| Abstract | The Terai region of Nepal is characterized by enormous biological richness of regional and global importance. The Terai lowland tropical forests were historically the most diverse of the Nepal ecosystems, but extensive deforestation has greatly reduced the forest area, the population of many species and the variety of ecosystems. Unlike the hill systems not a single forest area of Terai has been recognized for traditional management. Some forest management was applied till the 1960s by the Department of Forests. After that many management plans for conservation utilization were prepared but never implemented properly. Now the Department of Forests is handing over the forests to the communities to manage under the forest act and by-laws 2051, which is an appreciable step for biodiversity conservation in the Terai. Now, it is realized that if the community forests are managed and conserved properly, they can provide many other non- timber forest products, such as medicinal plants, Pipla ( Piper longum ), Sikakai ( Acacia concinna ), Timur ( Zanthoxyllum armatum ), Sarpagandha ( Rauvolfia serpentina ), Bet ( Calamus tenuis ), Satawar ( Asparagus racemosus ) and Bidipatta ( Diospyros tomentosa ), which are more valuable and economically beneficial. Therefore, the operational plan of the community forests has to be developed socially and technically sound that incorporates the improved forest management prescriptions supported by a diverse, productive and sustainable forest resource base, and active and organized forest user groups. This leads to conservation of the biodiversity and gives good economic return to the communities. |