Community Forestry & Mountain Livelihoods

This program examines Nepal’s Community Forest User Group (CFUG) model as a global case of decentralized environmental governance.

Students begin in Kathmandu with seminars on decentralization and participatory governance. In Pokhara, guest lectures examine tourism economies and mountain livelihoods.

Rural CFUG engagement includes participatory forest mapping, inclusion inquiry, and livelihood documentation. The final Kathmandu phase centers on deliverable synthesis and governance roundtables.

Students will:

Apply participatory mapping within forest governance contexts.
Analyze decentralized governance structures in practice.
Examine gender and inclusion dynamics in CFUG systems.
Co-produce governance documentation aligned with partner needs.
Integrate governance theory with field engagement.

Environmental Governance

Public Policy

Sustainability

Sociology

Anthropology

Kathmandu

Pokhara

Rural CFUG Communities

Day	Location	Academic Engagement	Learning Emphasis
1	Kathmandu	Seminar: Community Forestry Governance	Framing
2	Kathmandu	Participatory mapping workshop	Toolkit
3	Kathmandu	Safeguarding & inclusion seminar	Ethics
4	Pokhara	Guest lecture: Tourism & Livelihood Systems	Systems context
5–6	Rural CFUG	Forest mapping & governance observation	Applied governance
7	Rural CFUG	Livelihood & inclusion interviews	Equity
8	Rural CFUG	Service block	Co-production
9	Pokhara	Reflection seminar	Academic integration
10	Kathmandu	Deliverable drafting	Translation
11	Kathmandu	Governance roundtable	Institutional analysis
12	Kathmandu	Partner handover	Reciprocity
13	Kathmandu	Departure	Closure