Terai region of Nepal

Question 1

Where is the Terai region? What is it like??

Answer 1

• southern part of Nepal contains a rich agricultural area known as the Terai region
• stretches along Nepal’s southern border with India
• defined by a belt of well-watered floodplain
• it is the main agriculture region of the country
  
  • very fertile

Question 2

What is the problem with the Terai region? What dangers is it at risk of?

Answer 2

• main agricultural region of the country
• alongside farming, people are engaged in a range of trades, industreies and services
• as a result of the high population density, natuural resources are at risk of being overused

Question 3

What are the abiotic conditions like in the ecosystem?

Answer 3

• hot and humid in the summer months
• composed of fertile alluvial suil which is rich in plant nutrients

Question 4

What is the biodiversity like?

Answer 4

• very biodiverse
• many subtropical plants e.g. bamboo
• areas of thick forest where animals such as the Bengal tiger and the Indian rhinoceros ar found

Question 5

WHy are the forests important to people?

Answer 5

• million people depend on the forest for their livelihoods
• important source of national income

Question 6

How is the ecosystem being destroyed?

Answer 6

• as a result of poverty and corruption, large areas of forest have been cleared for agriculture or to sell timber

Question 7

What has happened as a result of deforestation?>

Answer 7

• exacerbated the effects of monsoon flooding, causing severe distroption to communities downstream
• if deforestation of the region continues unabated, the communities of the Terai would be left with small, isolated packets of forest
• this would be devastating not only for the wildlife of the region, but also the local population who rely on the forests for income through tourism and through harvesting wood for building products and for burning fuel

Question 8

What is the aim of sustainable forest management in Nepal?

Answer 8

• provide a livelihood for local people, ensure the conservation of forests, and provide the Nepali state with considerable income for general development

Question 9

How is the aim achievied?

Answer 9

• supportive national legislation, and through the development of local community forestry groups

Question 10

What do the local groups control?

Answer 10

• develop own operational plans
• set harvesting rules, set rates and prices for products
• determine how surplus income is distributed or spent
• through cooperation small foresty business can work effectively together
  
  • e.g. t gain Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, an international standard which rewards sustainable forestry

Question 11

What are the successes of the community forestry groups?

Answer 11

• significant improvement in the conservation of the forested regions, in terms of areas and density
• improved soil and water management
• increase in retail price of forestry products, and so a greater economic input to the region
• employment and income generation through forest protection, as well as through the production of non-timber products
• sustainable wood fuel sources, which contribute three-quaters of the local household energy needs
• securing the biodiversity of the forest areas

Question 12

What are the methods for sustainable agriculture?

Answer 12

• promoting production of fruit and veg in the hills and mountain regions to avoid further intensification of the Terai
• improving irrigation facillities to enhance crop production
• multiple cropping, where more than one crop is grown on a piece of land each growing season
• the growth of nitrogen-fixing crops such as pulses and legumes to enhance the fertility of the soil
• growing crop varieties resistant to various soil, climatic, and biotic challenges through the use of modern biotechnology and genetic engineering
• improving fertilisation techniques to enhance crop yields