Community forest users welcome abolition of scientific forest management program

The Federation of Community Forest Users Nepal (FECOFUN) has supported the government’s decision to open the use and sale of forest products by scrapping the so-called scientific forest management program.

FNCCI President Bharti Pathak thanked Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Forest Minister Prem Ale for canceling the program which was forcibly implemented in the forest area challenging the principle of sustainable management of forests.

In a statement, Pathak said, “By implementing a sustainable forest management program, the rights of the community forest users should be fully mobilized. Thank you to the government for listening to the call to stop interfering in the autonomy of local consumers.”

According to Pathak, the federation is determined to increase production from the forest and create employment for the locals. The government had recently repealed the Scientific Forest Management Procedure 2071.

The Accounts Committee of the Parliament and others had suggested dismissal of billions of forest products in the name of the program saying that the forest products were exported through the contractor and that the rights of the consumers were violated.