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Dr. Rajesh Rai
RECOFTC - The Center for People and Forests,

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0 Forest Management
0 Landscape Management
0 Watershed Management
0 ecosystem service valuation
0 invasive alien species

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Article
Published: 19 July 2021 in Environment, Development and Sustainability
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Globally, human–wildlife conflict (HWC) is a burning issue, which the conservationists have attempted to address through various conservation strategies. One of the widely adopted strategies is the provision of compensation for the loss caused by wildlife. The existing mechanism of compensation in Nepal is time-consuming and insufficient. This study, therefore, attempts to assess the feasibility of a community-based insurance scheme (CBIS), which is expected to be time-efficient with no additional burden to farmers. The CBIS scheme is an insurance mechanism to be operated by a locally elected committee and provides compensation to the premium paying farmers only. The study was carried out in the Jhapa District of Nepal, one of the most affected districts by wild elephants. We conducted a household survey using a questionnaire for 509 respondents from the five most affected villages. We chose a choice experiment to determine the preferences of respondents for CBIS. Four activities including compensation for crop damage, and human casualties (serious injuries and death), and fence management were selected under the CBIS. The regression analysis revealed that only the compensation for crop damage was statistically significant. The estimated annual crop damage caused by elephants was worth USD 1.49 million. The estimated premium exceeded the expected insurance payout, indicating the suitability of the scheme. The estimated premium was USD 0.38 per hectare for a 1% increase in damage payout. The total annual premium would be USD 0.136 million for a 25% payment of the damage, while the expected annual insurance payout would be USD 77,788. The annual premium can be lower if the government allocates the budget for the CBIS, out of the existing relief distribution program. The engagement of local municipalities in the CBIS management can make the scheme more viable.

ACS Style

Roshan Sherchan; Rajesh Kumar Rai; Roshani Rai; Arun Dhakal. Designing a community-based insurance scheme to reduce human–wildlife conflict. Environment, Development and Sustainability 2021, 1 -19.

AMA Style

Roshan Sherchan, Rajesh Kumar Rai, Roshani Rai, Arun Dhakal. Designing a community-based insurance scheme to reduce human–wildlife conflict. Environment, Development and Sustainability. 2021; ():1-19.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Roshan Sherchan; Rajesh Kumar Rai; Roshani Rai; Arun Dhakal. 2021. "Designing a community-based insurance scheme to reduce human–wildlife conflict." Environment, Development and Sustainability , no. : 1-19.

Journal article
Published: 07 May 2021 in Sustainability
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Deforestation and forest degradation mostly caused by human interventions affect the capacity of the forest ecosystem to provide ecosystem services and livelihood benefits. Forest and landscape restoration (FLR) is an emerging concept that focuses on the improvement of the ecosystem as well as the livelihood of the people at the landscape level. Nepal has successfully recovered degraded forest land mainly from the hilly region through forest restoration initiatives, especially community-based forestry. However, the Tarai region is still experiencing deforestation and forest degradation. This study navigated the gaps related to forest restoration in the existing policies and practices and revealed that the persistence of deforestation and forest degradation in Tarai is a result of a complex socioeconomic structure, the limitations of the government in implementing appropriate management modality, unplanned infrastructure, and urban development. We suggest that forest restoration should focus on ecological and social wellbeing pathways at the landscape level to reverse the trend of deforestation and forest degradation in the Tarai regions of Nepal. The study provides critical insight to the policymakers and practitioners of Nepal and other countries (with similar context) who are engaged in forest/ecosystem restoration enterprise.

ACS Style

Sushma Bhattarai; Basant Pant; Hari Laudari; Rajesh Rai; Sharif Mukul. Strategic Pathways to Scale up Forest and Landscape Restoration: Insights from Nepal’s Tarai. Sustainability 2021, 13, 5237 .

AMA Style

Sushma Bhattarai, Basant Pant, Hari Laudari, Rajesh Rai, Sharif Mukul. Strategic Pathways to Scale up Forest and Landscape Restoration: Insights from Nepal’s Tarai. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (9):5237.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sushma Bhattarai; Basant Pant; Hari Laudari; Rajesh Rai; Sharif Mukul. 2021. "Strategic Pathways to Scale up Forest and Landscape Restoration: Insights from Nepal’s Tarai." Sustainability 13, no. 9: 5237.

