Human Impact on Some Forests of the Middle Hills of Nepal Part 2. Some Major Human Impacts before 1950 on the Forests of Sindhu Palchok and Kabhre Palanchok

Abstract

In accord with the general arguments propounded in Part 1 of this series of papers in Mountain Research and Development, detailed evidence for Sindhu Palchok and Kabhre Palanchok reveals that conversion of forest land to agricultural use was a major objective of government policy from at least the latter half of the eighteenth century onward. Throughout history, the two Districts must have been strongly affected by their relative proximity to the Kathmandu Valley. Land grants were made there by the Gorkhali rulers soon after subjugation of the region in 1745. Maintenance of the army appears to have imposed additional burdens on these Districts, particularly as a result of jagir land grants to army officers and other officials for services rendered. The jagir land grant system was maintained in these Districts well into the present century. The major exploitation of the residual forest, other than by peasants for subsistence purposes (to be dealt with in later parts of this series), was for construction in the Kathmandu Valley and for charcoal, mainly for smelting of ore. This latter use had virtually ceased by the early twentieth century.