Controversy continues over Gaurishankar conservation area

Ramesh Prasad Bhushal

Two years ago, while the world was busy preparing for the Copenhagen climate change summit (COP15), the government of Nepal held a cabinet meeting 5,400 metres above sea level at Kalapatthar — the base camp of Mount Everest. Two years on, the cabinet meeting is only a distant memory for many, but one of the decisions announced at the top is now the cause of much controversy in the country.

Two new conservation areas were announced in the ten-point declaration issued at that cabinet meeting: Gaurishankar in Nepal’s eastern region, and Api Nampa in the far-western region. From the beginning, communities — in particular forest-users’ groups — were against the government’s creation of the conservation areas and demanded that the decision be revoked. After two years of wrangling, the tussle between local communities and the government is now at a climax...

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The ‘Forest voices’ series aims, through the work of local journalists, to provide insight into the forestry context in each of these countries and illustrate how locally controlled forestry and partnerships are working in practice on the ground.