Preprint
Published: 09 April 2021
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Deforestation and forest degradation mostly caused by human interventions affects the capacity of forest ecosystem to provide ecosystem services and livelihood benefits. Forest Land Restoration (FLR) is an emerging concept which focuses on the improvement of ecosystem as well as livelihood of the people at the landscape level. Nepal has successfully recovered degraded forest land mainly from the hilly region through forest restoration initiatives especially community based forestry. However, the Terai region is still experiencing deforestation and forest degradation. This study navigated the gaps related to forest restoration in the existing policies and practices and revealed that the persistence of deforestation and forest degradation in Terai is a result of a complex socio-economic structure, limitation of government to implement appropriate management modality, unplanned infrastructure, and urban development. We suggest that forest restoration should focus on ecological and social wellbeing pathways at the landscape level, to reverse the trend of deforestation and forest degradation in the Terai regions of Nepal. The study provides a critical insight to the policy makers and practitioners of Nepal and other countries (with similar context) who are engaged in forest/ecosystem restoration enterprise.

ACS Style

Sushma Bhattarai; Basant Pant; Hari Krishna Laudari; Rajesh Kumar Rai; Sharif A. Mukul. Strategic Pathways to Scale Up Forest and Landscape Restoration: Insights From Nepal’s Terai. 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

Sushma Bhattarai, Basant Pant, Hari Krishna Laudari, Rajesh Kumar Rai, Sharif A. Mukul. Strategic Pathways to Scale Up Forest and Landscape Restoration: Insights From Nepal’s Terai. . 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sushma Bhattarai; Basant Pant; Hari Krishna Laudari; Rajesh Kumar Rai; Sharif A. Mukul. 2021. "Strategic Pathways to Scale Up Forest and Landscape Restoration: Insights From Nepal’s Terai." , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 18 May 2020 in Forests
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Agroforestry is recognized as a sustainable land use practice. However, the uptake of such a promising land use practice is slow. Through this research, carried out in a Terai district of Nepal, we thoroughly examine what influences farmers’ choice of agroforestry adoption and what discourages the adoption. For this, a total of 288 households were surveyed using a structured questionnaire. Two agroforestry practices were compared with conventional agriculture with the help of the Multinomial Logistic Regression (MNL) model. The likelihood of adoption was found to be influenced by gender: the male-headed households were more likely to adopt the tree-based farming practice. Having a source of off-farm income was positively associated with the adoption decision of farmers. Area of farmland was found as the major constraint to agroforestry adoption for smallholder farmers. Some other variables that affected positively included livestock herd size, provision of extension service, home-to- forest distance, farmers’ group membership and awareness of farmers about environmental benefits of agroforestry. Irrigation was another adoption constraint that the study area farmers were faced with. The households with a means of transport and with a larger family (household) size were found to be reluctant regarding agroforestry adoption. A collective farming practice could be a strategy to engage the smallholder farmers in agroforestry.

ACS Style

Arun Dhakal; Rajesh Kumar Rai. Who Adopts Agroforestry in a Subsistence Economy?—Lessons from the Terai of Nepal. Forests 2020, 11, 565 .

AMA Style

Arun Dhakal, Rajesh Kumar Rai. Who Adopts Agroforestry in a Subsistence Economy?—Lessons from the Terai of Nepal. Forests. 2020; 11 (5):565.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Arun Dhakal; Rajesh Kumar Rai. 2020. "Who Adopts Agroforestry in a Subsistence Economy?—Lessons from the Terai of Nepal." Forests 11, no. 5: 565.

Journal article
Published: 06 April 2020 in World Development
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Municipal solid waste management is a challenging issue in developing countries. An unclean neighborhood could have a significant negative impact on housing property values too as it may lead to numerous diseases in addition to diminished aesthetic value. This study examines the effects of municipal solid waste collection services at the neighborhood level on housing property values using the hedonic price model. We use a sub-sample of nationally representative household survey data from urban areas as well as primary data collected from one of the metropolitan cities in Nepal. Our results suggest that city residents place a high price premium (between 25% and 57%) on cleaner neighborhoods and less (−11%) on open drains. These numbers indicate that better waste management will bring high returns to home owners, and also the municipality in cities where the tax base includes the assessed value of property.

ACS Style

Mani Nepal; Rajesh K. Rai; Madan S. Khadayat; E. Somanathan. Value of cleaner neighborhoods: Application of hedonic price model in low income context. World Development 2020, 131, 104965 .

AMA Style

Mani Nepal, Rajesh K. Rai, Madan S. Khadayat, E. Somanathan. Value of cleaner neighborhoods: Application of hedonic price model in low income context. World Development. 2020; 131 ():104965.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mani Nepal; Rajesh K. Rai; Madan S. Khadayat; E. Somanathan. 2020. "Value of cleaner neighborhoods: Application of hedonic price model in low income context." World Development 131, no. : 104965.

