सूचक

• The National REDD+ Strategy (2018-2022) was informed by analytical studies and assessments conducted during the REDD+ readiness phase, notably the Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA). The SESA analysed social and environmental risks associated with REDD+ implementation, including risks to Indigenous Peoples’ traditional knowledge, cultural practices and customary forest governance systems, and highlighted the importance of integrating these elements into REDD+ design.

• In 2015, the REDD Implementation Center carried out a study on Indigenous forest and pasture management practices in Nepal, aiming to identify suitable customary forest and pasture management approaches to be linked with REDD+ programs. The study documented major customary institutions and recommended developing a supportive policy environment to recognize and respect Indigenous and customary management systems and practices.

• The development of the NRS (2018-2022) involved extensive consultations at national, sub-national and local levels with Community Forest User Groups, Indigenous Peoples’ organisations, women’s groups, Dalit organisations, civil society organisations, government agencies and development partners. These consultations provided inputs on customary forest use, traditional knowledge, cultural values and community priorities relevant to REDD+ implementation.

• The NRS (2018-2022) recognises that customary forest-management practices and Indigenous ecological knowledge are central to sustainable forest management. It includes actions to promote integration of traditional and customary knowledge and practices into forest-management planning across forest regimes, particularly in the context of tenure, benefit-sharing and community-based forest management systems.

• The 2024 review of the NRS identified gaps in safeguards implementation, including uneven understanding of traditional knowledge protections, limited documentation of customary practices, and inconsistent application of FPIC and culturally appropriate consultations. The review highlighted the need to strengthen recognition of Indigenous knowledge systems and cultural values in REDD+ implementation. The updated NRS (2025-2034) includes provisions to promote integration of traditional ecological knowledge, respect for culturally significant sites and customary forest-use practices, and inclusion of Indigenous Peoples, women, Dalits, Madhesis and other marginalised groups in participatory REDD+ processes.

• The National Guidelines on Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) for REDD+ establish procedures for culturally appropriate information sharing, consultation and consent-seeking that take into account traditional knowledge, customary practices and cultural values of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. The Guidelines also provide for identification of rights holders and associated traditional knowledge and practices through participatory mapping and consultation processes, and emphasise that engagement must respect community protocols, including the right of Indigenous Peoples and local communities to control how their knowledge is shared and used.

Data Sources:

• For the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) ER Program, the SESA analysed potential impacts of REDD+ interventions on customary forest use, cultural practices and community governance systems, and highlighted the importance of CBFM and traditional ecological knowledge. These considerations were incorporated into the Program and its Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF), which includes provisions for culturally appropriate consultation processes and measures to respect customary forest use, traditional knowledge and culturally significant practices.

•  FCPF ER Program interventions include support for improving management of community and collaborative forests by building on Indigenous and local knowledge systems, traditional silvicultural practices and customary governance arrangements, thereby strengthening existing forest management approaches.

• The LEAF ER Program is based on the interventions set out in the NRS (2018, 2025), including those aimed at integrating traditional knowledge and customary practices into forest management. In addition, FPIC processes have been aligned with Nepal's National Guidelines on FPIC for REDD+ (2024), which require culturally appropriate and participatory approaches and include specific steps to identify and map traditional knowledge and practices, and cultural heritage. 

• Stakeholder and rights holder mapping was conducted through desk review and field-level consultations in 2023-2024, which identified seven CBFM groups and seven customary institutions of Indigenous Peoples actively engaged in forest management in the LEAF Program area. Traditional knowledge documentation and integration into forest management and REDD+ actions was one of the main agenda items in the 36 district-level FPIC consultations and nine focus group discussions conducted during 2023-2025.

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