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Management (CBM)
fund for sustainable
rural finance
Shree Kumar Maharjan, Bhuwon
Ratna Sthapit and Pitambar Shrestha
W
estern Terai Landscape Complex Project (WTLCP) is
a multi-stakeholders’ partnership project, aiming to
ensure conservation and sustainable use of globally
umbrella structure at the ward level (smallest political unit in Nepal)
significant biodiversity in Nepal’s Western Terai Landscapes.
and these were linked to the other groups in the ward and to the
Implemented from 2005, the project has been adopting
district level line agencies especially with district agriculture
Community-based biodiversity management approach to
development office (DADO) and district level biodiversity
implement on-farm conservation of agro-biodiversity in six
conservation and development committee. Capacities of these
villages. Community biodiversity management (CBM) is a
committees and farmers groups were strengthened by a series of
community led participatory approach to strengthen the
trainings, orientations, exposure/exchange visits to ensure that their
community’s capacity for conservation, use and sustainable
agendas are considered in planning process and they become part
management of local biodiversity with a blend of traditional and
of the process.
scientific knowledge system. The project focuses on encouraging
leadership by the local level institutions in setting the research CBM Fund
and development agenda. The project was implemented by United
In each BCDC, a community biodiversity management (CBM)
Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Ministry of
fund was established with farmers monthly savings being
Forestry and Soil Conservation (MoFSC) in collaboration with
supplemented with a seed money provided by the project. The
GEF, SNV, WWF, Biodiversity International, National Agricultural
conditions of the CBM fund are that the local women groups should
Research Council and LI-BIRD.
be officially organized as community based organization with
Setting agenda transparent governance system. They should have set their own
local income generating activities and also work together to support
Traditionally, biodiversity planning always followed top down
community based conservation efforts. The funds help to bring
approaches in which local priorities and preferences were seldom
together rural community for participation in collective action and
considered in shaping the biodiversity agenda. Though this project
in the process allows strengthening local capacity in decision
was also formulated top down, LI-BIRD, with its successful
making and individual member’s benefits from participation.
experiences from community based works in Biodiversity Global
Project (1997-2004), used local level institutions as the platform The CBM funds are given to farmers as loan with minimum interest
for decentralized agenda setting. In each project village, Village rate for different income generating activities (IGA) like pig
Development Committee (VDC) and biodiversity conservation and rearing, goat farming, bull purchasing, poultry farming, bee
development committee (BCDC) were formed. This formed an keeping, fish farming, vegetable production, fruit production and