Integration of SEAM – Nepal's Learning into EFLG Program

Nepal is rich in biodiversity resources

Nepal is endowed with rich biodiversity and cultural resources that are the backbones of prosperous Nepal. The very resources are being degraded gradually and their productivities are being diminished subsequently. Unplanned settlement development, agricultural land expansion, haphazard infrastructure development, over utilization of natural resources for firewood and over grazing are considered as underlying causes of environmental degradation. The ongoing environmental degradation has posed obstacles to uplift socio-economic status of rural poor, especially women and dalit communities.

As guaranteed by Constitution of Nepal, every Nepali citizen has the right to live in a clean environment, while the nation is responsible for using natural resources for people’s welfare. Furthermore, the country is, on the one hand, committed to achieving industrialization, urbanization and physical infrastructure development through formulating various policies, strategies and plans, on the other hand, expressed its commitment to the sustainable management of its environmental resources. Hence, it is necessary to make development and conservation, supplementary to each-other. Therefore, Nepal needs sustainable development that takes an account of poverty linked environment, climate change, and disaster risk issues.

SEAM-Nepal  

To address the twin objectives of safeguarding environmental resources and improving livelihood of rural poor, the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development (MoFALD) together with Finland Government had implemented Strengthening of Environmental Administration and Management at the Local Level Nepal (SEAM – Nepal) in six district development committees, 9 municipalities and 60 village development committees of Eastern Development Region for over a decade that was phased out in 2014. The Program was basically designed to support implementing Environments Protection Act, 1994 and Regulations, 1995.

Key area of intervention of the Program include, i) Mitigation of industrial pollution mainly in between Biratnagar Dharan Industrial Corridors, ii) development of Model Village Development Committees and Green City, iii) implementing research and monitoring activities, iv)promoting organic farming and v) Strengthening of District and Municipality Environmental Administration.

Successful initiatives of the Program especially Model Village Development Committee, Green City concept, environmental administration and integrated approach to management, strengthening capacity of environment energy and climate change sections and focal person in DDC and Municipalities, promotion of bio-pesticides and vermin-compost inspired the MoFALD to replication and up scaling.

Evolution of EFLG Framework

In fact, the learning of the SEAM-Nepal program has conceived the concept of EFLG - Framework. The Framework later got endorsed from the Cabinet in 2013. Some indicators in EFLG – Framework such as water and sanitation, public toilets, rain water harvesting, improved cooking stoves, solid waste management, plastic free zone declaration, organic farming, plantation, environmental awareness, spring source protection, environment profile preparation, rain water harvesting, pond construction, cow-shed improvement, vermin composting, plastic bag ban campaign have been adopted from the SEAM – Nepal.

Moreover, SEAM - Nepal together with Poverty Environment Initiative (PEI) Program contributed to finalize EFLG - Framework and refine indicators relevant to it. The current EFLG document was largely influenced by the experiences learned from these model VDCs. SEAM-Nepal's Lesson Learned Report, 2015 recommended to replicate and upscale some of its successful initiatives such as green model VDC, green city, organic farming and integrated approach to environment management. 

Now, with the generous support of DFiD, the MoFALD has implemented EFLG – Program under broader governance framework of Local Governance and Community Development Program (LGCDP) in 54 municipalities and 60VDCs of 14 DDC since December 2014. Its indicators span from household, to tole, settlement, village, municipalities and district. The Framework emphasize environment friendly local development and promotes good governance under the leadership of local bodies.

Achievement of EFLGP

Until the end of FY2072/73, a total of 13,732 HH, 78 Tole and 9 Wards have been declared as environment friendly entities. Some of the activities under EFLGP at the field level like water source conservation, parks and ponds conservation/construction, bioengineering structures to control landslide/ erosion and river flood protection, massive plantation, promotion of renewable energy etc. are directly supporting local community to cope with climate change, climate change induced disasters and livelihood improvement. A recent study carried out by EFLGP found that local bodies have allocated in an average 15.03 % of their respective annual development budgets on environment, climate change and disaster related activities which is significantly higher than the non programme implementing local bodies. Likewise, almost all EFLGP implemented local bodies have endorsed the EFLGP program from their respective Councils.

Road Ahead

It is been widely acknowledged that EFLGP has evolved as a tool to bridge gaps between conservation and development issues. Further, EFLGP could be evolved as an opportunity to communicate good governance principles to the local communities as it addresses immediate need of local people in one hand and on the other it contributes to sustainable environment conservation and management. Capacity of Environment Management Section of the Ministry Federal Affairs and Local Development should be further strengthened to make them able to facilitate integrating environmental criteria into local development planning and budgeting process.

Over and above, EFLGP intervention has positively catalyzed local bodies to increase budget allocation along with increasing environment friendly development activities in their Annual Development Plans. This also implies that local bodies are giving due consideration in addressing and adapting to climate change and disaster management to some extent. It indicates that EFLGP is well owned by local bodies and demands for EFLGP has been received from EFLGP non implemented local bodies. Therefore it demands scaling up in all across the country. In order to upscale EFLG initiatives especially considering the number of VDCs and DDCs in Nepal and the household level nature of indicators administrations of the state requires significant financial, time and human resources. Hope, the Workshop will be a milestone to learn EFLGP and its value for improving livelihood of rural poor and safeguarding integrity of sustainable environment in Nepal. 

Finally, it is a high time for development partners to see EFLGP closely and join the government's endeavor of up scaling the EFLG initiatives all across the country.