सूचक

• Community‑Based Forest Management (CBFM) is the central national framework through which rights to participation in forest management are recognised and implemented in Nepal. CBFM includes a range of legally recognised forest management regimes, such as Community Forests, Collaborative Forest Management and Leasehold Forests, under which local communities are organised into forest user groups with defined rights and responsibilities for forest management, use and benefit sharing. These systems cover a large proportion of Nepal’s forest areas and form the primary institutional mechanism through which forest‑dependent communities participate in forest governance.

• Within this framework, Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs) and other CBFM institutions provide structured, participatory platforms through which Indigenous Peoples, local communities, women, Dalits and other marginalised groups can engage in decision‑making, forest management activities and benefit‑sharing processes.

• The National REDD+ Strategy (2018-2022) and the updated Strategy (2025-2034) recognise CBFM institutions as the core mechanism for ensuring participation of rightsholders in REDD+ implementation. Both strategies emphasise the use of existing community‑based forest governance systems to support inclusive participation of Indigenous Peoples, local communities, women, Dalits and other forest‑dependent groups in REDD+ planning, implementation and benefit sharing.

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• Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) is a key instrument in Nepal, including in the forest sector, for recognizing and respecting rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. In addition to provisions for FPIC set out in a number of policies and laws (including the Constitution (2015) and Forest Policy (2019)), National Guidelines on FPIC for REDD+ were developed in 2024 through a participatory process. The Guidelines establishes FPIC as a collaborative process that must be jointly designed and implemented with Indigenous Peoples and local communities, including through identification of rights‑holders and customary decision‑making institutions; agreement on culturally appropriate consultation methods and formats; and definition of locally appropriate means of expressing consent.

• The National REDD+ Strategy (2018-2022) promotes the rights of Indigenous Peoples, local communities, women, Dalits and Madhesis to participate in REDD+ through its guiding principles and objectives. It emphasises inclusive and participatory approaches to REDD+ planning and implementation and recognises participation of rights‑holders as essential for safeguards implementation, forest governance and equitable benefit‑sharing. The Strategy links participation to existing CBFM systems, which provide the primary mechanism for engagement of local communities in REDD+ processes, and promotes the application of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and participatory decision‑making approaches.

• The 2024 review of the NRS identified gaps in implementation of participatory approaches, including limited awareness of safeguards, uneven participation of women, Indigenous Peoples and marginalised groups, and inconsistent understanding of FPIC and grievance procedures among rights‑holders and implementing institutions.

• The updated National REDD+ Strategy (2025-2034) strengthens provisions on participation by reaffirming the role of CBFM institutions as the primary platform for engagement of rights‑holders and by emphasising inclusive participation across all stages of REDD+ implementation, including planning, decision‑making, monitoring and benefit sharing. It places particular emphasis on improving participation of Indigenous Peoples, women, Dalits, Madhesis and other marginalised groups, strengthening FPIC implementation, and building institutional capacity to support participatory processes at federal, provincial and local levels.

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• For the Green Climate Fund-supported Building a Resilient Churia Region in Nepal (BRCRN) Project, participatory procedures are implemented through stakeholder engagement, Indigenous Peoples planning instruments and social inclusion frameworks developed as part of project safeguards. These processes involve local communities, Indigenous Peoples organisations and local governments in project planning and implementation. 

• For the LEAF ER Program, which is based on the NRS (2018, 2025), procedures to promote and respect participation rights are implemented in alignment with Nepal’s national REDD+ safeguards framework, as described in the TREES Registration Document. These include implementation through CBFM regimes and institutions, stakeholder engagement and consultations, and an FPIC processes in line with the National Guidelines on FPIC for REDD+. The Benefit‑Sharing Plan for the ER Program is also under development through a consultative process with rightsholders and stakeholders. 

• For the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) ER Program, procedures to promote and respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples, local communities, women and Dalits to participate are described in the ER Program Document (ER‑PD) and associated safeguard instruments. The ER‑PD sets out participatory approaches for program design and implementation, including consultations with rightsholders and stakeholders and engagement of CBFM groups as primary participants in REDD+ activities.  The FCPF ER Program Benefit‑Sharing Plan (BSP) was also developed through stakeholder consultations and reflects participation of rightsholders in defining beneficiary categories and benefit allocation principles. 

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This indicator is linked to Indicator C3.2, which addresses traditional knowledge and practices.

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