User’s opinion in scientific forest management implementation in Nepal – a case study from Nawalparasi district

Abstract While much emphasis has been placed on scientific and policy issues in forest management, there is a lack of clarity on users’ perspectives concerning the implementation of scientific forest management. To clarify this nuance, this study explores users’ opinion on scientific forest management implementation, focusing on four criteria—ecological, social, economic, and technical. Twelve key informant interviews and six focus group discussions were conducted in three selected communities within Nawalparasi District. This was further complemented by six expert interviews. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was employed to rank within and between groups of developed factors and their criteria. Users’ identified increased forest products (58%), community development (55%), employment opportunities (65%), and intense silviculture management (51%) as the dominant factors linked to the ecological, social, economic, and technical criteria, respectively. For between groups, economic (52%) and social (33%) criteria got the highest ranking. The findings suggest that the long-term success of this modality cannot be achieved if the users largely view it as economically and socially profitable. This study calls for tailor-made interventions to enhance ecological and technical knowledge linked to scientific forest management. The paper also makes a succinct request for further studies (including quantitative investigations) to ground this assertion.