Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies (SIAS) organized another series of Future Himalayan Research Seminar on 21st of May 2023. Dr. Rajan Parajuli, Assistant Professor, Forest Economics and Policy, North Carolina State University shared his experiences and learnings from the ongoing study on ‘Community Forestry in Nepal through the lens of a Dynamic Integrated Socio-Environmental System’. Dr. Parajuli shared preliminary findings and reflections based on recent fieldwork and community-level workshops conducted in Pyuthan and Salyan district of Nepal. Highlighting some of the socio-economic changes triggered by increasing out-migration and the COVID-19 pandemic, he pointed out the challenges and opportunities of community forestry, the current state of forest management dynamics and changing rural livelihood priorities.
Dr. Parajuli’s presentation was followed by an insightful and interactive discussion session. The discussion focused on the necessity of supporting local collective action and finding possible solutions to the burning issue of forest management in Nepal. The participants reflected on the consequences of the inactive status of the CFUGs leadership and stressed the importance of redefining it to better serve those in need. The discussion ended with agreeing on continuation of these types of interactive platforms for reframing the ideas and finding actionable ways to interlink forest management with people’s livelihood in Nepal.
