Title: A pilot study for the construction of sustainable community indicators in rural Nepal

Authors: Brenda Bushell, Nozomi Imai, Mari Naitoh, Masayuko Goto

Addresses: University of the Sacred Heart, 4-3-1 Hiroo, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-8938, Japan. ' Tokyo City University, 3-3-1 Ushikubo, Tsuzuki-ku, Yokohama, 224-0015, Japan. ' University of the Sacred Heart, 4-3-1 Hiroo, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-8938, Japan. ' Waseda University, 3-4-1 Ohkubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 169-8555, Japan

Abstract: This paper reports on a small pilot study to develop a set of sustainable community indicators for use in monitoring progress towards sustainability in two rural communities in Nepal. Members from the communities were surveyed to identify the indicators they value most for the sustainable development of their communities. Findings from the survey highlight the importance of a wide range of community perspectives in constructing the indicators, and the possible synergy that can be created towards the mobilisation of a sustainable community. The research also illustrates the importance of the integration of the |people issues| into the planning and policy decision-making in the communities. Furthermore, it suggests the need for more coordinated efforts in developing the social and economic systems that work in harmony with the environmental systems to support sustainable development in these communities.

Keywords: sustainable development; sustainability; rural communities; Nepal; community perspectives; villages; stakeholders; sustainable indicators; community indicators; synergy; community mobilisation; integration; people issues; planning decisions; policy making; decision making; coordination; social systems; economic systems; Chitwan; Terai; Kathmandu; Bachhauli; Jutpani; environment; interdisciplinary approaches.

DOI: 10.1504/IER.2010.038085

Interdisciplinary Environmental Review, 2010 Vol.11 No.4, pp.303 - 321

Published online: 18 Jan 2011 *

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