Preprint
Published: 09 March 2020
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Land degradation is a critical issue globally putting our future generations at risk. The decrease in farm productivity over the years is evidence of land degradation severity in Nepal. Among the many strategies in place, agroforestry, which is an integrated tree-based farming, is widely recommended to address this productivity issue. This paper thoroughly examines what influences the choice of agroforestry adoption by farmers and what discourages the adoption. For this, a total of 288 households were surveyed using a structured questionnaire. Two agroforestry practices were compared with conventional agriculture with the help of the Multinomial Logistic Regression (MNL) model. The likelihood of adoption was found to be influenced by gender; the male-headed households were more likely to adopt the tree-based farming practice. Having a source of off-farm income was positively associated with the adoption decision of farmers. Area of farmland was found being the major constraint to agroforestry adoption for smallholder farmers. Some other variables that affected positively included livestock herd size, provision of extension service, home-to- forest distance, farmers’ group membership and awareness of farmers about environmental benefits of agroforestry. Irrigation was another adoption constraint that the study area farmers were faced with. The households with means of transport and with larger family (household) size were found to be reluctant towards agroforestry adoption. A collective farming practice could be a strategy to engage the smallholder farmers in agroforestry.

ACS Style

Arun Dhakal; Rajesh Kumar Rai. Who Adopts Agroforestry in a Subsistence Economy? 2020, 1 .

AMA Style

Arun Dhakal, Rajesh Kumar Rai. Who Adopts Agroforestry in a Subsistence Economy? . 2020; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Arun Dhakal; Rajesh Kumar Rai. 2020. "Who Adopts Agroforestry in a Subsistence Economy?" , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 01 March 2020 in International Forestry Review
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Deforestation and forest degradation due to unsustainable forest products harvesting and encroachment has adverse socio-ecological impacts in the Southern part of Nepal, the Terai. Urbanization and migration from the hill region is increasing the demand for forest products. Despite the communities' involvement in forest management, the gap between demand and supply of forest products remains huge. In this context, growing trees outside the forests particularly in public and institutional land could be an appropriate strategy both to reduce the pressure on natural forests and bridge the demand and supply gap of forest products. This study assesses how and to what extent Trees Outside Forests addresses these issues. Data were collected through focus group discussion, key informant interview and household survey. The results suggest that Tree Outside Forests have provided access to forest products, improved institutional capacity and increased income of local communities. However, insecure land tenure and unclear legal provisions are drawbacks of growing trees in public lands.

ACS Style

S. Bhattarai; B. Pant; H.K. Laudari; N. Timalsina; Rajesh Kumar Rai. Restoring landscapes through Trees Outside Forests: a case from Nepal's Terai Region. International Forestry Review 2020, 22, 33 -48.

AMA Style

S. Bhattarai, B. Pant, H.K. Laudari, N. Timalsina, Rajesh Kumar Rai. Restoring landscapes through Trees Outside Forests: a case from Nepal's Terai Region. International Forestry Review. 2020; 22 (1):33-48.

Chicago/Turabian Style

S. Bhattarai; B. Pant; H.K. Laudari; N. Timalsina; Rajesh Kumar Rai. 2020. "Restoring landscapes through Trees Outside Forests: a case from Nepal's Terai Region." International Forestry Review 22, no. 1: 33-48.

Journal article
Published: 24 February 2020 in International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction
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Nepal is severely flood-prone and ranks 20th worldwide in terms of flood-affected population. Although it is widely acknowledged that both national and community-based early warning systems (EWS) can reduce the impact of floods, studies quantifying the cost-benefits remain scarce. This study analyzes the costs and benefits of the EWS in the Lower Karnali River Basin in Nepal through 453 household surveys, 30 focus group discussions and 40 key informant interviews. The results show that households found the EWS to be beneficial and reliable, allowing them to save movable property, livestock and vehicles and health costs equivalent to NPR 117,027 (USD 1083) per household during the flood. The benefit-cost ratio is between 24 and 73 depending on different scenarios. 98% of the respondents would be willing to pay an annual fee of NPR 79 (USD 0.70) for five years if the existing flood EWS was to be managed by the community disaster committees. This can generate NPR 694,426 (USD 6430) annually, which would cover the annual maintenance and operating cost of the system. EWS gradually changes behaviors of communities over time as they start to trust the system and lead times are increased, resulting in more social capital and a wider range of early actions that reduce avoidable loss and damage. Improving the forecast lead time by 1 h can increase the current savings by 1.83 times. The results of the cost-benefit analysis can inform the policy-making of state and non-state actors and contribute to securing further funding.

ACS Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai; Marc J.C. Van Den Homberg; Gopal Prasad Ghimire; Colin McQuistan. Cost-benefit analysis of flood early warning system in the Karnali River Basin of Nepal. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 2020, 47, 101534 .

