Showcasing Biodiversity Conservation Impact Takes Time

http://naturekhabar.com/en/archives/10506

Environment not in Priority!!

Nepal has promulgated adequate policies towards achieving the goal of “prosperous and happy people”. Local Governance Operation Act, 2017 is a milestone document that makes mandatory provision of formulating activities at local level that contributes to social inclusion, economic efficiency and sustainable environment. While seeing annual development plans local governments, it is found that a very few of them have considered environment, climate change and disaster issues into their annual development plans. One of the main reasons why environment is in low priority is due lack of adequate human resources capacity at local level.  

Many legal documents like the Constitution of Nepal, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act (DRR&MA), 2017, Climate Change Policy (CCP), 2011 and model planning guidelines for local government gives priority on localizing cross cutting subjects such as climate change, disaster and environmental issues at State and local level. Moreover, Nepal has obligation to contribute to achieve Sustainable Development Goals that includes climate change and environmental issues among others. Local Governance and Operationalization Acts (LGOA), 2017, stress on considering three major pillars of sustainable development goals such as economic efficient, social equity and sustainable environment while formulating annual and periodical development plans by local government. Further the Act mentions that development plan should pay attention to cross cutting issues specifically good governance, environment, children, climate change adaptation, disaster management, and social inclusion.

As an entry point of the mainstreaming environment into local development plan, immediately after completion of the Local Elections, WWF Nepal has informed selected elected local representatives on need of integrating cross cutting issues such as climate change, biodiversity, environment into their respective annual development planning and budgeting process. In this connection, a total of 15 orientation meetings for elected representatives has already been conducted in different locations of Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) Program areas. Based on the above experiences, four cluster level stakeholder workshops were also conducted at different four places in TAL areas.

As an impact of the orientation training and meetings, a few local government units have started integrating cross cutting issues into their annual development plans of FY 2017/18. Godawari Municipality, Kailali have included environment and climate change awareness program, Turmakhand Rural Municipality in Achham has included programs of pond conservation and water source protection, Bedkot Municipality, Kanchanpur has envisioned slogan of “clean and green Bedkot”. Bhimdatta Municipality has announced a vacancy for Environment Expert to be appointed with their own resources. Shuklaphanta Municipality, Kanchanpur formed Environment and Disaster Management Committee and even identified a focal person to look after environmental activities. Tikapur Municipality Council meetings for Policy, Program and Budget decision number 45 mentions that Local Adaptation Plan of Action for Climate Change (LAPA) based activities shall be implemented in coordination with stakeholders. Further, the Tikapur Municipality have decided to establish and mobilize disaster management fund, adoption of national building code and implementation of existing disaster management plan.

However, the local government units who have included climate change, environment and disaster issues into their annual development plans are not allocating adequate budget for implementation. In other words, the assigned activities are not followed by fund. Major pie of the annual budgets of most of the local government units are in infrastructure development mainly in rural road construction, community building, school building, culvert, gravelling, among others. In contrast a very few activities and budgets are allocated into environment friendly development activities. For instance, Krishnapur Municipality in Kanchanpur has approved a total budget of Rs 57,62,85,000 for FY 2017/18. Out of the total, they have allocated budget of Rs.59,62,000. e. less than 1% for environment friendly development activities like biogas, plantation, pond conservation etc.

The above mention facts indicate that despite having policy provisions for balanced development of three pillars, only social and economic pillars are being considered while planning at local level. The third but equally important environmental pillar necessary for sustainable development are in low priority. While scrutinizing underlying factors for paying inadequate attention towards giving priority for environment pillar, it was noted that there is inadequate human resource capacity to deal with environmental issues at local level. Therefore, it is high time to appoint Environment Inspector with clearly defined roles and responsibilities at local level. Once the well qualified environment person is placed at local level only then we can hope for integrated sustainable development.

Though the policy provision is in place for balanced development, due to lack of adequate human resources there is a mere chance of translating the policies into actions at local level. To ensure balanced development, it is desirable to appoint at least one Environmental Inspector in all Municipalities of Nepal.

Towards Sustainable Climate Resilient Tourism

http://naturekhabar.com/en/archives/9623

Province 7 of Nepal Capacity Development Support for Sustainable Development

I have had chance to review the recently announced budget speech of Province no 7 for FY 2074/75. While going through the budget speech, it was revealed that the Province wants to be prosperous through tourism, medicinal herb, infrastructure development, hydropower and forest management. They have made the budget speech of NRs. 1,02,00,00,000.

