Forest Carbon Stock in Community Forests in three watersheds (Ludikhola, Kayarkhola and Charnawati)

ANSAB has estimated the current level of forest carbon stock of 104 community forests in three watersheds - Kayarkhola of Chitwan district, Charnawati of Dolakha district and Ludhikhola of Gorkha district of Nepal. Currently ANSAB along with two other partners International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), and Federation of Community Forest Users, Nepal (FECOFUN) is implementing a project “Design and setting up of a governance and payment system for Nepal’s Community Forest Management under Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD)” in the area since July 2009 with financial support from NORAD. This pilot project aims to  demonstrate the feasibility of REDD payment mechanism in Community Forest (CF) by involving local communities including marginalized groups so that deforestation and forest degradation can be reduced by linking sustainable forest management practices with economic incentives. Further the project focuses on the concerns of indigenous, marginalized people, women, Dalit and local communities dependent on forests by involving them in designing and functioning of a national-level REDD governance and payment mechanism that supports community forestry at grassroots level. As responsible for the technical part of the forest carbon measurement, ANSAB estimated the current level of forest carbon stock in the project sites was to generate baseline information so as to see the carbon stock change over the period and also to demonstrate the REDD incentive distribution and practice of governance process in community forest management system. Earlier in 2010, technicians from ANSAB also prepared a guideline for measuring carbon stock in community managed forests.