Jatamansi in Nepal : impacts of review of significant trade on species management and livelihoods

Abstract

Trabajo Fin de Máster Propio. Tutor: Martin Otto Hitziger. Nardostachys grandiflora (Jatamansi) is a critically endangered high-altitude Himalayan plant species included in CITES Appendix II. Jatamansi is used to produce herbal medicines, incense, and cosmetics, making it one of the most commercially valuable and heavily exploited species in Nepal. Its collection and trade provide at least 15,000 Nepalis with an average of 25% of their annual income. This research used interviews with experts in Jatamansi trade, research, or policy, along with household surveys of community forest users in 5 districts of Nepal, to test three hypotheses concerning the impacts of the Review of Significant Trade process and Nepal’s CITES Act (2017), Forests Act (2019) and Environmental Protection Act (2019) on species management and livelihoods. Results show the species has regrown since 2017, but a zero-export quota was not the only cause, as delays in promulgating regulations for the CITES Act (2017) and COVID-19 pandemic restrictions also limited collection. Community forest user group operational plans mandated by the Forests Act (2019) that used local harvest management systems and were not consistently implemented failed to ensure that harvest did not exceed population growth rate. New Environmental Impact Assessment data increased the national annual allowable harvest quota, but used local harvest management protocols, necessitating a precautionary calculation for CITES export quotas. The new CITES Act (2017) negatively impacted collector incomes in the short term by delaying resumption of legal exports and recentralizing previously delegated authority to issue collection permits.