Archives: Programs

Building on the key insights gained from the initial assessment and consultations conducted in Gandaki and Sudurpaschim provinces, ForestAction Nepal is currently implementing the second phase of the project entitled, “Strengthening Socio-Ecological Resilience to Climate Change through Improved Collaboration between Local Governments and Community Forest User Groups in Nepal.” Consultations with local governments (LG) leaders, CUFGs, and provincial government officials and stakeholders in these regions highlighted critical governance challenges, including conflicts over power sharing across three levels of governments, policy confusions, inconsistent policy implementation, and a lack of consorted efforts to mobilise and capitalize forests resources.

With the aim of bridging these policy/regulatory, institutional and operational gaps, the project aims to facilitate evidence supported constructive multi-stakeholder policy dialogues at different levels of governance. The whole idea is to develop and present a business case that would appeal the political and bureaucratic leadership in materializing the lost opportunity in community forestry. By producing a change well-researched and creditable report on lost opportunities will serve as a key advocacy tool to drive policy action and institutional reform.

Nepal is highly vulnerable to climate change induced disasters such as flood due to the unpredictable rainfalls and excessive precipitation. Flooding has exacerbated food insecurity and livelihood losses especially in the marginalised communities of these regions. Based on such issue, BAGAR project focuses on regenerating and sustainably managing floodplains in the Marin Municipality of Sindhuli, Bagmati Province and Gadhimai Municipality of Rautahat, Madhesh Province.

Collaborating with vulnerable groups including Indigenous communities, the project will develop ecosystem-based agro-forestry plans that will integrate native fodder species, which are resilient to floods and can provide food and livestock feed.

In Nepal, while attempts have been made to integrate women in decision-making in community forest user groups (CFUGs), including special provisions for poorer members’, representation of women is not enough and there still remain challenges to their meaningful participation and influence in decision-making. Besides absence of forest tenure rights for women, limited access to land and other resources and lack of social entitlements have stunted their position as possible stakeholders in the forest economy. Gender-based constraints women experience also intersect with other social identities such as age, caste/ethnicity, class and educational levels and has a compounding effect for women to survive and thrive in agriculture and forestry-based enterprises. Similarly, women in Nepal face serious challenges in financing low carbon small and micro enterprises that create jobs and income for rural women. Mainstream banks and financial institutions narrowly prioritise profit potential so that social and environmental objectives are often ignored. More importantly, despite policy promises of encouraging women entrepreneurs through diversifying their financial access, banks and financial institutions stick to strong collateral-based loans, which women are not in the position to fulfil or often lack.

In response to such challenges and with the aim of improving financial literacy, ForestAction Nepal has partnered with Climate Initiative Policy (CPI), an advisory organisation with deep expertise in finance and policy to drive economic growth while addressing climate change to work on this project.

This project aims to conduct a comprehensive value chain analysis of three key products- timber, ginger, and turmeric, originating from community-based production systems in Nepal. These products hold significant potential for contributing to local livelihoods, sustainable forest management, and national economic growth. The study will assess the full spectrum of the value chain from production and processing to marketing and export with a focus on identifying opportunities for efficiency, profitability, and sustainability.

Over 40% of Nepal's population, with high percentage of poor, women, Dalit castes and other marginalised groups, reply on forest products and associated ecosystem services for their daily sustenance and income. However, with the increasing climate change effects and impacts, it has exacerbated challenges for the forest dependent communities. Such issues coupled with policy gaps in forest management have led to the underutilisaton and degradation of forest resources, limiting their potential to support rural livelihoods and economic development.
Noting the urgency for a structured approach to strengthen policy engagement and to foster multi-stakeholder dialogue, CLARE R4I has collaborated with ForestAction Nepal for technical assistance to develop evidence-based policy briefs and enhance communication strategies that advocate for sustainable forest management and green enterprises development in Nepal.

Over the past few decades there has been increasing threat of forest fires, driven by both climate change and anthropogenic factors that are having profound environmental, economic, and social impacts. Communities in affected areas are lacking in essential resources and specialised equipment, frequently relying on rudimentary tools like shovels, spades, and even branches to combat fires. The shortage of trained personnel and no effective coordination mechanisms further amplify these challenges, sometimes resulting in tragic loss of lives.

ForestAction Nepal and Australian Himalayan Foundation has partnered to work together to enhance the protection of communities, livelihoods and biodiversity from climate-driven and human-caused fires.

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.