07/12/2025
The Powerful, Often Overlooked Role of CFUGs in Nepal ЁЯМ┐
Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs) have quietly been one of the most resilient governance structures in NepalтАФlong before disaster strikes, and long after global attention moves on.
When Nepal faced civil conflict and government institutions stalled, CFUGs stepped in. They made decisions on resource allocation, supported the poor and excluded, and ensured essential services didnтАЩt disappear.
After the 2015 earthquakes, their deep community networks allowed them to mobilize volunteers, distribute relief, and provide materials for reconstruction faster than many formal systems.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, CFUGs again showed up: contributing cash to local relief funds, offering their buildings as quarantine space, and acting as first responders in rural communities.
And their impact doesnтАЩt stop at emergencies.
Experience in community forestry has translated into civic leadership. In the 2017 elections:
ЁЯМ┐ 1,967 CFUG members were elected
ЁЯМ┐ 16 became mayors
ЁЯМ┐ 15 became rural municipality chairs
ЁЯМ┐ And of the 14,000 women elected nationwide, 632 came from CFUGs
This is community leadership in action.
This is why community forestry matters.
And this is why we support it.
ЁЯУ╕: Workshop participants learning about the many factors involved in community forest governance