The Province has allocated budget, among others for undertaking feasibility study of tourism and preparing province level forest management plan. Under tourism front, the Province has set aside some budget for establishing Tourism Information Center at strategic places like Shuklaphanta, Khaptad, Ramaroshan, Chisapaani and Tikapur park and Preparing Tourism Master Plan. The Province has also allocated budget for clean and green city development, forest fire control, urban forestry development, climate resilient (mitigation and adaptation) infrastructure development, among others. Moreover, the Province has planned to formulate necessary polices for conserving endangered species, watershed management, water source conservation and feasibility study for infrastructure development activities. Besides, budget has allocated for preparing necessary acts, regulations, working procedures and guidelines.

As mentioned in the budget speech due to climate change, the water sources are being drying out in the Mountain Areas of the Province no 7 that has posed difficulties in accessing drinking water for local people. It has ultimately caused migration of people from Mountain Areas to lowland mainly in emerging urban areas. As said in the budget speech, inadequate human and institutional capacities and lack of sufficient infrastructures are the key challenges for successful implementation of the above-mentioned activities.

It seems it is high time for conservation organizations to work closely with the Province Government mainly to develop human and institutional capacities to make them able to integrate conservation, climate change and poverty linked issues into upcoming acts, regulations, policies and programs. Moreover, they need support for designing and developing environment friendly and climate resilient infrastructures.

Discourage Unplanned Equipment Based Road Construction

http://naturekhabar.com/en/archives/9037

वातावरणमैत्री पूर्वाधार : दिगो विकासको आधार

https://res.bhanjyangnews.com.np/pdfs/2074_Chaitra_07.pdf

Local Government Need Capacity Development Support for Integrating Climate Change and Disaster into Local Development

After transferring unitary government into federal government, the dynamism of power and interest of local stakeholders has changed considerably. Prosperity has become a prime agenda of development at local level after having elections at local and provincial level. A few local government units have started formulating rules and regulations towards economic directions. Local government leaders are not well aware on their roles and responsibilities in the changing political context. Even, they should be well educated in climate and disaster proofed infrastructure development.

Power and interest of key stakeholders at local level has been changed after local election in late 2017 and early 2018. The noticeable changed includes, i) All party mechanism for decision making to single ruling party decision making process, ii) District Development Committee designated primarily to plan and implement infrastructure development activities to District Coordination Committees responsible primarily for coordination and monitoring of development activities under their jurisdiction, iii) Local Development Officer with the role of decision making and execution of DDC approved activities to  District Coordination Officer with confined roles of coordination and facilitating implementation of DCC decisions, and iv) Village Development Committees to Rural/municipalities with greater judiciary, parliamentarian and  executive roles. The Village Municipality is authorized constitutionally for promulgating necessary Acts, regulations, plan and programs. Local elected representatives have authority to coordinate line agencies program.  The other changed notice include, i) I/NGOs established coordination with local government ii) Municipality Executive Officer roles is changed from decision maker and execution to only execution of municipality decisions, and iii) A few district based development offices such as education, agriculture, veterinary service center, women development has already been moved to municipality offices. Forest, soil conservation and irrigation offices among other technical offices are yet to be localized at Municipality level.

Prosperity has become the main agenda of elected government in all across the country. In this regards, as authorized by the Local Governance Operationalization Act, 2017 local government has started formulating various Acts and Regulations though late. While interaction with local government officials the low progress in formulation of various Acts and policies were attributed to delay of forming institutional structures at province and federal level. Once the election is completed at province and federal level and framework for policy guidelines are given, then the work progress can be speed up.

With the objective of leading the Municipality towards prosperity, Rajpur Municipality of Rautahat has endorsed some essential legal frameworks such as Resource Sharing Act, Cooperative Act, Market Promotion Act, Economic Act and Code of Conduct. Moreover, policy decision for Disaster Risk Reduction, budget for climate change awareness activities, budgets for renewable energy resources and Plan to distribute tents /Tarpole for 1500 family have been included in their annual development plan of FY 20717/18. A total of six Acts are being formulated in Bhimeswor Municipality of Dolakha District. Melung Village Municipality of Dolakha Chairperson Mr. Narbahadur KC said with an aim of uplifting socio-economic condition of local people they are in process of preparing Acts in various sectors such as education, health, roads and physical infrastructures.

Most of the elected representatives are not well aware and even do not understand their roles and responsibilities. So, understanding DRR and CA and formulating Acts that support integrating CC and DRR into local development planning and budgeting process is beyond their capacity. Therefore, prosperity agenda could be the anchoring point for integrating CC and DRR into local development planning and budgeting process in Nepal

The dynamism of power and interest of local stakeholders has changed considerably after transferring unitary governance system into federal system. In the changing political context, the local elected representatives are in need of  capacity development support particularly towards mainstreaming climate change and disaster agenda into infrastructure development designing and implementations.