A two-day dialogue event titled “Youth in Community Forestry: Opportunities and Challenges” was held on 30 November and 1 December in Dolakha, jointly organized by the Division Forest Office Dolakha, the Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies (SIAS), and District FECOFUN Dolakha. The program convened 36 youth participants under the age of 40, representing 35 Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs) across the district. The first day featured an orientation session by community forestry expert Bhola Khatiwada, who provided an overview of community forest practices, legal frameworks, and emerging opportunities. Participants were subsequently divided into four groups to reflect on key guiding questions: reasons youth are attracted to community forestry, factors limiting youth engagement, opportunities available to youth, and challenges they encounter. Each group discussed these themes and presented their initial reflections.
On the second day, participants collaboratively refined their insights and transformed them into well-structured outputs. The session was attended by Hon. Bharat KC, Minister for Forests and Environment of Bagmati Province, and the Deputy Mayor of Bhimeshwor Municipality. The Division Forest Officer of Dolakha also delivered a presentation on the status and structural landscape of forests within the district. Youth representatives presented their consolidated findings, after which the Minister addressed their queries and highlighted ongoing provincial initiatives, including the renewal of operational plans for all community forests in the province and the drafting of new forest policies to simplify resource utilization and promote forest-based enterprises. The event concluded with the endorsement of a 12-point youth declaration, advocating for a minimum of 25% youth representation in Community Forest User Committees, greater emphasis on forest resource utilization, the promotion of forest-based enterprises, and expanded employment opportunities for young people.
