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Medicinal Plants and Poverty Reduction in a Changing Climate

Restoring ecosystems and building climate-resilient communities in the mountains of Nepal

August 7^th, 2015

Timur (Zanthoxylum armatum), virtually unknown outside of the Himalaya, is an important and highly sought after plant in Nepal. Timur is an indigenous plant whose fruits are aromatic and holds medicinal value and are commonly used as a spice in Nepali cooking either fresh or in dried form.
If you have a toothache, a cold, a cough, or a fever, the timur fruit is often prescribed as the antidote. Common stomach complaints are treated with timur soup. Young shoots of the timur plant can be used to form toothbrushes and the powder of the dried fruit can also be used as toothpaste. Pilgrims visiting shrines often seek out timur sticks to burn due to their fragrance. In recent years, some pharmaceutical companies have started purchasing timur fruits in bulk, leading to competitive commercial activity among villages.
Preferring cooler temperatures, the timur plant gives better yields when planted at higher altitudes. With climate change expected to cause increased temperatures at lower altitudes, the range for growing timur (historically between 1200 – 2200m) is also likely to get higher. With proper land use planning to conserve areas of original forest, timur can be grown on higher slopes in appropriate areas, providing a valuable and climate-resilient livelihood option for the communities living in the foothills of some of the highest mountain ranges of the world.

A CLimate-REsilient livelihood option

One community that is banking on timur are members of the Falgu Community Forest User Group (CFUG) who have embarked on plantation in Dimruk ko Chaur in Chitre Village Development Committee (VDC) of Parbat District. The region is characterised by open, degraded areas, where too many livestock were allowed to graze in the past, causing serious environmental impacts on the grassland ecosystem and neighbouring forest areas.
Working with the Falgu Community Forest User Group (CFUG), and with support from the Mountain Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EbA) Programme, led by the Department of Forests and UNDP, the community has established a timur plantation, on abandoned grazing land.
A full grown timur plant can yield more than 1 kilo of fruit per year, and once the plant is fully grown (within 3-4 years of planting), the fruit can be harvested every year. One kilo of timur fruit can generate 10,500 Nepalese Rupees, which amounts to about $100 USD – a significant amount of money for people who tend to live on less than $2 USD per day.
Community members have also constructed compound walls to control open grazing of livestock, protect grassland and forests, and ensure the survival of the newly established timur plantation. The plantation has significant buy-in from the local community; more than 25 percent of the labour involved in the construction of the compound wall came from local volunteers.

The compound wall is 1462m long and took approximately 5 months to construct

2,000 seedlings have been planted in Dhimruk Ko Chaur, mainly timur, but also 360 seedlings of Bakaino (fodder species)

A value chain analysis study was published by the project in 2014.

Medicinal Plants and Poverty Reduction in a Changing Climate

Sowing and Reaping: Seed and Harvest

As part of the project, a timur nursery has been established and is already receiving orders from neighbouring villages, a sign that climate-resilient conservation and sustainability can operate hand in hand with economic viability. As part of the project’s sustainability strategy it is hoped that the nursery can start charging for seedlings and become a commercial operation in the medium term.
“The thing about climate change and adaptation, we know that responding to it will take some time. We have to be patient. Everyone will get a livelihood option, everyone will get the support of their community user group, and help with adapting to climate change as well.” Tara Gurung, Falgu Committee Forest User Group, Chairperson.

Forest Groups Giving a Voice

Nepal’s CFUGs have been involved in protecting and restoring 1.3 million hectares of forests and grasslands since they were formalised in 1993. Numbering around 18,000 in total, they provide an impressive example of multi-stakeholder participation and social inclusion.

For example, the Falgu CFUG is a unique case in which roughly 95% of its members come from the most marginalised caste in Nepal, the Dalit. Generally, there are not many livelihood opportunities available for Dalit, as weak socio-economic standing bars them from ownership of land. They therefore often work as labourers in the village or migrate outside of Nepal in search for work. However, due to the Government Decree, community forestry now provides a vital window of opportunity for them to to use the community forest towards supporting themselves through income generation activities.

Established less than a decade ago, the Falgu CFUG is now enabled to cultivate abandoned, barren land, restoring greenery and vital ecosystem services, controlling erosion, and ameliorating poverty.

Meeting of the Falgu Community Forest User Group

Mountain EbA Programme

The global Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EbA) in Mountains Programme is a partnership between UNDP, UNEP and IUCN, with funding from the German Government (BMUB)’s International Climate Initiative. By using sustainable management, conservation and restoration of ecosystems, as part of an overall EbA strategy, the Programme aims to reduce the vulnerability and enhance the resilience of select fragile mountain ecosystems and their local communities to climate change impacts. The promoted EbA measures carefully take into account anticipated climate change impact trends to help communities continuously adapt to a changing climate and increasing uncertainty. This global partnership also involves national and regional government agencies, civil society and local communities in three countries (Uganda, Nepal and Peru).

“I am very satisfied with the EbA Programme. I am grateful for this work and the opportunity. I look forward to these plants providing us with financial and health benefits.” Tara Gurung, Falgu Committee Forest User Group, Chairperson

The activities supported by UNDP in Dimruk ko Chour are part of a broader suite of EbA measures supported by the Programme in Nepal. In the long run, this site is expected to restore the degraded ecosystem and produce not only ecological, but also economic, social and health benefits for the community.

For more information on the EbA work, please visit: www.undp-alm.org/projects/mountain-EbA and www.EbAflagship.org and www.np.undp.org/eba.

Footnotes

Story by Andrea Egan, Nawang Chhenjum Sherpa and Tine Rossing / Photos: Andrea Egan and EbA/Government of Nepal/UNDP Nepal

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FootNotes

Story by Andrea Egan, Nawang Chhenjum Sherpa and Tine Rossing / Photos: Andrea Egan and EbA/Government of Nepal/UNDP Nepal

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Medicinal Plants and Poverty Reduction in a Changing Climate

Restoring ecosystems and building climate-resilient communities in the mountains of Nepal

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