ABSTRACT

In Nepal, community forest user groups (CFUGs) are emerging as important institutional assets, capable of supporting peacebuilding by assisting with reintegration and reconstruction and providing livelihood assistance. CFUGs are democratic, local institutions that engage in the sustainable management of forest resources. Nepal has more than 14,500 such groups, which manage over 1.2 million hectares of forest. More than 1.65 million households (40 percent of the national population) belong to CFUGs—the highest membership of any civil society organization in Nepal.