The editorial of Nepali Times (Issue #408) calls for need to save the forests that communities have invested decades to protect during this current state of political deadlock in Nepal. The editorial says:

"..every time there is a messy political transition in this country, it is Nepal's hard-fought achievements in forest conservation that suffers a serious setback. The war years (in the 1990s), ironically, protected the forests because it scared off timber smugglers and poachers. But it was after April 2006 that there was accelerated clearing of Tarai forests.

One of the things we in Nepal can be justifiably proud of is the success of our community forests. Nurtured by local communities, they have not just protected the environment but also lifted many hundreds of villages in the midhills from poverty.... let's not allow governance failure to wreck our community-based forest conservation success story."

Read the full editorial at Nepali Times website.