Sharada Devi forest has been protected and used by local communities under community forestry arrangements since the 1980s. Here, as in many other parts of Nepal, the rights and responsibilities for forest resource management have been successfully transferred to the local Forest User Group (FUG). However, although the condition of both forest and water resources have visibly improved under these arrangements, the flow of products from the community forest is far below its capacity for sustainable production.
Community forestry has succeeded in protecting the forest, but has failed to provide the expected benefits to users. The main reasons for this are a tendency to over protect community forests, and a lack of forest management support to the FUGs. Recent initiatives to set up Farmers Forest Management Schools (FFMSs) have attempted to address these issues.
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This article is based on 'Farmer Field School in Community Forest Management in Nepal: an approach to group learning and experimentation by Forest User Groups', a paper submitted for International FFS Workshop, 21-25 October 2002, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Hukum Singh. Community forest management and FFS. Leisa Magazine. March 2003. Pages 13-15.