Who gets what? : the community forest user group’s role in rebuilding communities

Abstract: The earthquake and the aftershocks that struck Nepal in 2015 brought destruction to many parts of the country, and still to this day rural communities struggle to rebuild their private houses and return life to what it was. This thesis found that in doing so, the villagers are dependent on resources such as labour, cash, and timber. Drawing on empirical data from four study locations in the mid-hills of Nepal, this thesis then analyses how four different community forest user groups (CFUGs) have responded to the increased demand for timber for reconstruction that arose following the earthquake. Through applying the theoretical lens of collective action, symbolic violence, access, and entitlement, this thesis also traces the possible causes for this response, and how it has affected the different groups in the communities to a different degree. It was found that community attributes such as the size of each forest user group, community heterogeneity as well as physical attributes (community forest composition and condition) have had a possible impact on the CFUG's ability to meet the need of its user household in the event of a disaster. Further, the thesis presents how the policy environment and interaction with other forest management institutions, both contemporary as well as historically, can affect the way the CFUG relate to the forest.