Archives: Programs

The project, “Promoting ecologically sound and socially just forest landscape restoration through co-production of knowledge and local capacity building,” aims to address the pressing issues of forest degradation and biodiversity loss in the central Himalaya. It seeks to establish a more inclusive and ecologically informed approach to forest restoration by integrating scientific research, traditional knowledge, and the needs of local communities. The project will develop strategies and frameworks for sustainable restoration practices and enhance the capacities of local actors. By using a participatory approach, the project will produce actionable knowledge to guide restoration efforts across diverse ecological regions leading to resilient forest landscapes and enhanced socio-ecological outcomes.

The project’s main goal is to restore degraded patches of forest for enhanced biodiversity and forest carbon. The following four objectives have been established to achieve this goal, and different activities and practices will be carried out under each of these objectives.

As a part of the Paris Agreement, Government of Nepal has submitted its revised NDCs (nationally determined contributions) for mitigating the climate change impacts, where forest restoration is one of the key areas. By 2030, the Government of Nepal plans to further increase its forest coverage, where restoring the forests of Chure region is one of the core aspect. However, there has been prevalence of issues such as economic aspects of past and present forest restoration programs including their environmental and social impacts, lack of understanding and existence of conflicting evidence regarding the restoration effects. There has been existing knowledge gap in the aspect of effectiveness, costs, and benefits of previous or existing tree-planting and forest restoration and amount of carbon sequestration. Additionally, there is a need for examination on regards of sustainability of forests, forest restoration incentives and impacts of restoration programs on livelihoods, employment generation, poverty, and gender equity between households and communities. Thus, the project aims to generate information and knowledge for designing and implementing effective nature-based climate solutions and access to financial resources to support forest restoration.

There has been a global debate about the need to change food and farming system to prioritize soil health, nature, and human well-being rather than merely increasing production. In response, international and national policies are being formulated, and efforts are being made worldwide to improve food and agricultural systems. Agroecology and sustainable food systems are critical components in addressing ongoing social, environmental and health challenges. Recognizing the need for improvements in these areas, our project is dedicated to enhancing policies and practices related to agroecology and sustainable food systems in Nepal.

The project, Hamro Ban, Hamro Bhawishya: A community- powered Restoration Project in Nepal Chure Range, is aimed at initiating activities focused on conserving biodiversity and improving livelihoods through afforestation, reforestation and forest regeneration projects. The proposed Community-based Biodiversity and Carbon Improvement project in Nepal is to tap into the voluntary carbon finance to be invested in native tree plantation that enhances the capacity of forest sinks and mitigating forest emissions while contributing to local livelihoods and biodiversity conservation. This is a stepped up climate change action taken by local population that safeguard forest ecosystems and are incentivized for their actions. The Project will be taken up in Koshi Province, Madhesh Province and Sudurpaschim Province in Nepal and other areas upon potential scale up of the Project.