Nepal's community forestry: critical reflection from the governance perspective

In recent decades, the role of community forestry (CF) has been to address the livelihoods of local people beyond its original objective of forest protection. Yet, there have been governance-related concerns, particularly the distribution of benefits among group members. We used a case study approach to better understand the CF model from the perspective of household satisfaction and benefit distribution at the local level. For data collection, we used multiple methods, including key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and household surveys. The study utilised the Henry-Garret ranking for analysing key elements of forest governance and a probit regression model for identifying the major contributing factors of satisfaction towards CF governance. Results suggested greater equity in CF governance and the empowerment of marginalised forest communities. Though CF has created new opportunities to consolidate forest users' efforts toward provisioning broader environmental services, the system continues to favour elites and other influential groups in CF decision-making. The study suggests improving equity and introducing incentives to primary forest dependents. The additional incentives will not only help communities to adapt to the changing context but also increase their interest in decision-making, particularly for equitable distribution of benefits and local collective action.