Looking at the prospects of community forestry in the Terai region of Nepal

The reasons and motives of the forestry staff to handover or not forests for community-based management and the reasons for its slow progress in the Terai region of Nepal, are presented. A set of criteria identified and validated by key informants (forestry staff, nongovernmental organizations and local community members) in determining the appropriate regimes, and the testing of these criterias in four Community Forest User Groups of Nepal, are discussed. It is suggested that the social, ecological and institutional criterias could be useful in finding ways to negotiate in choosing the appropriate forest management regime in the Terai.