Birendra Karna - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Birendra Karna
Environmental Research Letters, 2016
Understanding the relationships and tradeoffs among management outcomes in forest commons has ass... more Understanding the relationships and tradeoffs among management outcomes in forest commons has assumed new weight in the context of parallels between the objectives of community forest management and those of reduced emissions for deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) programs to reduce carbon emissions while supporting local livelihoods. We examine the association between biophysical, demographic, institutional and socio-economic variables and three distinct forest management outcomes of interest to both community forestry and REDD+ advocates-carbon storage, biodiversity conservation, and livelihood benefits-in 56 forest commons in Nepal. REDD+ programs aim foremost to increase forest carbon storage and sequestration, but also seek to improve forest biodiversity, and to contribute to local livelihood benefits. The success of REDD+ programs can therefore be defined by improvements in one or more of these dimensions, while satisfying the principle of 'do no harm' in the others. We find that each outcome is associated with a different set of independent variables. This suggests that there is a need for policy-makers to clearly define their desired outcomes and to target their interventions accordingly. Our research points to the complex ways in which different factors relate to forest outcomes and has implications for the large number of cases where REDD+ projects are being implemented in the context of community forestry.
Abstract" Decentralization as a means to improve forest management and promote sustainab... more Abstract" Decentralization as a means to improve forest management and promote sustainability has been practiced while governing the forest. Although the Forest Act, 1993 and Forest Regulations, 1995 has clearly opened up the avenue for the implementation of ...
Environmental Management, 2004
The effectiveness of parks as management regimes is hotly contested. Much of the current discussi... more The effectiveness of parks as management regimes is hotly contested. Much of the current discussion centered around comparisons of management regimes can be traced to a dearth of cross-site quantitative evaluations.
Environmental Conservation, 2010
Journal of Forest and …, 2003
Nepal's Hills Leasehold Forestry and Forage Development Project leases forestland to small, ... more Nepal's Hills Leasehold Forestry and Forage Development Project leases forestland to small, organized groups of rural households. Effective community management of forestland requires the capacity to exclude other potential resource claimants. Through ...
Conservation and society, 2005
... Harini Nagendra, Birendra Karna and Mukunda Karmacharya ... Birendra Karna and Mukunda Karmac... more ... Harini Nagendra, Birendra Karna and Mukunda Karmacharya ... Birendra Karna and Mukunda Karmacharya, Nepal Forestry Resources and Institutions, Forest Resources and Institutions Research Program, Kathmandu, Nepal. ...
Community forestry in Nepal was specifically designed to address the problem of environmental deg... more Community forestry in Nepal was specifically designed to address the problem of environmental degradation and enhance livelihood opportunities through increased supply of forest products, generation of income and empowerment of the rural forestdependent ...
Ecology and Society, 2005
This research follows the manner in which State-driven, upwardly accountable, forest decentraliza... more This research follows the manner in which State-driven, upwardly accountable, forest decentralization programs play out on the ground, and evaluates their impact on forests and local institutions, a topic of much current concern and debate. In a landscape in Nepal's Terai plains, we conducted a census of 23 co-managed community and buffer-zone forest user groups-two predominant approaches to involving communities in forest-management activities in Nepal's Terai plains-to draw statistically relevant conclusions about the relative impact of these two programs at a landscape scale. We use a multidate Landsat TM® image classification to develop a land-cover change classification, and use this to generate objective, quantitative, biophysical indicators that enable us to assess the extent of clearing and regeneration in the forest areas controlled and managed by each of these communities. In-depth field interviews with the communities provide us with information about the impact of these initiatives on local institutions. Finally, we link these two kinds of information sets to interpret the satellite information on forest-cover change with reference to the socioeconomic processes and management rules that influence forest-cover change in these regions. Satellite image analysis shows the regeneration of several patches of forest that are managed within the purview of the Royal Chitwan National Park's buffer-zone program. This can be related to high levels of investment in plantation and forest-management activities by external agencies. The substantial revenue that these communities derive from ecotourism also helps, allowing them to hire forest guards, and afford better monitoring capabilities. In contrast, the less wealthy, communityforestry user groups have to make do with volunteer patrols, and do not have the same level of external technical and financial support to invest in plantation activities. Buffer-zone users, however, have to deal with rather strict controls on export of forest products, which were put in place by park authorities, and which the users do not have the power to modify. Downward accountability is limited, and communities do not have a high degree of effective control over forest-management policies. Thus, local communities currently function under a situation of constraint, where they have been delegated responsibilities, but lack the devolution of property rights and decision-making power. This has significant and potentially negative implications for the future of the program.
Environmental Management, 2004
Two leasehold forestry case studies reveal potential limitations in the poverty alleviation poten... more Two leasehold forestry case studies reveal potential limitations in the poverty alleviation potential of Nepal's leasehold forestry program. First, even though the program is targeted toward the poorest, nonpoor households can find opportunities to enter leasehold forest user groups. Second, by not raising the incomes and living standards of all households in a group simultaneously, it is possible for leasehold forestry to simply redistribute poverty. These limitations may be problems of implementation, rather than design. If so, it is important for implementing officials to be cautious when forming leasehold forests.
