JICA commences five-year project on climate change adaptation through sustainable forest management

Kathmandu / June 15: JICA Nepal and the Ministry of Forest and Environment (MOFE) signed an agreement on the Technical Cooperation Project on Climate Change Adaptation through Sustainable Forest Management in Nepal on Tuesday.

The project consists of two major outputs; i) policy implementations on climate change adaptation through sustainable forest management and ii) demonstration on communities’ forest-based adaptation activities.

The five year project intends to strengthen the institutional capacities of government entities responsible for accelerating climate change adaptation through sustainable forest management at national and local levels. At the federal level, the project aims to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Forest and Environment (MOFE) to roll out the policy and priorities on climate change adaptation.

At the province level, the Ministry of Forest Environment and Soil Conservation (MOFESC) in Gandaki province is expected to enhance its capacity to supervise the actions on climate change through sustainable forest management led by both Division Forest Offices (DFOs) and Soil and Watershed Management Offices (SWMOs) in close coordination with the local government.

Although JICA has been supporting the forestry sector of Nepal since the 1990s through forestry extension programs, community development and forest watershed management conservation programs, participatory watershed management and local governance programs, to name a major few, this is the first project to be directly implemented under climate change adaptation practices.

The Record of Discussion (R/D) was signed between Dr Pem Narayan Kandel, Secretary, Ministry of Forest and Environment and OKUBO Akimitsu, Chief Representative, JICA Nepal in their respective offices.