Eden Reforestation – Nepal

Nepal’s forests cover the steep slopes of the Himalayan region, home to eight of the world’s ten tallest mountains. Despite its beautiful scenery, the grounds are prone to soil erosion caused by slope failure, landslides and debris flows. Locals nevertheless depend on these lands for shelter and subsistence farming.

Our reforestation projects in the hills around Pokhara secure the livelihood of locals by mitigating the effects of natural disasters. Reforestation is vital as the roots of trees aid the process of soil stabilization. Trees planted here also aid climate stability, capturing carbon and ensuring that temperatures remain moderate.

Most of our planting sites are located in the mountainous Nawalparasi district where terrain is steep and farming is difficult. As a result of clay soils (soils with high moisture levels), landslides occur frequently. Our planting partner plants 19 different tree species to create dense mixed forests that can prevent slope instability.

In addition, along the lowland plains around the Chitwan National Park, reforestation creates a buffer zone for one of Nepal’s biodiversity hotspots. Most trees are planted during the rainy season (June to September) and grown in tree nurseries all year long.
The hilly areas around Pokhara are home to rural villages insulated from much of the socioeconomic development enjoyed in urban Nepal. Providing a sustainable source of income, our reforestation projects narrow the rural-urban divide, providing employment opportunities to locals.

In addition, the reforestation projects aid communities to prevent and manage environmental hazards. Locals become successful stewards of the forests, planting specific tree species in order to make soils become more resilient. The project also positively impacts the local climate. The absorption of CO2 by forests cools the plains, mitigating the effects of climate change.

→ Mountainous terrain, combined with clay soils, continues to pose landslide danger.