Civil Society: Success Stories
Nepal: Mahabirpur Community Forest User Group
The members of the Mahabirpur Community Forest User Group of Laxmipur Village Development Committee in Nepal's eastern district of Sarlahi received training on identification of issues and skills for successful advocacy from the Nepali organization Pro Public. During the course of the training, the group members discussed their problems regarding the five-year Operation Plan which every forest user group must prepare. The plan must be approved by the District Forest Officer and without his approval the legal existence of the group is in jeopardy. Because group members are often not competent to prepare the plan on their own, a group preparing an Operation Plan is required to consult the forest ranger for the area to get his assistance and approval. The ranger should give the group technical assistance in the preparation of the plan free of cost.
After consulting with their District Forest Officer, the members of the Mahabirpur Community Forest User Group approached their ranger for the necessary support in preparing their plan. The ranger's response was to demand Rupees 5000 from the group for his services, and to take Rupees 3200 in advance. Regrettably, this practice is not uncommon in Nepal's Forest Service. The group discussed the ranger's demand and, empowered by their newly acquired advocacy knowledge and skill, presented a complaint to their District Forest Officer at a district-level advocacy forum organized by Pro Public. The District Forest Officer promised to take immediate action against the ranger. When the ranger was informed of this, he went to the user group and threatened to withhold all further cooperation and to make sure that their group was not renewed. The group refused to be intimidated and responded that they were ready to take the case to the next highest level and would continue campaigning around this cause. Hearing this, the ranger backed down; he immediately returned the money and offered an apology to the group. The group later learned that the district had officially transferred the ranger to a different post. The District Forest Officer publicly praised the group's actions; he has since become a good friend to group members and a staunch supporter of their activities.
Back to Top ^
|
