RESOURCE NEEDS AND LAND STRESS IN RAPTI ZONE,NEPAL *

Regional and village land resource issues and environmental conditions in the Rapti zone, western Nepal are discussed in the context of the Himalaya Environmental Degradation theory (Ives 1987). Ecological stress is indicated in agriculture to forest land ratios, farmland capability, and land use change. Intra-regional differences and specific local conditions indicate the complex dimensions of environmental and development issues in the Rapti zone.