ABSTRACT
Nepal's community forestry has been frequently credited for greening the Hills with much-improved forests and biodiversity. Yet, economic and social benefits to local households and the wider economy are limited. Community forestry planning practice, its problems and possibilities rarely receive attention in scholarly analysis and policy making. The planning practice, which was designed some 30 years ago, is still being implemented with little substantive improvement in the process, intent, or practice. This chapter has dual objectives: to examine Nepal's community forestry planning practice at the local level, and to present a set of principles for more active, equitable, and sustainable management. Drawing on five case study sites in Kavrepalanchowk and Sindhupalchowk districts to demonstrate emerging issues and opportunities in planning practices. The chapter concludes by presenting a critical action research-informed framework and principles that enable the new planning practice for community forestry to emerge and sustain, potentially transforming the community forestry program to become more responsive and responsible in the new context of Nepal in the future.
