Nepal National REDD+ Strategy

The purpose of this National REDD+ Strategy is to guide the development of a set of policies and programs that address the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation, which ultimately improve the carbon sink capacity of Nepal’s forests. The Strategy was developed to align with the principles of the sustainable development objectives of Nepal, particularly with the Forest Policy 2015, Forestry Sector Strategy 2016 and Nationally Determined Contribution 2016. The document includes discussion and analysis of land use change, forest cover change, drivers of deforestation and forest degradation, and efforts in Nepal to address deforestation, forest degradation and forest land use. It also examines issues on policies, governance, institutions and tenure are discussed. The assessment of policies and laws in the context of REDD+ is provided and gaps and contradictions are identified. The current scenario and issues on resource rights, governance, forest financing, carbon rights and benefit sharing, gender equity and social inclusion are discussed. The REDD+ implementation arrangements are likewise discussed, including the scope, scale, approaches, phases of REDD+ implementation and institutional arrangements required for REDD+ implementation. It also presents the benefit sharing, policy, legal and fund management arrangements needed for REDD+ implementation. The financial requirements to implement the National REDD+ Strategy is also discussed. Finally, the next steps for the strategy is presented.