Kathmandu, August 18:

The Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation said today that the implementation of the agreement on carbon-trading would begin after 2012.

Talking to this daily, Jagadish Baral, chief of the international coordination department at the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation, accused the media of misguiding people by disseminating false information.

“We have entered into an agreement with the World Bank and we have also taken first payment as per the agreement. But the agreement will be implemented only after

2012,” Baral added.

He said that the World Bank would pay around $10 for a tonne of carbon. Community forests cover around 1.3 million hectares, while government and other forests cover more than five million hectares of land.

A forest spread in one hectare produces 1.8 metric tonnes of carbon, Baral said. He said Nepal would start receiving carbon trade money only after 2012.

Ghanashyam Pandey, president of the Federation of Community Forest

Consumers Nepal, accused developed countries of trying to colonise developing and under-developed countries in the name of carbon trade. He asked the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation to publicise the agreement reached with the World Bank. “The agreement is nothing but a political strategy to colonise developing and under-developing countries,” he said.

He demanded that the government establish local communities’ ownership over forests before starting carbon-trade.

Ugan Manandhar of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) emphasised the use of alternative energy to resolve fuel crisis and reduce pollution. He said developing and under-developed countries had been suffering due to mistakes committed by developed countries.