Forests Thrive Thanks to Local Communities

Ever since the early 1980s, local communities across Nepal have taken over their country’s forest management, and their dedication has paid off since forests now cover nearly half of the land.

“When the forests were common property, people abused them,” explains Jefferson Fox, a senior fellow at the East-West Center in Honolulu. “Now, you’ve got the community saying, ‘No, you don’t go there!’ So, the trees are coming back.”

Millions of volunteers have been recruited and successfully protected and renewed their local forests over the years. Indeed, the forest cover grew 22% since 1988, doubling between 1992 and 2016, now reaching 45% of the land. Villagers took part in the replantation effort, then went on to protect the saplings and prevent locals from cutting down grass. Their new challenge is to guard their forests in order to sustain this fragile recovery. More luscious and healthier forests contributed to the revival of endangered species such as the tiger, the one-horned rhinoceros, and the gharial.