An interview with Min Bahadur Gurung

Respected local elder from Ghandruk and Chairman of the region’s Conservation and Development Committee

Interviewer: You have been involved for many years in the indigenous management of your region’s forests and other natural resources. Has culture or religion influenced your management of these areas?
Min Bahadur Gurung: Of course. In our village we practice Hinduism, Buddhism and Animism. Our ancestors or forefathers managed their forest resources by themselves without the help of outsiders. They set aside a forest area for fuelwood and harvested it on a rotational basis.
Interviewer: Would you think there is a negative impact on the forest when you harvest for fuelwood?
Min Bahadur Gurung: When you harvest the selected old trees of a particular area, and for a certain period of time, there will be no adverse impact on the environment. Our traditional rotational system makes the forest harvesting sustainable in the long run. We also feel very familiar with our forest. We know what species of trees to harvest, when, where and for how long.
Interviewer: It seems that you and your people have a close relationship with the natural environment. How do you link culture, religion and environment?
Min Bahadur Gurung: Our culture and religion provide education for nature conservation. In every village we have a forest sanctuary where we worship our forest god. The forest is prohibited from any use and is thus a home for many birds, deer, insects and other living forms. We believe that if we cut such sacred forest we will be sick. The forest’s resources, especially traditional medicinal plants, are also important. We use them to treat many common diseases. Our sacred forests are set aside above our village. We feel safe from landslides and our water source is kept in good condition. It also keeps our village green thus providing a high aesthetic value. Our forests shape our lifestyles and behaviours.
Interviewer: The way you protect your forest has high ecological value. Would you believe this system to be sustainable?
Min Bahadur Gurung: The way we protect and conserve our forest is for our benefit. We harvest the fruits of our conservation efforts. Since our forefathers, we have followed this culture and religion. Thus, sustainable management and use of the forest resources is our way of life. We are not relying on outsiders to manage our forest and wildlife and our conservation practices don’t rely on money for its success. Everyone in the village looks after their forest. Our communal management system is working. Our children are also growing into this system, so I hope they learn the way we are managing our resources. Additionally, the arrival of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) was a blessing for us.
Interviewer: How is ACAP working in the village?
Min Bahadur Gurung: We support ACAP’s integrated conservation and development program through people’s participation. It has helped us to strengthen our traditional institution with the formation of the Conservation and Development Committees. ACAP emphasises traditional resource management practices. This has allowed us to continue our traditional systems of fuelwood collection and rotational grazing in our alpine pastures. ACAP didn’t drive the local people from the villages. Other protected areas such as national parks in the Himalayas have excluded local people totally which has created conflict between parks and people. ACAP has also enabled us to implement small-scale community development projects such as drinking water supply, medical facilities, irrigation, bridges and trail construction and repair. Additionally, we also now have a forest nursery.
Interviewer: What do you think about sustainable living and how do you inter-relate your development works?
Min Bahadur Gurung: We believe development should not be an agent for destruction to our environment. It rather should aim to meet the basic needs of the people, for example provide food, cotton and shelter. Most importantly, we are protecting our environment. If you have fresh air to breathe, fresh food to eat and a safe shelter in which to sleep, then you live in a sustaining society. Our lifestyles will be more sustainable if we learn to live in harmony with our environment. If we neglect the environment that is sustaining our lifestyle, then we will be destroying our future.