Community forests in Nepal cover 25% of the country's forest land and are managed by over 14,000 local community forest user groups (CFUGs) representing 35% of Nepal's population. Under the 1993 Forest Act, national forests are handed over to CFUGs for protection, management, and sustainable use. Since 1978, community forestry has led to increased forest cover, social mobilization, income generation, and institutional development at the local level. However, challenges remain in ensuring disadvantaged groups' access, improving technical forest management, focusing on local needs, and supporting women and the poor through CFUG decision making. Overall, community forestry shows promise for sustainable forest management if democratic processes and people's participation are strengthened

1. Community forests:
status, benefits, issues and challenges
in context of Nepal

2. Background
• Land area of Nepal-147,181 sq. km
• Forest cover 29% (4.27 million ha) and shrub
covers 10.6% (1.56 million ha) of the total land
area
• Between 1978-1994, forest decreased at an
annual rate of 1.7%
• Recent studies however proved the area of forest
cover to be increasing.
• Study reveals that forest area increased by 77% in
VDCs with community forest in comparison to
13% in VDCs without one.

3. Introduction
• According to Forest act, 1993, “community forests are
national forests handed over to the local user groups
for protection, management and utilization.”
• The forests are managed according to the operational
plan prepared by community forest users
groups(CFUGs) approved by the District Forest
Office(DFO).
• CFUGs has to be established and registered in DFO
before handing the forests and they are self-sustained
institutions which can act as self-governing entities to
generate, utilize and sell the forest product as
mentioned in the operational plan.

4. Intro Contd.
• During the last 28 years of community forest
implementation, about 1.2 million Ha (25% of
existing forests) of national forests has been
handed over to more than 14000 local CFUGs.
• These user groups constitute about 35% of the
country’s total population.
• The achievements of community forestry can be
seen in terms of better forest condition, better
social mobilization and income generation for
rural development and institutional building at
grass root level.

5. History of community Forests
• The private forests nationalization act 1957 brought
forests, which were earlier perceived to be private
under state jurisdiction.
• The national forestry plan 1976 listed the major
constraints (political turmoil, rapid population growth,
excessive dependence) and laid as its objectives for
forest management the restoration of balance of
nature, economic mobilization, practices of scientific
management, technology development and
promotion of public co-operation.
• The community forestry thrust followed the
formulation of Panchayat forest rules and Panchayat
Protected Forest Rules 1978.

6. History Contd.
• The community forestry project was introduced in 29
hill districts with assistance from World Bank.
• Later it was also promoted to 14 terai districts with WB
assistance.
• Community forestry started in one village Panchayat in
Sindhupalchowk district with the naming forest
committee by the DFO.
• The forest committee nominated by the DFO was given
authority to decide on the use of forest allotments,
which were protected or newly planted by its
Members.

7. Major plans and Policies regarding
Community forests in Nepal
• 1957 Private Forest Nationalization Act
• 1973 National Park and Wildlife Conservation Act to protect
ecologically important areas.
• 1982 Decentralization Act emphasized peoples participation in
development activities including Forests.
• 1988 Master Plan for Forestry Sector heavily emphasized on
community forestry.
• 1993 Environmental Impact Assessment Guidelines for Forestry
Sector made provisions for collection and processing of orchids,
Lichens and few medicinal plants.
• 1993 Forest act promotes community forests but with strict
regulation of people right to forest products.
• 2000 Forest Sector Policy
• 2002 Nepal biodiversity Action Plan
• 2006 Nepal Biodiversity Strategy Implementation Plan

8. Community Forest Benefits
• Improvement in Forest condition and environment-
greening hills, increasing wildlife population,
improvement in landslide prone areas
• Participation in benefit sharing and decision making
• Participatory democratic exercises
• Participation of disadvantaged groups
• Gender Equity- equal access of men and women
emphasized in decision making.
• Contribution to community Development

9. Issues and Challenges
• Social and geographical coverage- low accessibility of
socially disadvantaged groups and remote areas
• Revenue sharing
• Backlog of operational plans- slow preparation and
renewal of operational plans.
• Difficulties in applying improved management
techniques
• Transforming technical forestry into a local knowledge-
learning by doing as a substitute to formal training is
slow process to enhance productivity by encouraging
multiple forest management leading to sustainable
forest management.

10. Issues and……contd.
• Focusing forest management to the need of users-most
of the operational plans are based on conventional
knowledge of timber production thus failing to
incorporate the other needs of mostly poor members.
• Focus on income generation programs- CFUGs have
experienced difficulties in investing their fund($12
million) in right kind of activities. Only 3% is spent on
pro-poor programs. Additional spending on livelihood
improvement of the poor and disadvantaged group
and women is a big challenge

11. Issues….contd.
• Supporting women, poor and disadvantaged group-
local community leaders and elites mostly dominate
decisions of user groups. Fulfilling the concerns and
needs of the poor and vulnerable is still a difficult
practice in community forestry.
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Forest certification- medicinal and aromatic plants
from some community forests are exported outside by
private companies. Efforts on forest certification suffers
from lack of knowledge and skill about the availability
and the biological cycle of these species and their
sustainable harvest levels.

12. Conclusion
• A democratic government is supposed to recognize the
process of decentralization and democratization
adopted in community forestry processes.
• Community forestry can be sustainable only through
mechanisms of democratic processes, good
governance, rule of law and meaningful people’s
participation.
• The success of CF indicates that CF Policy should be the
guidelines for the sustainable development of Nepal
and its poverty alleviation programs.
• CF Policy is the right system in conservation of forest,
environment and bio-diversity.