Prospects and challenges of tenure and forest governance reform in the context of REDD + initiatives in Nepal

• This paper examines the REDD+ implementation in Nepal – where several REDD+ readiness initiatives and piloting are being implemented.
• The paper reveals how key drivers of deforestation – contested forest tenure and weak governance, are underplayed in the readiness stage risking the future of successful REDD+ implementation.
• The authors are a mix of practitioner and academic researchers.
• The paper brings the most updated information and analysis of Nepal’s REDD+ readiness and informs policy makers in countries with similar process.

This paper argues that the Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD +) initiatives in Nepal have not adequately understood and considered institutional and political issues around forest tenure and governance challenges. The paper is developed based on reviews of polices, assessments of project activities, interviews with key informants, and observation of ongoing REDD + related public discussions. We found that the REDD + initiatives so far appear to have prioritized technical issues such as carbon assessment, reference scenario, and measurement, reporting and verification of emissions. However, a major policy challenge in Nepal is the substantial deforestation and degradation going on, which leads to substantial challenges of leakage and threatens Nepal's National REDD + policy ambition. The key drivers of deforestation and degradation in Nepal are still poorly identified, analyzed and understood. Inadequate focus of Nepal's present REDD + readiness on the core issues of contested forest tenure and frail governance entails that an unrealistic policy and institutional measures would be developed in addressing these issues of deforestation and degradation. Consequently, it would seriously undermine the prospect of achieving emission reduction — the very goal of REDD +. It is suggested that a robust analysis, collective understanding and broadly agreed policy measures for curbing deforestation must be at the core of REDD + readiness process.