12 November 2013: The Program on Forests (PROFOR) has released the Nepal Forest Sector Strategy, which highlights the 5.6 percent annual conversion rate of forests in the country and makes recommendations on resource mobilization for forest conservation and forestry.

The Strategy notes the success of community forestry and reaffirms a commitment to community-based approaches. It notes that currently, community forestry accounts for the management of 20 percent of Nepal’s forest area, but that obstacles remain in the Terai forests where pressures on forests are significant.

The Strategy calls for stakeholder participation and multi-sector engagement in land use planning, including through greater protection of national parks and wildlife resources. It also calls for further action to address corruption and forest-based crime as well as a reform of forest administration.

Finally, the Strategy suggests that the Timber Corporation of Nepal be liquidated and replaced with a market-based timber sales system that emphasizes transparency. Such a step can, according to the Strategy, partly address sector outputs that are well below potential. [PROFOR Press Release] [Publication: Nepal Forest Sector Strategy – Policy priorities and recommendations]