Community forestry is a strategy to prevent further degradation and to maintain or improve site quality and productivity by handing over state-owned forests to forest user groups (FUG) for sustainable management. FUGs are entitled to collect fuelwood, grass/fodder, leaf litter and timber to meet their household requirements.

Nepal is a world leader in the field of Community Forestry. Despite of its success, it has faced several second-generation issues among them; good governance is one of the burning issues.

In Nepal, 21 community forestry user groups (CFUGs) are formally awarded as certified CFUGs in 2005 under the principle and criteria of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), as a tool to promote sustainable forest management (SFM) and responsible business practices focusing on non-timber forest products (NTFPs).

Impact of land use change on greenhouse gases emissions and consequent climate change has received greater attention in recent years. Forest and soils are important reservoirs of terrestrial carbon (C) and can be a source or sink of atmospheric C depending upon its management.

The study documents plant species used as Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) and traditional knowledge on the utilization of these plant resources by local people around the Community Forests (CFs) in Kamere-Karchape and Madhuban of Arghakhanchi and Kapilvastu districts of Nepal between July and September in 2005.

Virtually in all cultures worldwide, people have been using plants as a source of medicines and spices. However, during the last decades, the transition from subsistence to market-based economies has created a serious impact on all aspect of natural resource base including medicinal plants. Furthermore, indigenous medicinal knowledge and tradition is being lost.