Forest ecosystem and biodiversity resources provide critical livelihood support to majority of indigenous and local communities (ILC) of Nepal. Rich and diverse types of indigenous, traditional and local forest and pasture management practices are found throughout Nepal according to different cultures, locations, climatic conditions and socio-economic situation. Most of these practices are adaptive, flexible, scalable and low cost. A large number of these community-based natural resources management (CBNRM) practices built on indigenous and local knowledge conserve soil, water, and biodiversity as well as protect vital livelihood and development infrastructures building resiliency and adaptive capacity of forest ecosystems.

Climate change, as the newest driver of deforestation, forest land degradation, has been impacting forest ecosystem by fragmenting habitats, altering species composition, changing growing season, lowering biomass productivity, and increasing risks of fires and floods. Indigenous peoples and local communities have been coping with these changes by using their indigenous local knowledge, skills, and practices (ILKP) and making them more adaptive and resilient. This paper reports on the documentation and assessment of different community based practices drawn from five case examples in five districts of Nepal covering aspects including evolution, innovations, and adaptation processes. Using field-based shared learning approaches, it explores the challenges and opportunities of integrating, synergizing, and complementing indigenous practices with modern scientific knowledge and technologies.

Among the major findings, a diverse type of location and situation specific community based protection, development, conservation, and sustainable utilization practices are found widely prevalent and largely successful. Indigenous adaptive capacity is being improved through demand-based training and capacity building programs. Traditional forest users are found well organized institutionally and increasingly found integrating, synergizing, and complementing their indigenous and local practices with the modern knowledge, practices, and rules. Although indigenous and local communities are successfully demonstrating the use of their indigenous local knowledge, innovation, and collective actions to achieve multiple benefits from forests ecosystems in an equitable and sustainable manner, this study suggests integrating scientific knowledge and technologies to adapt to increasingly complex phenomenon of climatic change would be beneficial. The Government besides recognizing the important role played by indigenous and local knowledge and practices it would be appropriate to provide financial, technical, institutional and policy support to integrate and mainstream indigenous forest conservation and management practices with formal knowledge system to effectively implement sustainable climate change adaptation and forest management activities in Nepal.