Environmental Research Letters, 2016
Understanding the relationships and tradeoffs among management outcomes in forest commons has ass... more Understanding the relationships and tradeoffs among management outcomes in forest commons has assumed new weight in the context of parallels between the objectives of community forest management and those of reduced emissions for deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) programs to reduce carbon emissions while supporting local livelihoods. We examine the association between biophysical, demographic, institutional and socio-economic variables and three distinct forest management outcomes of interest to both community forestry and REDD+ advocates-carbon storage, biodiversity conservation, and livelihood benefits-in 56 forest commons in Nepal. REDD+ programs aim foremost to increase forest carbon storage and sequestration, but also seek to improve forest biodiversity, and to contribute to local livelihood benefits. The success of REDD+ programs can therefore be defined by improvements in one or more of these dimensions, while satisfying the principle of 'do no harm' in the others. We find that each outcome is associated with a different set of independent variables. This suggests that there is a need for policy-makers to clearly define their desired outcomes and to target their interventions accordingly. Our research points to the complex ways in which different factors relate to forest outcomes and has implications for the large number of cases where REDD+ projects are being implemented in the context of community forestry.
Abstract" Decentralization as a means to improve forest management and promote sustainab... more Abstract" Decentralization as a means to improve forest management and promote sustainability has been practiced while governing the forest. Although the Forest Act, 1993 and Forest Regulations, 1995 has clearly opened up the avenue for the implementation of ...
Environmental Management, 2004
The effectiveness of parks as management regimes is hotly contested. Much of the current discussi... more The effectiveness of parks as management regimes is hotly contested. Much of the current discussion centered around comparisons of management regimes can be traced to a dearth of cross-site quantitative evaluations.
Environmental Conservation, 2010
Journal of Forest and …, 2003
Nepal's Hills Leasehold Forestry and Forage Development Project leases forestland to small, ... more Nepal's Hills Leasehold Forestry and Forage Development Project leases forestland to small, organized groups of rural households. Effective community management of forestland requires the capacity to exclude other potential resource claimants. Through ...
Conservation and society, 2005
... Harini Nagendra, Birendra Karna and Mukunda Karmacharya ... Birendra Karna and Mukunda Karmac... more ... Harini Nagendra, Birendra Karna and Mukunda Karmacharya ... Birendra Karna and Mukunda Karmacharya, Nepal Forestry Resources and Institutions, Forest Resources and Institutions Research Program, Kathmandu, Nepal. ...
Community forestry in Nepal was specifically designed to address the problem of environmental deg... more Community forestry in Nepal was specifically designed to address the problem of environmental degradation and enhance livelihood opportunities through increased supply of forest products, generation of income and empowerment of the rural forestdependent ...
Ecology and Society, 2005
This research follows the manner in which State-driven, upwardly accountable, forest decentraliza... more This research follows the manner in which State-driven, upwardly accountable, forest decentralization programs play out on the ground, and evaluates their impact on forests and local institutions, a topic of much current concern and debate. In a landscape in Nepal's Terai plains, we conducted a census of 23 co-managed community and buffer-zone forest user groups-two predominant approaches to involving communities in forest-management activities in Nepal's Terai plains-to draw statistically relevant conclusions about the relative impact of these two programs at a landscape scale. We use a multidate Landsat TM® image classification to develop a land-cover change classification, and use this to generate objective, quantitative, biophysical indicators that enable us to assess the extent of clearing and regeneration in the forest areas controlled and managed by each of these communities. In-depth field interviews with the communities provide us with information about the impact of these initiatives on local institutions. Finally, we link these two kinds of information sets to interpret the satellite information on forest-cover change with reference to the socioeconomic processes and management rules that influence forest-cover change in these regions. Satellite image analysis shows the regeneration of several patches of forest that are managed within the purview of the Royal Chitwan National Park's buffer-zone program. This can be related to high levels of investment in plantation and forest-management activities by external agencies. The substantial revenue that these communities derive from ecotourism also helps, allowing them to hire forest guards, and afford better monitoring capabilities. In contrast, the less wealthy, communityforestry user groups have to make do with volunteer patrols, and do not have the same level of external technical and financial support to invest in plantation activities. Buffer-zone users, however, have to deal with rather strict controls on export of forest products, which were put in place by park authorities, and which the users do not have the power to modify. Downward accountability is limited, and communities do not have a high degree of effective control over forest-management policies. Thus, local communities currently function under a situation of constraint, where they have been delegated responsibilities, but lack the devolution of property rights and decision-making power. This has significant and potentially negative implications for the future of the program.
Environmental Management, 2004
Two leasehold forestry case studies reveal potential limitations in the poverty alleviation poten... more Two leasehold forestry case studies reveal potential limitations in the poverty alleviation potential of Nepal's leasehold forestry program. First, even though the program is targeted toward the poorest, nonpoor households can find opportunities to enter leasehold forest user groups. Second, by not raising the incomes and living standards of all households in a group simultaneously, it is possible for leasehold forestry to simply redistribute poverty. These limitations may be problems of implementation, rather than design. If so, it is important for implementing officials to be cautious when forming leasehold forests.