Robert Fisher on Community Forestry in Nepal: What Worked, What Didn't

In this episode, Lasata and Robert discuss Nepal's globally praised community forestry model. Unpacking its evolution from early experiments with user groups to the 1991 political revolution and 1993 legislation, they discuss how local communities learn to govern forests and explore transferability as global interests in the model rise. They also investigate tensions around inclusion, power, and decision-making, and consider what makes community forestry both promising and problematic—then and now. 

Dr. Robert Fisher is an anthropologist and human geographer with decades of experience in the social dimensions of natural resource management. His long association with community forestry began in Nepal, where he worked with the Nepal–Australia Forestry Project in the late 1980s. Since then, he has worked in various capacities across Asia, Africa, and the Pacific, with a focus on issues such as land tenure, conservation, and local livelihoods. He is currently a Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney and a Senior Research Fellow at the University of the Sunshine Coast. 

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