Flood risk management under climate change: a hydro-economic perspective

Most developing countries, like Nepal, are expected to experience the greatest impact of climate change (CC) sooner and on a greatermagnitude than other developed countries. Increase in themagnitude and frequency of extreme rainfall events is likely to increase the risk of flooding in rivers. TheWest Rapti River basin is one of the most flood prone and also one of the most dynamic and economically important basins ofNepal. This study elicits thewillingness to pay (WTP) fromthe local people in the basin to reduce risks from possible floods due to CC. The WTP for flood mitigation in different flood hazard zones and flood scenarios were determined using referendum method and a face to face questionnaire survey. From a total of 720 households across all flood zones, a stratified randomly selected sample of 210 households was surveyed. The sample included households from a range of socio-economic backgrounds. The average WTP varied by flood hazard zone and within each zone, by CC-induced flood scenarios. The average WTP of respondents was highest for the critical flood prone zone, followed by moderate and low flood prone zones. Similarly, within each zone, the average WTP increased with increasing flood magnitudes due to CC. The variation of average WTP of respondents in different flood prone zones and scenarios indicate different levels of perceived severity. Moreover, the introduction of the concept of ‘man-day’ or ‘labour-day’ in WTP research is a novel and applicable methodological approach, particularly in the South Asian region. The findings of this study are useful for policy implications for the design of participatory flood management plans in the river basin

Comparison of carbon stocks between mixed and pine-dominated forest stands within the Gwalinidaha Community Forest in Lalitpur District, Nepal

Forests play an important role in global carbon cycle as this is both a source and sink of carbon. The carbon stock in a forest is affected by climate, tree species present and forest management. Community forestry program of Nepal is successful in reviving degraded forest patches in the mid-hill but there is a lack of information whether mixed or pine plantations are beneficial in terms of carbon content. The goal of this study was to estimate and compare carbon stocks in mixed and pine-dominated forest stands within the Community Forest in the mid-hill of Nepal. The study was conducted in Gwalinidaha Community Forest of Lalitpur District, Central Nepal. Carbon components considered were tree biomass carbon, root biomass carbon, litter biomass carbon and soil organic carbon. Total carbon stock of the forest was estimated to be 2250.24 tons with average carbon stock of 166.68 tons/ha. Total carbon stock per hectare was found to be higher in the pine-dominated forest as compared to mixed forest that was largely contributed by tree biomass but the litter carbon and soil organic carbon were higher in the latter. The Community Forestry of Nepal has a huge potential for carbon storage and pine-dominated forest showed more total carbon content than in mixed forest in mid-hill of Nepal indicating its large contribution in terms of carbon storage. Similar study to a large extent combining data from many community forests in the mid-hill is recommended