With 25 years of successful community forestry experience, Nepal now stands as a model of such
approaches in resource management paradigm. The Kyoto Protocol has permitted afforestation
and reforestation activities for the first commitment period (2008–2012) for carbon trading under
the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). CDM is the only mechanism that forges partnership
between the industrialised and developing countries in taking collective action for mitigating
anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, while meeting the sustainable development objectives as
stated in Article 12 of the Protocol. However, this flexible mechanism till date renders community
forestry (CF) as ineligible. Studies have revealed that carbon stored in community forests can also
be considered as non-timber forest products, which when traded in emerging global carbon market,
have the potential to bring additional benefits to the people in the form of income. This paper
intends to share the existing information and status on prospects and challenges in bringing the
Nepali CF under the CDM of the Kyoto Protocol regime.
Sharma, B.D., Karky, B.S., Dahal, N., Chapagain, N.R., Basnet, B. 2004. Prospects and Challenges in bringing Nepal’s CF sector under Kyoto Protocol’s carbon trading regime In the proceeding Fourth National Community Forestry Workshop held at Kathmandu, Nepal p. 64 – 71.