AMA Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai, Marc J.C. Van Den Homberg, Gopal Prasad Ghimire, Colin McQuistan. Cost-benefit analysis of flood early warning system in the Karnali River Basin of Nepal. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. 2020; 47 ():101534.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai; Marc J.C. Van Den Homberg; Gopal Prasad Ghimire; Colin McQuistan. 2020. "Cost-benefit analysis of flood early warning system in the Karnali River Basin of Nepal." International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 47, no. : 101534.

Journal article
Published: 23 October 2019 in Water Economics and Policy
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This study was carried out to design an incentive payment for an ecosystem services (IPES) scheme in the Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project of Nepal. The main intention behind the designing of the scheme was to develop strategy for equitable use of water resources and involve communities, watershed and water user, in the sustainable management of water resources. We administered household survey in both the watershed community and water users to elicit their preferences regarding water source management and drinking water supply. A discrete choice experiment was employed in the case of water users which showed that, for them, water quality and quantity are the most important attributes. The estimated annual willingness-to-pay of water users for doubling water availability is NPR 482,076 (USD 4,505) and for doubling the water quantity and the supply of clean water that can be drunk directly from the tap is NPR 1.18 million (USD 10,988). The results of consultations with stakeholders indicate that the construction of public toilets, the regularization of grazing, off-season vegetable farming and drinking water distribution in the upstream area may contribute to maintaining the quality of water while keeping the watershed community satisfied with regard to water-sharing. These activities require NPR 1.17 million (USD 10,987) in the first year and NPR 425,640 (USD 3,978) annually from the second year on. The estimated willingness-to-pay and cost of the watershed activities indicate that implementing IPES in the Baitadi Town Water Supply Project is financially feasible and socially acceptable. Our study recommends the integration of the IPES design into the project design phase in future drinking water scheme, the best option being its integration into the initial environmental examination at the time of project design.

ACS Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai; Mani Nepal; Laxmi D. Bhatta; Saudamini Das; Madan S. Khadayat; E. Somanathan; Kedar Baral. Ensuring Water Availability to Water Users through Incentive Payment for Ecosystem Services Scheme: A Case Study in a Small Hilly Town of Nepal. Water Economics and Policy 2019, 5, 1 .

AMA Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai, Mani Nepal, Laxmi D. Bhatta, Saudamini Das, Madan S. Khadayat, E. Somanathan, Kedar Baral. Ensuring Water Availability to Water Users through Incentive Payment for Ecosystem Services Scheme: A Case Study in a Small Hilly Town of Nepal. Water Economics and Policy. 2019; 5 (4):1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai; Mani Nepal; Laxmi D. Bhatta; Saudamini Das; Madan S. Khadayat; E. Somanathan; Kedar Baral. 2019. "Ensuring Water Availability to Water Users through Incentive Payment for Ecosystem Services Scheme: A Case Study in a Small Hilly Town of Nepal." Water Economics and Policy 5, no. 4: 1.

Journal article
Published: 28 May 2019 in Sustainability
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Municipal solid waste management is one of the major challenges that cities in developing countries are facing. Although waste collection services are critical to build a smart city, the focus of both scholarship and action/activism has been more on the utilization of waste than on collection. We devised a choice experiment to elicit the preferences of municipal residents with regard to the various attributes of solid waste collection services in the Bharatpur Metropolitan City of Nepal. The study showed that households identify waste collection frequency, timing of door-to-door waste collection services, and cleanliness of the streets as the critical elements of municipal waste collection that affect their welfare and willingness to pay. While almost all households (95%) were participating in the waste collection service in the study area, more than half (53%) expressed dissatisfaction with the existing service. Women were the main actors engaged in waste collection and disposal at household level. The results of the choice analysis suggest that households prefer a designated waste collection time with waste collection bins placed at regular intervals on the streets for use by pedestrians who often throw garbage on the streets in the absence of bins. For these improvements, households were willing to pay an additional service fee of 10–28% on top of what they were already paying. The study also finds that municipal waste collection can be improved through the involvement of Tole Lane Committees in designing the timing and frequency of the service and by introducing a system of progressive tariffs based on the number of storeys per house.

ACS Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai; Mani Nepal; Madan Singh Khadayat; Bishal Bharadwaj. Improving Municipal Solid Waste Collection Services in Developing Countries: A Case of Bharatpur Metropolitan City, Nepal. Sustainability 2019, 11, 3010 .

