1st Edition
Restoring Forests and Improving Livelihoods in Nepal Four Decades of Community Forestry
Introduction 1. Nepal's community forestry journey: Themes, challenges, and contributions 2. Looking back, moving forward: The evolution of community forestry policy and practice in Nepal Theme 1: Resource tenure and governance 3. The politics of policy evolution: community forestry governance and regulatory shifts in Nepal 4. Contested tenure: Legal rights, administrative barriers, and the everyday negotiations for community forest access 5. Cross-scale governance: technocracy and local resistance in community forestry in Nepal Theme 2: Community dynamics, local institutions, and planning 6. Crumbling commons? The transformation of forest-dependent societies in changing contexts 7. Institutions at crossroads: The evolution of collective action in community forestry 8. Unveiling the elite nexus: The political economy of progress and stagnation in Nepal’s community forestry 9. Reframing community forestry: Critiquing planning practices and charting a path for revitalisation in Nepal Theme 3: Forest ecology and management 10. Community forestry ecologies: Forest dynamics, biodiversity, and emerging challenges 11. Rethinking forest management: Silviculture, technology, and the future of community forestry 12. Restoring forest ecosystems? Impact of community forestry on biodiversity, restoration, and ecosystem services 13. Forest-farm interface: Integrating private and community forestry for landscape-level management Theme 4: Climate change 14. Restoring systems thinking: Climate risks, autonomous adaptation, and enabling policy in community forestry 15. The carbon promise: climate change mitigation potential of community-managed forestry in Nepal Theme 5: Livelihoods, gender, and equity 16. Beyond natural capital: Leveraging community forestry for livelihoods and local economies 17. Beyond tokenism: Women's leadership and the struggle for inclusive participation in community forestry 18. The business potential of community forestry: Regulatory barriers, market uncertainty, and community struggles Conclusion 19. Reimagining forest communities: key insights from Nepal’s community forestry
Biography
Hemant Ojha is an Associate Professor at Australian National University and the Principal Advisor of Global Development at the Institute for Study and Development Worldwide (IFSD), Australia.
Krishna K. Shrestha is Professor of Global Development at the University of New South Wales, Australia.
Naya S Paudel is a Senior Researcher and former Executive Coordinator at ForestAction Nepal.
Rahul Karki is an Executive Coordinator at ForestAction Nepal, a Kathmandu based forestry research institution.
Dil Khatri is an Executive Director and Senior Researcher at the Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies (SIAS), a Kathmandu based policy research organization.
Sony Baral is Associate Professor at Tribhuwan University, Nepal and Executive Director of The Resource Nepal, a non-profit organization dedicated to building a sustainable future for Nepal and its citizens.
Mani Ram Banjade is a researcher at ForestAction Nepal. He holds a PhD in environmental governance and development studies from the Australian National University.
Ian Nuberg is Senior Lecturer at the University of Adelaide, Australia. He is also the leader of the ten year EnLiFT project researching the improvement of livelihoods through agroforestry and community forestry in Nepal.






