Countries

Forestry policies, institutions and programmes

Institutions
Agencies reposnsible for forests in Nepal include the Department of Forests of the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation, the National Planning Commission, District Forest Offices, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and local communities (user groups).

Policies
Various programmes have been launched to develop the forestry sector, including forest management programmes under which community groups have been formed, programmes for the production of saplings, for afforestation, and for the implementation of national and leasehold forestry programmes. Programmes related to forests, soil and watershed conservation and to the production and processing of medicinal herbs have also been undertaken. Strengthening the capacities of both governmental and semi-governmental organizations at all levels, from central to local level, is essential for the successful implementation of these programmes. Relevant laws and regulations are being reviewed and revised to meet operational needs.

Legislation
Forestry laws make provision for handing over forests to an industry, institution or the community after signature of an agreement between the government and the concerned party. Nepal¿s forests were formerly managed primarily for revenue and environmental and ecological services. However, the forest sector now recognizes the need to consider not only issues of resource sustainability, but also issues of equitability, taking into account the overall interests and aspirations of forest-dependent communities.

Nepal¿s current forest policy and legislation classify forests in a number of categories, based mainly on their tenure or control:

• government-managed forests, in which scientific forest management plans are applied to large areas of forests, away from settlements, to fulfil timber and the fuelwood demands, principally of urban areas, and to contribute to national income;
• protection forests;
• community forests, in which use rights and management responsibilities are officially handed over to a group of people who depend on the resource for their day to day use,
• leasehold forests, given under lease to an individual or group as per agreements reached between the government and the concerned parties;
• religious forests, which are forests handed over to temples and religious institutions for the purpose of management, conservation and use.

Much of Nepal¿s forest, although officially owned by the government, is in fact be under the de facto use of local communities which for generations have depended on the forests to meet their subsistence requirements for fuelwood, forage and timber. Handing over of such forest land, for example to an industry, could have serious consequences for the livelihood system of local communities. The laws seem to visualize such implications, providing priority to community forestry over leasehold forestry. Certain forest land may not be handed over as a leasehold forest so long as demand exists for community forests for the same parcel of land.

Last updated: April 2002