AMA Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai, Mani Nepal, Madan Singh Khadayat, Bishal Bharadwaj. Improving Municipal Solid Waste Collection Services in Developing Countries: A Case of Bharatpur Metropolitan City, Nepal. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (11):3010.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai; Mani Nepal; Madan Singh Khadayat; Bishal Bharadwaj. 2019. "Improving Municipal Solid Waste Collection Services in Developing Countries: A Case of Bharatpur Metropolitan City, Nepal." Sustainability 11, no. 11: 3010.

Journal article
Published: 15 May 2019 in Forest Policy and Economics
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Inhabitants of the upper Himalayan regions entertain a belief that the Chir Pine trees are ingressing the Broadleaf forest areas and that these areas are gradually turning into water stressed regions as Chir Pines adversely influence water recharge and water availability. This paper examines whether and to what extent the Chir Pine forest areas are water stressed compared to Broadleaf forest areas by studying the household coping cost in relation to water stress. We use the coping cost differences thereafter to value the relative water provisioning services of forest types. We conduct multiple focus group discussions, a questionnaire survey and statistical analyses to derive the results. Results show all households, except the ones living near Deodar forest, to face water stress in summer but the Chir Pine areas are the most water-stressed. Both comparison of mean and multivariate regressions of water collection time and other coping costs show that the villagers surrounded by Deodar, Deodar mix pine, Broadleaf mix bush or Broadleaf mix pine forests spend much less time for water collection and spend less on water treatment and storage compared to the villagers surrounded by Chir Pine forest irrespective of elevation, aspect or model used. These differences in water collection time amount to a wage income loss between USD 31 and USD 318 in India, and between USD 23 and USD 238 in Nepal per year per household, in Chir Pine areas compared to other forest areas.

ACS Style

Saudamini Das; Mani Nepal; Rajesh Kumar Rai; Laxmi D. Bhatta; Madan S. Khadayat. Valuing water provisioning service of Broadleaf and Chir Pine forests in the Himalayan region. Forest Policy and Economics 2019, 105, 40 -51.

AMA Style

Saudamini Das, Mani Nepal, Rajesh Kumar Rai, Laxmi D. Bhatta, Madan S. Khadayat. Valuing water provisioning service of Broadleaf and Chir Pine forests in the Himalayan region. Forest Policy and Economics. 2019; 105 ():40-51.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Saudamini Das; Mani Nepal; Rajesh Kumar Rai; Laxmi D. Bhatta; Madan S. Khadayat. 2019. "Valuing water provisioning service of Broadleaf and Chir Pine forests in the Himalayan region." Forest Policy and Economics 105, no. : 40-51.

Journal article
Published: 01 May 2019 in Heliyon
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This study analyses costs and benefits of the selected climate adaptive and equitable water management practices and strategies (CAEWMPS) in Dhulikhel Municipality and Dharan Sub-metropolitan city of Nepal. The CAEWMPS adopted the construction of water recharge pit at household level in Dharan and recharge ponds at community level in Dhulikhel. The results of household survey reveal that households have employed different coping strategies including minimizing consumption, purchasing from market, harvesting rain water and installing equipment for storing and pumping in both cities. In Dhulikhel, a significant number of households (18.56%) minimize consumption during the dry season but this is not the case in Dharan. Rather, around one-fifth (19.27%) of the households harvest rainwater in Dharan. In addition, households are forced to give-up their regular activities in order to implement coping strategies such as household chores, leisure time, meeting and gardening. The average estimated annual coping cost in Dharan (USD 87.5) is eight times higher than in Dhulikhel (USD 11.05); however, per unit coping cost is nearly equal in both the cities. In terms of benefit-cost ration, the community level recharge ponds in Dhulikhel (5.15) were found to be cost effective compared to the household level recharge pits of Dharan (1.72). These results provide policy makers with a comparative basis for adopting appropriate strategies to tackle problems related to water shortage under city-specific contexts.

ACS Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai; Kaustuv Raj Neupane; Roshan Man Bajracharya; Ngamindra Dahal; Suchita Shrestha; Kamal Devkota. Economics of climate adaptive water management practices in Nepal. Heliyon 2019, 5, e01668 .

AMA Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai, Kaustuv Raj Neupane, Roshan Man Bajracharya, Ngamindra Dahal, Suchita Shrestha, Kamal Devkota. Economics of climate adaptive water management practices in Nepal. Heliyon. 2019; 5 (5):e01668.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai; Kaustuv Raj Neupane; Roshan Man Bajracharya; Ngamindra Dahal; Suchita Shrestha; Kamal Devkota. 2019. "Economics of climate adaptive water management practices in Nepal." Heliyon 5, no. 5: e01668.

