to discuss their reproductive health problems. For instance, many local women suffer from prolapsed uteruses caused by lifting and carrying heavy bundles of firewood. Despite the pain, women were reluctant to talk about this problem until approached by peer educators. Women and men in the community are now trying to obtain government services to help these women. Clean Energy Technology Generates Multiple Benefits for Khata Families Acute respiratory infection (ARI)-- often caused by smoke and pollution from indoor cooking fires--is a serious problem for women and young children in Nepal. In the Khata corridor, the WWF PHE project has promoted biogas and improved cooking stoves to help address this problem, as well as relieve pressure on the forests and reduce the amount of time women spend collecting firewood. Biogas digesters are connected to household latrines. Human waste, along with cattle dung, produces biogas in the digester, which is piped to the nearby kitchen and used for cooking. A total of 586 households (19 percent) in Khata are now using biogas or improved cookstoves, saving an estimated 1,524 metric tons of firewood annually (equivalent to about 3,800 trees). Women also report great savings in time and work, allowing them to engage in forest management and PHE activities organized by their user groups. Source: WWF-Nepal (2008). John Pielemeier 7 FOCUS on population, environment, and security Strategy for Sustainability "Now, women CBDs who are more conversant and informed on reproductive health and family planning openly talk to forest user groups about sexual and reproductive health--and people listen to them." � Devi K. C. From the outset, the project required that NGO partners and forest user groups contribute funds to maximize the project's long-term sustainability; to date, these contributions total more than $37,500 over two years (compared to USAID's contribution of $80,000). WWF plans to phase out its financial support of the Khata project, so sustaining the project's conservation and health gains will be a challenge. But with the return of peace to Nepal, the Ministry of Health has recently reopened the local sub-health post three miles away, so the government will play a larger role in providing health care to these communities. WWF and the Khata Community Forestry Coordination Committee worked with 24 user groups to integrate family planning and clean energy interventions into their five-year community forest operational plan amendments to ensure that PHE activities will continue. WWF-Nepal has also worked with Department of Forestry personnel and educated them about the benefits of integrated approaches to family planning, health, and community forestry management. The district forest officials have indicated their support for the revised operational plans (WWF-Nepal, 2008). Conclusions and Recommendations Based on WWF-Nepal's experience, we offer the following conclusions and recommendations for programs seeking to integrate family planning and reproductive health into forest management: � Providing health and livelihood assistance helps win a community's trust and can simultaneously protect the environment. Access to basic health services and family planning was a priority in Khata. By responding to these needs, WWF-Nepal and its partners were able to gain the community's trust and participation in conservation activities. This experience shows that providing health and family planning services linked to environmental activities not only improves health, but can also help relieve environmental pressure. 8 Lessons From the First Generation of Integrated Population, Health, and Environment Projects Issue 18 March 2009 Forests for the Future � Environmental NGOs can successfully promote reproductive health and family planning in partnership with health organizations. Remote communities in areas of high biodiversity often lack knowledge about family planning and how it contributes to sustainable livelihoods. Evidence from this project shows that environmental NGOs can quickly learn to facilitate 