ABSTRACT
This chapter evaluates whether leasehold forestry is a genuine part of the continuing forest tenure reform in Nepal that seeks to improve livelihoods of the rural poor while addressing ecological concerns, or whether it is just a response to some of the major failings of CF in Nepal. In recent years, poverty reduction has become a major factor in any kind of natural resource management policy in Nepal. However, changing demographic and socio-political landscapes in Nepal in recent years seem to be increasing the participation of women in community forestry. Nepalese households, especially the rural ones, are still largely male-dominated, and women rarely participate in decision making, within or outside households. The legal framework within which LF is instituted (Forest Act of 1993 and Forest Regulation 1995) gives the sense that this management structure is a continuation of the forest tenure reform in Nepal toward a more inclusive and participatory forest management.