Journal article
Published: 03 January 2019 in Journal of Urban Management
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Household waste management is one of the major challenges of municipalities in developing countries. In many large cities, private service providers deliver the service of household waste collection for a fee, but in smaller cities this service is not always available as it may not be profitable for private providers as a result majority of the waste remains uncollected. Determining a waste collecting fee for the first time is challenging for any municipal authority. In this context, this study conducted a choice experiment (CE) survey to determine household preferences for a household waste collection system in Ilam municipality in eastern Nepal. CE is considered reliable and has increasingly been used to elicit preferences for goods and services. The results indicate that implicit price of the attributes of municipal waste management including waste collection frequency is USD 0.44 for an additional time per month, distance to waste collection center is USD 0.19/minute walk up to seven minutes and subsidy to bin is USD 0.038 for every 10% subsidy increase. Based on the implicit price and different combinations of attributes, households are willingness-to-pay between USD 0.20 to USD 0.75 per month for different household waste collection management schemes. The aggregated maximum willingness-to-pay of municipal households for waste collection services is USD 40,900, which is equivalent to the annual municipal expenditure on sanitation and street light activities.

ACS Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai; Dipendra Bhattarai; Sajan Neupane. Designing solid waste collection strategy in small municipalities of developing countries using choice experiment. Journal of Urban Management 2019, 8, 386 -395.

AMA Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai, Dipendra Bhattarai, Sajan Neupane. Designing solid waste collection strategy in small municipalities of developing countries using choice experiment. Journal of Urban Management. 2019; 8 (3):386-395.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai; Dipendra Bhattarai; Sajan Neupane. 2019. "Designing solid waste collection strategy in small municipalities of developing countries using choice experiment." Journal of Urban Management 8, no. 3: 386-395.

Book chapter
Published: 05 December 2018 in Conifers
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This study explored locally important forest products generated from different plantation forests. A comparison was made between monoculture and mixed stands in terms of understory plant species richness and number of forest products collected by local communities in the Darjeeling Hills of India. The results showed that forest-dependent communities collect an array of forest products from mixed stands compared to the monoculture stands but understory plant species richness was not significantly different between these two types of forest plantations. This study suggests that a single management strategy alone (e.g., mixed species plantations), could not produce an array of forest products expected by local communities, which requires a mixture of different types of strategies. Limited plantation management activities that were confined during the first 3 years after plantation were the major determinants of such homogeneity in the Darjeeling hills.

ACS Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai; Joachim Schmerbeck. Why Forest Plantations Are Disputed? An Assessment of Locally Important Ecosystem Services from the Cryptomeria japonica Plantations in the Darjeeling Hills, India. Conifers 2018, 1 .

AMA Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai, Joachim Schmerbeck. Why Forest Plantations Are Disputed? An Assessment of Locally Important Ecosystem Services from the Cryptomeria japonica Plantations in the Darjeeling Hills, India. Conifers. 2018; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai; Joachim Schmerbeck. 2018. "Why Forest Plantations Are Disputed? An Assessment of Locally Important Ecosystem Services from the Cryptomeria japonica Plantations in the Darjeeling Hills, India." Conifers , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 11 October 2018 in Sustainability
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Hindu Kush Himalaya is home to many cultural and religious sites. The literature on the valuation of cultural sites in the mountain terrains is thin. Hence, their development and sustainability are often ignored. Using primary survey data from three different sites in the Kailash Sacred Landscape of India and Nepal, the cultural value of religious sites to the visitors and households living in the surrounding areas was estimated using a modified travel cost method. As visitors travel by foot and offer donations at the religious sites, the estimations account for these aspects in travel cost calculations. For the sample sites, the per year average use value of cultural services was estimated to be USD 2.9 million. Excluding the use value to the outside visitors, the annual estimated use value of cultural services to the approximately 200,000 households of the entire KSL area, which covers 31,252 km2, is over USD 22.6 million, which is over 7% and 15% of the per capita income of Indian and Nepali households, respectively, indicating the importance of the natural-cultural environments in rural livelihoods. The estimated values will help planners manage these cultural sites sustainably for improving the livelihoods of the people living in the area.

ACS Style

Mani Nepal; Rajesh Kumar Rai; Saudamini Das; Laxmi Dutt Bhatta; Rajan Kotru; Madan Singh Khadayat; Ranbeer Singh Rawal; G. C. S. Negi. Valuing Cultural Services of the Kailash Sacred Landscape for Sustainable Management. Sustainability 2018, 10, 3638 .

