active· Climate· WASH

F.a: Ecosystem and Community Forestry Management through Rural and Indigenous Women’s Leadership

Implementing organisation WATCH aims to promote a holistic approach to ecosystem management that takes into account family-level development, agricultural production concurrently with other benefits such as soil and water quality, biological conservation, and increased resilience of rural communities. The project aims to develop ecosystem management plans for community forest user groups. Community forest groups have become less aware of their rights and many groups are almost defunct and under the guidance of a few community representatives. The project is being implemented on a pilot basis among women's groups and community forest groups in Kathmandu and Rupandeh districts. The beneficiaries of the project are 10 community forest user groups (comprising ap proximately 25000 family members as indirect beneficiaries) and 25 women groups (totaling approximately 1000 women). There are an estimated 2,000 direct beneficiaries, 70-80% of whom are women. The project aims at recognizing biocultural rights of indigeno us people in resource management and mitigation and adaptation of disasters induced by climate change and unplanned development. The project aims at the following outputs: 20 group level ecosystem management plans and two regional level plans based on grou p plans; 10 Community Forest Management Plans; Coordination and cooperation with local governments for plans implementation; and Increased awareness of communities about biocultural rights, ecosystems and community forestry. Project is implemented by Wome n Acting Together for Change (WATCH), http://www.watch.org.np.