ABSTRACT
The community-managed forestry, including community forestry, is recognized as an effective approach to climate change mitigation. This chapter examines community forestry's potential in climate change mitigation by reviewing carbon stock status and removal outcomes in Nepal. The chapter further highlights institutional and policy contexts that enable and constrain community forestry's potential enhancing mitigation outcome and finally draws some lessons. Available information indicates a positive trend of carbon removal in community forestry resulting from sustainable management rejuvenated by collective efforts, institutional foundation, and participatory decision-making practices. However, the existing policy provisions within Nepal's forestry sector in the federal governance context are inadequate to optimize opportunities for and address climate change-related issues associated with community forestry, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities. Hence, capitalizing on community forestry's scope in carbon initiatives toward achieving mitigation goals may require redefining its role with explicit policy provisions, including tenure security and benefit-sharing between the government and local communities.
