Nepal Forest Sector Strategy

Nepal Forest Sector Strategy – Opportunities for Integration of Community Forestry and Carbon Financing

CHALLENGE

Nepal's diverse landscape is divided into three main regions: the Upper Hills, the Middle Hills and the Terai, each presenting different forestry management challenges. Overall, the country has experienced significant losses in forest cover, with forest conversion to shrub land at 5.6% on aveagre oer year. While community forestry programs have had a successful impact on forest cover inthe Middle Hills, higher altitude terrain has been difficult to manage and monitor. In Nepal's lowlands (the Terai region), demographic pressure, uneven distribution of high-value forest resources, easy road access and a porous border with India have created a challenging  environment where innaprorpriate timber extraction, illegal encorachment and logging and poor management of protected areas and watersheds are constraining the potential of forestry to improve livelihoods, conservation and sustainable economic growth.  

Achieving sustainable forest management in this region, where the major proportion of Nepal's forest loss is occurring, is a major and urgent challenge that needs to be addressed if national level REDD processes are to yield any benefits for Nepal.

APPROACH

PROFOR is lending its support to the World Bank’s South Asia region to prepare a study of Nepal’s forest sector that will
provide a framework for delivering concise messages and strategic guidance to the Ministry of Forestry and Soil Conservation and other audiences on the need for concrete measures to improve mechanisms for resource mobilization in forestry, incentives, and governance.

RESULTS

This activity is ongoing. Results will be shared on this page when they become available. You can also follow us on twitter (www.twitter.com/forestideas) or subscribe to our mailing list for regular updates.