ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the evolution of community forestry policies in Nepal, emphasizing the dynamic interplay of political changes, local socio-economic shifts, and global environmental agendas. Beginning in the 1970s, Community Forestry emerged as a response to widespread deforestation and the failures of centralized forest management. The transition to democracy in 1990 provided fertile ground for legal frameworks, such as the Forest Act of 1993 and Forest Regulations of 1995, which empowered Community Forest User Groups to manage and utilize portions of national forests. However, the transition to federal governance in 2015 has brought new challenges, including governance ambiguities and overlapping authorities among the federal, provincial, and local governments. Rural outmigration, changing livelihood patterns, and global climate initiatives like REDD+ have further reshaped community forestry's objectives. The chapter highlights that while political decentralization is crucial, a more nuanced approach to policy development and implementation is necessary to ensure effective institutional arrangements and enhance community forestry's adaptability to unfolding socio-economic changes and global environmental agendas.
