The community forests (CF) in Nepal, facilitated by Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs), is widely recognized as an effective model of community-based forest management. Despite this recognition, there is a notable lack of comprehensive studies assessing the performance of CFUGs in sustaining community forests. Addressing this gap, this study examined twenty-two indicators across five performance criteria, such as user group management, forest management, financial management, livelihood management, and collaboration and networking management, within four CFUGs in central Nepal. Data were collected through household surveys (n = 275) and focus group discussions (n = 4), and indicators of performance criteria were assessed using a Likert scale. Reliability was measured using the coefficient of Cronbach’s alpha. ANOVA was employed to compare mean performance criteria across the four CFUGs, providing an evaluative perspective on overall CFUG performance. The findings underscored collaboration and networking management as high performers, showing an index value of 0.71, while user group management exhibited moderate performance with an index value of 0.56, alongside other moderately performing criteria. Noteworthy disparities were evident across the four performance criteria (p < 0.01), with the exception of collaboration and network management. Approximately 55% of the indicators were rated low to moderate, revealing CFUGs’ deficiencies in regular functions, limited uptake of adaptive and market-oriented management practices, minimal contributions to biodiversity conservation, insufficient capacity for forest revenue generation and mobilization, and restricted income generation and benefit-sharing with communities. The absence of timely and pertinent actions further stifled interaction between CFUGs and community forests, undermining the potential for revenue generation, job creation, and collective actions essential for productive community forest management. Prioritization of the indicators based on the performance index value offers critical policy direction to ensure CFUG sustainability and augment participatory management of common pool resources. Strategies to address identified weaknesses and build on strengths are essential for the success of Nepal’s community forests.

Various factors, including topography, climate, soil attributes, and vegetation composition, influence above-ground biomass productivity in forest ecosystems. Despite the success of community forestry in restoring degraded hill forests in Nepal, existing research offers limited insights into how topographic factors and plant species affect soil chemical properties and, in turn, influence above-ground biomass. This study investigates the interrelations between altitude, aspect, soil depth, and vegetation type on soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (P), available potassium (K), and soil pH. These soil metrics are further correlated with forestry indices, such as diameter at breast height (DBH), tree height (Ht), above-ground tree biomass (AGTB), basal area (BA), and above-ground total carbon (AGTC), in the mid-hill region of central Nepal. Our findings indicate that aspect had a significant influence on SOC (p < 0.001), TN (p < 0.001), P (p < 0.05), and pH (p < 0.001) levels. Soils in the northwest (NW) aspect exhibited higher levels of SOC and TN but lower levels of P and pH than those in the southeast (SE) aspect. Altitude did not significantly affect soil properties. Variations in SOC, TN, K, and pH were observed across different soil depths. Key forestry metrics like DBH, Ht, AGTB, and AGTC were notably higher at elevated altitudes and under the NW aspect. We also found that vegetation composition adds a layer of complexity to the relationship between aspect, soil properties, and above-ground biomass. The higher altitudes in the SE aspect are more conducive to above-ground biomass productivity, while the NW aspect is favorable for higher levels of SOC and TN in the soil. These variations could be due to differences in carbon deposition rates, plant compositions, soil microbial activities, and microclimatic conditions between the aspects. These findings highlight the need for holistic forest management approaches that consider topographic factors, soil depth, and plant species, offering practical implications for the region’s sustainable forest management and restoration efforts.

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) consist of goods of biological origin other than wood, derived from forests, other wooded land and trees outside forests. The importance of NTFPs for sustaining rural livelihoods, fostering rural poverty alleviation, enhancing biodiversity conservation, and facilitating rural economic growth is well known in Nepal. In spite of these facts, NTFPs have not received the sustained and systematic support. With the gradual rise in population, unsustainable harvesting and depletion of resources, sustainable management of NTFPs has become a challenge. Similarly, the increasing global demand of NTFPs leads to over-exploitation of these resources that further leads to dwindling and adversely affecting the biodiversity. In this context, this paper intends to explore and analyze the conservation status, prospects and challenges for efficient and sustainable management of NTFPs in the context of Nepal.