under the PES system of Plan Vivo Standard.

The project takes a landscape approach and implements its project through local level multi-stakeholder bodies like District Forest Coordination Committee (DFCC)/ Village Forest Coordination Committee (VFCC), VDC etc. Linkages and coordination with government institutions and non-government bodies (FUG Networks, DFOs, DDC/DFCC and REDD Cell) is important in project implementation. In addition, it adopts social inclusion, good governance, gender mainstreaming, community forestry processes and technical forestry principles as major approaches while developing and implementing the project.

Review, Documentation and Dissemination of LFP Community Adaptation Plan (CAP) Process was a LFP/DFID funded project started from April 2011 to May 2011 in 15 LFP working districts.

Livelihoods and Forestry Programme (LFP) has conceptualized Community Adaptation Plan (CAP) to address increasing threats on livelihoods assets primarily linked with climate change. Initially, LFP had mandated to support rural livelihoods through forest resource but later climate change adaptation was included within its mandate. CAP approach was tested in 15 districts in consultation with District Forest Coordination Committee (DFCC) and implemented through existing mechanisms such as partner NGOs, C/FUG groups, and VFCC. Rupantaran Nepal was assigned the task of reviewing the LFP CAP processes for drawing the reflections and ensuring dissemination of the initial learning of the process.

The task intended to assess the linkages of local initiatives such as LAPA and CAP with the National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) framework and explore potential mechanisms on the ground for the implementation of NAPA and other national initiatives and to mainstream climate change adaptation into national development agenda.

The overall objectives of this work were to review and document the process, early results and learning of the LFP initiated CAP process in order to consolidate its work on CAP.

Objectives:

• To review, analyze and synthesize the information and learning related to the LFP CAP process
• To document and disseminate the CAP process, early achievements, issues and learning
• To revise the prospectus of CAP in order to synchronize with other national initiatives like NAPA and LAPA
• To assess and recommend adaptation framework for forestry sector and beyond

Reviews of Local Adaptation Plans of Action (LAPA) and Community Adaptation Plans (CAP) were carried out in 15 LFP districts. As a part of the review, RN supported the building of common understanding among the LFP staff and their partners of climate change adaptation.

The Himalayan Community Carbon Project (HCCP) operates with forest user groups of 8 Village Development Committees (VDCs) of Nepal. It is spread from the eastern to the western region in Dhankuta, Baglung, Rupandehi and Dang districts. It focuses on the forests and the livelihoods of poor and socially excluded rural Himalayan communities. These include the different forest user groups; community and public land.

Due to climate change, these communities are having a hard life. As their livelihood depends on the forest, there is a need to save these forests. Thus HCCP aims to maintain these mountain forests intact and make these communities less vulnerable.

Activities therefore include fire and grazing control, promotion of Improved Cooking Stoves (ICS) and income generating activities, which would reduce carbon emissions along with carbon addition activities such as plantation and improved forest management.