An assessment on environmental law to manage forest resources: A study from Ramechhap District of Nepal
https://doi.org/10.26832/24566632.2024.0902010
Abstract
In Nepal's Ramechhap district, a study was undertaken to assess the influence of environmental laws on forest resource management, involving surveys and interviews with 67 households. The research aimed to understand perceptions of environmental laws, current practices, and their impact on livelihood sustainability. Past studies often overlooked legal and regulatory aspects, prompting a call for greater attention to these dimensions. Utilizing SPSS version 26 and MS-Excel 2016, the analysis revealed significant associations between people's perceptions of environmental laws and various socio-economic factors. Specifically, age (Pearson χ²=15.398, df=6, p=0.017), education (Pearson χ²=26.347, df=10, p=0.003), occupation (Pearson χ²=31.98, df=8, p=0.00), ethnicity (Pearson χ²=12.686, df=4, p=0.013), and economic status based on land ownership (Pearson χ²=9.597, df=2, p=0.008) all showed significant associations at p-value < 0.05. However, gender (Pearson χ²=2.021, df=2, p>0.05) and economic status based on food sufficiency (Pearson χ²=10.96, df=4, p>0.05) did not demonstrate significant attitudes towards the impact of environmental laws. The study highlighted weaknesses in enforcing environmental laws, emphasizing the necessity for robust institutional frameworks and progressive policies at all government levels. It stressed the importance of expanding similar research across diverse regions of Nepal to comprehensively understand the nationwide impact of environmental laws. Effective implementation of these laws is deemed crucial for sustainable forest management, biodiversity conservation, and socio-economic development.
Keywords:
Environmental laws, Impact, Legal aspects, People’s perceptionDownloads
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