Self-reliance and empowerment of community forest users, through the application of social and economic justice in the equitable use and sustainable management of community forests.
— The vision of the Federation of Community Forest Users, Nepal
The forests of Nepal are essential for the balance of the region’s ecosystem, the health of the economy, and the livelihoods of local people.
Historically, Indigenous people of Nepal participated in decentralized management of the forests, with codes ensuring that only local people used their resources and did so responsibly and sustainably. Many areas that are prone to erosion were conserved and protected with the active involvement of local people. Under the National Forest Privatization Act of 1957, people who relied on the forests for their livelihood lost their usage rights. But as the forests began to suffer from illegal exploitation, the government redistributed these rights, officially recognizing community forestry practices in the 1988 Master Plan for the Forestry Sector.
The programs implemented through this plan delegated legal management responsibility to the local people, which has ensured that they have access to forest goods and services for their basic needs. Such practices have grown through the implementation of community forestry programs in Nepal. Local people also have ample opportunity to participate in different types of skill-based training for the development and promotion of the forest. Because of this, the community forest program in Nepal is a source of national pride for conservation, protection, and sustainable management of the forest. Around 22,000 community forests covering more than 2.2 million hectares are managed by community users throughout the country. In total, about 35 percent of the country’s total population is directly involved in managing Nepal’s forests.
The concept of sustainability in the forestry sector has evolved from a previously limited understanding. Sustainability is now understood as multipurpose management of the forest in a way that doesn’t diminish and degrade the resources or services it provides to local people.
The results of this shift are evident: better forest conditions, increased community participation, new sources of income, and community development and institution building at a grassroots level. Community development activities support schools, health centers, and infrastructure including irrigation, roads, and bridges.
Scholarships for students from poor households and the active inclusion of poor and marginalized women have further contributed to the community’s achievement of sustainable development goals. According to the community forestry guidelines, 50 percent of Community Forestry User Groups’ (CFUG) total income is distributed to entrepreneurship development and women’s empowerment efforts, 25 percent is allocated to sustainable forest management, and the remaining 25 percent to social development. The participation of women in decision-making processes and sustainable resource-management activities is key to the success of the community forest programs.
Nevertheless, participants in community forestry programs still face challenges. To address these issues, the Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal (FECOFUN) formed in 1995 to advocate for the rights of community forest groups throughout the country.
FECOFUN is a network established to ensure and promote the rights of community forest users through advocacy, lobbying, policy development, and networking at national and international levels. It works to uphold the values of inclusive democracy, gender balance, social justice, and biodiversity conservation. FECOFUN supports the process of forming user groups, preparing operational plans, and maintaining CFUG accounts. Additionally, it builds the capacity of local and district leaders and chapters. FECOFUN is now the authentic and consolidated voice of grassroot communities’ forestry rights and a political actor in democratizing natural resource governance in Nepal. Because of its extensive network—CFUGs are present in all 77 forest districts of the country—FECOFUN has become the official body for communicating forest and natural resource management policies, regulations, laws, directives, treaties, press releases, and research outcomes across Nepal.
FECOFUN also contributes directly and indirectly to the Sustainable Development Goals established during the 2015 United Nations General Assembly. Evidence demonstrates that community forestry has contributed to poverty reduction, environmental conservation, gender equality, primary education, and partnership for development. These outcomes are testimony that the community-based approach to resource management supports goals of environmental conservation and improves the wellbeing of communities in Nepal.