AMA Style

Mani Nepal, Rajesh Kumar Rai, Saudamini Das, Laxmi Dutt Bhatta, Rajan Kotru, Madan Singh Khadayat, Ranbeer Singh Rawal, G. C. S. Negi. Valuing Cultural Services of the Kailash Sacred Landscape for Sustainable Management. Sustainability. 2018; 10 (10):3638.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mani Nepal; Rajesh Kumar Rai; Saudamini Das; Laxmi Dutt Bhatta; Rajan Kotru; Madan Singh Khadayat; Ranbeer Singh Rawal; G. C. S. Negi. 2018. "Valuing Cultural Services of the Kailash Sacred Landscape for Sustainable Management." Sustainability 10, no. 10: 3638.

Original article
Published: 03 October 2018 in Sustainable Water Resources Management
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The livelihoods of local communities can be affected by environmental degradation and economic development resulting from the construction of hydropower projects, and failure to address issues of concern in a timely fashion can lead to conflicts. Working with communities to identify potential impacts, issues of concern, and community preferences for mitigation activities will help hydropower companies to plan and manage effective mitigation activities and avoid conflict. In this study, the preferences of the local community in the area affected by a four-megawatt hydropower project in Sankhuwasabha District in Nepal were measured using a discrete choice experiment survey. More than half of the respondents expected both positive (mostly economic) and negative (mostly environmental) impacts from the project. They were mostly concerned about the negative impacts that directly influenced their livelihood options, especially reduction in fish numbers and increased flooding. The analysis indicated that respondents wanted to have more fish available in the river, additional check dams to control floods, more funds allocated to conservation than to income generation, and less labour contribution. The estimated annual willingness-to-pay for the improved scenario was slightly more than the estimated cost of mitigating the physical and biological damage.

ACS Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai; Laxmi D. Bhatta; Bikal Dahal; Bandana Shri Rai; Shahriar M. Wahid. Determining community preferences to manage conflicts in small hydropower projects in Nepal. Sustainable Water Resources Management 2018, 5, 1103 -1114.

AMA Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai, Laxmi D. Bhatta, Bikal Dahal, Bandana Shri Rai, Shahriar M. Wahid. Determining community preferences to manage conflicts in small hydropower projects in Nepal. Sustainable Water Resources Management. 2018; 5 (3):1103-1114.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai; Laxmi D. Bhatta; Bikal Dahal; Bandana Shri Rai; Shahriar M. Wahid. 2018. "Determining community preferences to manage conflicts in small hydropower projects in Nepal." Sustainable Water Resources Management 5, no. 3: 1103-1114.

Journal article
Published: 01 September 2018 in Environmental Development
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Rajesh Kumar Rai; Laxmi Dutt Bhatta; Ujjal Acharya; Arun P. Bhatta. Assessing climate-resilient agriculture for smallholders. Environmental Development 2018, 27, 26 -33.

AMA Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai, Laxmi Dutt Bhatta, Ujjal Acharya, Arun P. Bhatta. Assessing climate-resilient agriculture for smallholders. Environmental Development. 2018; 27 ():26-33.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai; Laxmi Dutt Bhatta; Ujjal Acharya; Arun P. Bhatta. 2018. "Assessing climate-resilient agriculture for smallholders." Environmental Development 27, no. : 26-33.

Journal article
Published: 23 July 2018 in Water
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Watershed management is critical for the sustainable supply of clean water to urban centers, particularly in areas of developing countries where large-scale infrastructure projects are costly to implement. In this paper, we discuss the potential for financing improvements in watershed services in the foothills of the Himalayas through Payments for Ecosystem Services. Through the use of a choice experiment to disentangle household preferences, we show that downstream water users are interested in improvements in water quality through source water protection. Households in Dharan municipality are willing to finance watershed management to the extent of USD 118,000 per year. These payments can be used to incentivize upstream households to decrease domestic livestock grazing, change agricultural practices and reduce open defecation to improve the drinking water quality and quantity in downstream areas. The estimated cost of these activities is less than $50,000 per year. Through discussions with local stakeholders, we propose a tri-partite institutional structure to facilitate transactions between downstream and upstream communities and to improve watershed services.

ACS Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai; Priya Shyamsundar; Mani Nepal; Laxmi Dutt Bhatta. Financing Watershed Services in the Foothills of the Himalayas. Water 2018, 10, 965 .

AMA Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai, Priya Shyamsundar, Mani Nepal, Laxmi Dutt Bhatta. Financing Watershed Services in the Foothills of the Himalayas. Water. 2018; 10 (7):965.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai; Priya Shyamsundar; Mani Nepal; Laxmi Dutt Bhatta. 2018. "Financing Watershed Services in the Foothills of the Himalayas." Water 10, no. 7: 965.

