Scaling conservation of Himalayan plants and fungi through sustainable trade
Nepal
Hemmed in and torn between the superpowers of China and India, a country with both lush jungles and cold alpine plains, Nepal is a land of complexity. The cultural and natural diversity of this small country has long spilled out and enriched the wider world: the Buddha was born here, and the wild Nard that Jesus Christ was anointed with grew here.
It is Nepal’s heritage of collecting and using wild plants and fungi that we are working to protect, where the cultural and the natural are intertwined and inseparable. Through collaboration – with NGOs, academics, and the private sector – our latest project in Nepal aims to ensure the long-term flourishing of wild resources and the communities that collect them.
Jatamansi in flower.
The Challenge
Rural communities in Nepal are some of the poorest in Asia. But their isolation from the urban engines of economic development gives them proximity to rare and valuable wild plants and fungi. Naturally, they harvest dozens of these species, many of which eventually find their way into global circulation, providing livelihoods to the harvesters and unique ingredients to the rest of us.
Unfortunately, recent surges in demand for Nepal’s wild products has left stocks of many species overharvested and under threat of extinction. Just as worrying, the harvesters themselves are increasingly exploited, cut off from the booming profits in the sectors they supply and operating without even basic training.
The SHIFT Solution
Our project partners all have a role to play in countering these negative trends. Academic collaborators, for instance, will fill in critical knowledge gaps with research, such as finding more sustainable ways to harvest at-risk plants and fungi.
FairWild’s role is equally clear: we will work with suppliers to implement sustainable strategies on the ground, delivering training and support with the ultimate aim of certification. Once suppliers have adopted socially and environmentally sustainable practices, we will work with the rest of our project partners to link them up with buyers in markets around the world. We have selected eleven target species – from morel mushrooms to Nard (alias Jatamansi) – for maximum impact on a variety of markets.
Harvesting medicinal plants in Nepal.
Our vision
SHIFT will help create a more sustainable and equitable future for Nepal’s wild species trade. To FairWild, sustainability doesn’t just mean that ecologically and socially sound practices are implemented, but that these practices continue and expand once our projects are over. So, a key part of our SHIFT vision is boosting local capacity, in keeping with these sustainability goals and with Nepal’s long-standing emphasis on local autonomy and decentralization. To achieve this, we will work closely with local NGOs and Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs).
Some of our goals in this project are as follows:
At least 50 companies from markets in China, India, Europe and US attend matchmaking events with producer enterprises and exporters, fostering the development of trading agreements including price premiums.
At least 200 community member LRPs (50% women) trained on sustainable resource management and good business practices, and in turn deliver training to over 20,000 harvesters.
Benefits will reach ten districts in Nepal: Darchula, Bajhang, Bajura, Humla, Dolpa, Jumla, Mugu, Rukum East, Gorkha and Taplejung, identified as most commercially important for sourcing and trade in target species.
We can’t transform wild value chains on our own. Here are our partners:
More from FairWild
You can learn more about some of the SHIFT target species: