All the people in Humla (and approx. 70% of all the people in Nepal) cook their daily meals, heat there rooms and use for lights in the nights, fire wood. Just try to imagine what that means......

Every other day the women from all the villages walk with big "Dhokos" (big bamboo baskets) often for 4 hours and more up to the forests to cut fire wood. This is not only a drudgery for the women, you can hardly believe the level of deforestation in Humla !

And what long term effects this has, we do not need to raise here, we all know that too well ....

RIDS-Nepal has started to work on various levels to fight actively the deforestation. First of all it is vital to any changes, that the local people become aware of that issues, as till now the forest has ample provided their parents and grand parents with fire wood and wood for the building for their houses. But the last 20 years, through the enormous growth in population, the building of houses, natural disasters (such as land slides and bush fires) have been hard on the forest in Nepal. Where one used to walk in thick dschungel some years ago, one finds itself almost "alone in the forest", surrounded by uncountable tree stumps and barren land....

Its high time to react. Together we can fight against the enormous deforestation. We will not see changes tomorrow or after tomorrow, but we have hope that changes within the tradition and thinking of the people, which leads to activities and protection of the precious forest resources, will enable the forests of Nepal to recover substantially in the next 20 years.

RIDS-Nepal has started in the following areas to be active:
1) Awareness raising in all the Non Formal Education classes among adults and children
2) Designed and built a new smokeless metal stove which uses 40% to 50% less fire
wood, and provides it with 50% subsidy if a family built a Pit Latrine.
3) Started in 1999 a forestry program with emphasis on awareness raising in all
communities, medical mountain herbs and reforestation
4) RIDS-Nepal's lays all electrical lines for the rural village electrification systems underground

Song: The Dwindling Forest

1)  The cock has crowed so lets be ready for working. May be the cause of our forest destruction is our increasing population

2)   The Jungle has become ashes because of fire. If it continuously happening, no one can survive

3)   Dry firewood is not available so we have to go very far. There is no rain because of drought

5) Lets make a community forest group by helping one another
If we make our environment green we will have a happy life