Locals of Janakanya village development committee (VDC) in Sindhuli district are very happy and proud of the job they have done, converting a barren forest into dense woodland, bursting with wildlife.Ten years ago, locals began working on the ‘Ramite’ forest located in the VDC. The forest spreads over an area of about 200 hectares and now stands as a model forest of the region.“This just shows what can be done with the joint effort of local people. We had not even dreamt that the Ramite forest would become as lush as this one day. We are now working to register it as a community forest,” said Ram Prasad Gautam, a user and promoter of the forest.Recalling its history, 55-year-old Dan Bahadur Devkota of Dandakhara said, “It was once a very dense forest some 30 to 40 years ago and there were many wild animals living there. One could see deer running to and fro everywhere.”But he added that the lack of awareness among local people in preserving forest resources caused it to turn from a dense wood into barren land, as people began to slowly cut down the trees in the past.Not only the trees of the Ramite forest suffered, but also wild animals started disappearing. Firewood and green leaves, which had been essential fodder for cattle, started becoming very scarce as well. As these issues arose one by one, they made the people aware of the mistakes they had committed and the forest was given a rebirth, local residents informed.The forest is now under the observation and protection of its local users and grazing of cattle inside the forest is prohibited. A weeklong cleaning up programme is carried out inside the forest once every year. During this period the area is open to local users who may collect green leaves and dry branches. According to the locals, wild animals have also started reappearing in there.Following the success achieved in the forest, local people have also started growing trees near their houses and in their fields. As a result, they no longer have any difficulty in collecting firewood and green leaves for their cattle, said Ganesh Bahadur Devkota, Chairman of Jalkanya VDC.“Anyone looking at the present state of the forest would be delighted to see the results of the hard labour and efforts of local people in its restoration. This also has enhanced the image of the VDC,” he added.