Evolution and Impacts of Community Based Forest Management in the Hills of Nepal

Abstract

"This paper first presents a brief overview of the evolution of community based forest management in Nepal. Impact of the community based forest management on the biophysical environment, changes on the availability of essential forest products to the user households due to changes in forest condition, and adaptation strategies of the households to changing availability of the forest products have been analyzed in a mountain watershed in Central Nepal. We report that the community based forest management programs had several positive impacts on the forest and the people of the study area but the programs also had some limitations and may face challenges ahead. The findings are expected to contribute in the identification of prevailing gaps in forest policies and implementation strategies related to community based forest management in Nepal and other Asian countries, which can be useful to adapt the existing systems to suite the local contexts for continued benefit of the local people and supporting ecosystems."