Abstract

PGIS for Forest Carbon Estimation in Community Forest in Nepal
Track: Climate Change
Authors: Tibendra Banskota

Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) has gained major traction in the international climate negotiations. Evolving discussions on REDD has brought forest at forefront of both climate change mitigation and adaptation that was never before accounted. Community forestry has been accorded the highest priority in Nepal. Essentially, it is a participatory approach that has evolved over the last 25 years. Nepal's community forestry has been widely acclaimed as a successful forest management approach. About 25% of the national forest area in Nepal is under community managed forest involving more than 13,000 CFUGs involving 1.4 million households. Among others, successful REDD program demands a reliable, accurate and cost-effective methods for measurement and monitoring of forest carbon storage. This paper provides an example of participatory methodology and synchronization of expert knowledge and technology with community knowledge in the context of REDD and climate change in Nepal Himalaya.