Regional Workshop on Issues, Challenges and Opportunities for Forest Management of Terai, Inner Terai and Churia in Nepal

The last remaining valuable forest of Terai region in Nepal is under pressure from various challenging issues. According to the unpublished report of few government agencies, around 80 thousand ha forest area of Terai region of Nepal has encroached from last 2 years (2006-2008). Out of 4.5 million ha of Terai forest (plain area); only 2% forest area is handed over to the local communities as Community Forest. Few parts of the Terai forest have been purposing to manage as Collaborative Forest; nevertheless, there are also some dilemmas to implement the approved or purposed schemes of collaborative forest due to controversial and centralized policy process. The local people of the southern parts of Terai region are depriving from utilization of basic forest products. The government, private sector and community institutions have lacking appropriate and acceptable mechanism for forest product distribution and benefit sharing to distance forest users of Terai region of Nepal. Therefore, FECOFUN has organized a regional level workshop - with the support of various stakeholders of forestry sector (SAGUN Program, Rights and Resources Initiatives RRI, GCAP & CCSDT) - for the discussion about issues and options for forest management of Terai, Inner Terai and Churia region in Nepal.