Journal article
Published: 01 December 2017 in International Forestry Review
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This study assesses the causes of forest resource depletion in the Poba reserve forest, Assam, India. Although many activities, such as hunting and grazing, are banned, the Poba reserve forest is being degraded. The results of a household survey show local communities have experienced a decrease in forest resources in 2012 compared to 2002. Lack of community-based institutions and proper forest management plan has opened access to the forest, resulting in illegal logging and over extraction of forest products. These activities have limited the ability of Poba reserve forest to deliver ecosystem goods and services, and prevented forest restoration. Change is forest cover and availability of forest products has adversely affected the livelihoods of more than two-thirds of local households. The study suggests that participatory involvement of local communities in forest management can reverse trends in deforestation and forest degradation and restore the ecosystem. The forest cannot stand alone; it needs active support of the local community. Spanish Este estudio evalúa las causas del agotamiento de los recursos forestales en la reserva forestal de Poba en Assam (India). A pesar de la prohibición de muchas actividades como la caza y el pastoreo, la reserva forestal de Poba sigue degradándose. Los resultados de una encuesta en hogares muestran que las comunidades locales experimentaron una disminución de los recursos forestales en 2012, en comparación con 2002. La falta de instituciones comunitarias y un Plan de Manejo Forestal adecuado han abierto el acceso al bosque, lo que ha resultado en talas ilegales y la sobreexplotación de los productos procedentes del bosque. Estas actividades han limitado la capacidad del bosque de la reserva forestal de Poba para proporcionar bienes y servicios ecosistémicos y han impedido la restauración del bosque. El cambio en la cobertura forestal y la disponibilidad de productos del bosque han afectado negativamente a los medios de vida de más de dos tercios de los hogares locales. El estudio sugiere que la participación de las comunidades locales en el manejo forestal puede revertir las tendencias de deforestación y degradación forestal y restaurar el ecosistema. El bosque no puede mantenerse por sí solo: necesita el apoyo activo de la comunidad local. French Cette étude évalue les causes de l'amoindrissement des ressources forestières dans la réserve forestière de Poba dans l'Assam, en Inde. Bien que de nombreuses activités soient proscrites, telles que la chasse et la création de pâturages, la réserve forestière de Poba est en voie de dégradation. Les résultats d'une étude auprès des foyers montre que les communautés locales ont été témoin d'une baisse des ressources forestières en 2012, les rendant inférieures à celles disponibles en 2002. Le manque d'institutions à base communautaire et de plan de gestion à proprement parler a laissé un accès ouvert à la forêt, qui a résulté en coupes de bois illégales et une extraction outrée des produits forestiers. Ces activités ont limité la capabilité de la réserve forestière de Poba à fournir biens et services de l'écosystème. Elles ont également fait obstacle à la restauration forestière. Le changement du couvert forestier et de la disponibilité des produits forestiers ont impacté négativement les revenus de plus des deux tiers des populations locales. L'étude suggère qu'une implication participative des communautés locales dans la gestion forestière pourrait faire faire demi-tour aux courants de déforestation et de dégradation forestière et restaurer l'écosystème. La forêt ne peut survivre seule; elle a besoin du soutien de la communauté locale.

ACS Style

S. Ranabhat; L.D. Bhatta; Rajesh Kumar Rai; B. Pant; N. Timalsina; P.J. Das; N. Bisht. Can forest stand alone? Barriers to the restoration of the last remaining rainforest in Assam, India. International Forestry Review 2017, 19, 62 -74.

AMA Style

S. Ranabhat, L.D. Bhatta, Rajesh Kumar Rai, B. Pant, N. Timalsina, P.J. Das, N. Bisht. Can forest stand alone? Barriers to the restoration of the last remaining rainforest in Assam, India. International Forestry Review. 2017; 19 (4):62-74.

Chicago/Turabian Style

S. Ranabhat; L.D. Bhatta; Rajesh Kumar Rai; B. Pant; N. Timalsina; P.J. Das; N. Bisht. 2017. "Can forest stand alone? Barriers to the restoration of the last remaining rainforest in Assam, India." International Forestry Review 19, no. 4: 62-74.

Journal article
Published: 01 October 2017 in Forest Policy and Economics
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Rajesh Kumar Rai; Arun Dhakal; Madan S. Khadayat; Sunita Ranabhat. Is collaborative forest management in Nepal able to provide benefits to distantly located users? Forest Policy and Economics 2017, 83, 156 -161.

AMA Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai, Arun Dhakal, Madan S. Khadayat, Sunita Ranabhat. Is collaborative forest management in Nepal able to provide benefits to distantly located users? Forest Policy and Economics. 2017; 83 ():156-161.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rajesh Kumar Rai; Arun Dhakal; Madan S. Khadayat; Sunita Ranabhat. 2017. "Is collaborative forest management in Nepal able to provide benefits to distantly located users?" Forest Policy and Economics 83, no. : 156-161.