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Influence of Rural Out-Migration on Household Participation in Community Forest Management? Evidence from the Middle Hills of Nepal

Author

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  • Rajesh Bista

    (Department of Geography, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA)

  • Sophia Graybill

    (Department of Geography, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA)

  • Qi Zhang

    (Department of Geography, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA)

  • Richard E. Bilsborrow

    (Department of Geography, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
    Carolina Population Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA)

  • Conghe Song

    (Department of Geography, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
    Carolina Population Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA)

Abstract

Rural out-migration was a rare socio-economic phenomenon when community forestry began in the 1980s in Nepal. Now, out-migration significantly influences nearly every aspect of rural livelihoods in the country. However, it is unclear how out-migration affects community forestry governance, which is essential for sustainable rural development. Therefore, this paper addresses the following research question: Does rural out-migration affect forest users’ participation in community forestry decision-making and management practices? This paper draws on data collected from an extensive survey of 415 households from 15 community forest user groups in 2 Mid-Hill districts of Nepal. The research used ordered-logit regression to model the impacts of out-migration on participation in forest management and decision-making, while controlling for a number of other socio-economic factors. The model results show that total household size and number of internal migrants, together with multiple resource characteristics and institutional attributes, were major factors affecting participation in decision-making and forest management. However, the number of international migrants did not have a significant role in determining the levels of the participation. This study provides valuable insights for future community forestry policymaking that aims to address the effects of out-migration on community forest management in Nepal.

Suggested Citation

  • Rajesh Bista & Sophia Graybill & Qi Zhang & Richard E. Bilsborrow & Conghe Song, 2023. "Influence of Rural Out-Migration on Household Participation in Community Forest Management? Evidence from the Middle Hills of Nepal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-18, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:3:p:2185-:d:1045681
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