ABSTRACT
Community forests in Nepal play a crucial role in preserving biodiversity and maintaining ecological functions. Beyond their intrinsic biodiversity value, community forests also contribute significantly to carbon sequestration, soil conservation, water regulation, and overall ecological resilience. Nepal's diverse topography and climate support a wide range of forests and ecosystems, each uniquely contributing to environmental stability and supporting the livelihoods of local communities. This chapter explores the ecological dynamics of community forestry in Nepal, tracing historical forest degradation and restoration trends. It also identifies emerging ecological challenges within community forests, such as integrating biodiversity conservation, managing human-wildlife conflict, controlling invasive plants, and mitigating forest fires. Finally, the chapter provides recommendations to address the emerging challenges thereby enhance the ecological resilience of community forestry systems.
