Paragraph: 20Since the 1980's, decentralized forest management has been promoted as a way to enhance sustainable forest use and reduce rural poverty. Rural communities manage increasing amounts of the world's forests, yet rigorous evidence using large-N data on whether community-based forest management (CFM) can jointly reduce both deforestation and poverty remains scarce. We estimate impacts of CFM using a large 25 longitudinal dataset that integrates national-census-based poverty measures with highresolution forest cover change data, and near-complete information on Nepal's > 18,000 community forests. We compare changes in forest cover and poverty from 2000-2012 for sub-districts with presence or absence of CFM arrangements, but that are otherwise similar in terms of socioeconomic and biophysical baseline measures. Our 30 results indicate that CFM has, on average, contributed to significant net reductions in both poverty and deforestation across Nepal, and that CFM increases the likelihood of win-win outcomes. We also find that the estimated reduced deforestation impacts of community forests are lower where baseline poverty levels are high, and greater where community forests are larger and have existed longer. These results indicate that greater 35 benefits may result from longer-term investments and larger areas committed to community forest management, but that community forests established in poorer areas may require additional support to minimize tradeoffs between socioeconomic and environmental outcomes. Main text: 40Forests are critical to sustainable development 1,2 . They regulate climate, sequester carbon, harbour biodiversity, and contribute to national incomes and local livelihoods 3 .Over the past four decades, governments and international organizations have promoted decentralized community-based forest management (CFM) to achieve sustainable forest use and reduce rural poverty 4 . In decentralized decision-making arrangements, 45 the primary responsibility for day-to-day management rests with forest-user communities. Ideally, this allows communities to make better use of their time and place-specific knowledge to promote more efficient, equitable, and sustainable multifunctional landscapes 5 .Local communities now legally manage approximately 13% of the world's 50 forests 6 . Debates about whether CFM truly reduces forest loss and alleviates poverty, nonetheless, continue 7,8 . Case studies from Latin America, Africa, and South Asia show that some CFM initiatives have improved forest and livelihood outcomes 9,10 , but that others have not achieved intended objectives 4,11 . The vast majority of existing studies have focused on limited sets of cases, and have used qualitative assessments of poverty 55 and livelihood outcomes that are difficult to compare across space and over time 7 .These studies have helped to identify how land tenure, local autonomy, and collective action may contribute to effective and equitable CFM, but have not tested whether CFM programs lead to net environmental and socioe...

ABSTRACT. This research follows the manner in which State-driven, upwardly accountable, forest decentralization programs play out on the ground, and evaluates their impact on forests and local institutions, a topic of much current concern and debate. In a landscape in Nepal's Terai plains, we conducted a census of 23 co-managed community and buffer-zone forest user groups-two predominant approaches to involving communities in forest-management activities in Nepal's Terai plains-to draw statistically relevant conclusions about the relative impact of these two programs at a landscape scale. We use a multidate Landsat TM® image classification to develop a land-cover change classification, and use this to generate objective, quantitative, biophysical indicators that enable us to assess the extent of clearing and regeneration in the forest areas controlled and managed by each of these communities. In-depth field interviews with the communities provide us with information about the impact of these initiatives on local institutions. Finally, we link these two kinds of information sets to interpret the satellite information on forest-cover change with reference to the socioeconomic processes and management rules that influence forest-cover change in these regions. Satellite image analysis shows the regeneration of several patches of forest that are managed within the purview of the Royal Chitwan National Park's buffer-zone program. This can be related to high levels of investment in plantation and forest-management activities by external agencies. The substantial revenue that these communities derive from ecotourism also helps, allowing them to hire forest guards, and afford better monitoring capabilities. In contrast, the less wealthy, communityforestry user groups have to make do with volunteer patrols, and do not have the same level of external technical and financial support to invest in plantation activities. Buffer-zone users, however, have to deal with rather strict controls on export of forest products, which were put in place by park authorities, and which the users do not have the power to modify. Downward accountability is limited, and communities do not have a high degree of effective control over forest-management policies. Thus, local communities currently function under a situation of constraint, where they have been delegated responsibilities, but lack the devolution of property rights and decision-making power. This has significant and potentially negative implications for the future of the program.

The effectiveness of parks as management regimes is hotly contested. Much of the current discussion centered around comparisons of management regimes can be traced to a dearth of cross-site quantitative evaluations. Remote sensing provides a particularly effective tool for this purpose, yet analysis of remotely sensed data requires fieldwork to interpret human activities and the socioeconomic and political contexts that relate to land cover change. This paper examines the effect of establishment of the Celaque National Park, Honduras, and the Royal Chitwan National Park buffer zone, Nepal, on limiting deforestation. In Celaque, the park itself has been largely successful in maintaining forest cover. However, recent changes in land use patterns have led to increasing pressure on the park boundaries, exacerbated by the lack of involvement of local residents. In the Royal Chitwan National Park, in contrast, participatory approaches towards co-management have been implemented over the past decade in the park buffer zone. With significant incomes derived from ecotourism, complete protection of the buffer zone forest has been adopted, leading to significant regrowth of tree cover. However, local decision-making power is limited, and buffer zone management has largely proven successful due to the investment and support provided by international donor agencies. These two case studies demonstrate the utility of remote sensing and Geographical Information Systems analysis in providing a spatiotemporal perspective for assessing management policies. They also demonstrate the importance of fieldwork to provide a nuanced understanding of the socioeconomic and institutional conditions affecting the outcomes of forest management regimes.

Understanding the relationships and tradeoffs among management outcomes in forest commons has assumed new weight in the context of parallels between the objectives of community forest management and those of reduced emissions for deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) programs to reduce carbon emissions while supporting local livelihoods. We examine the association between biophysical, demographic, institutional and socio-economic variables and three distinct forest management outcomes of interest to both community forestry and REDD+ advocates-carbon storage, biodiversity conservation, and livelihood benefits-in 56 forest commons in Nepal. REDD+ programs aim foremost to increase forest carbon storage and sequestration, but also seek to improve forest biodiversity, and to contribute to local livelihood benefits. The success of REDD+ programs can therefore be defined by improvements in one or more of these dimensions, while satisfying the principle of 'do no harm' in the others. We find that each outcome is associated with a different set of independent variables. This suggests that there is a need for policy-makers to clearly define their desired outcomes and to target their interventions accordingly. Our research points to the complex ways in which different factors relate to forest outcomes and has implications for the large number of cases where REDD+ projects are being implemented in the context of community forestry.

SUMMARYArmed conflicts pose a serious and potentially long-term threat to institutions, societies and environments across the world. This study focuses on the small mountainous country of Nepal, which has experienced high levels of armed conflict for many years. This paper analyses the relationship between local forest institutions, institutional embeddedness and forest condition under conditions of active armed conflict. Seven community forest user groups with similar forest governance structure were examined, located in similar biophysical and ecological zones, but experiencing different degrees of conflict. Those forest user groups facing severe armed conflict showed a decline in institutional arrangements but improvements in characteristics of institutional embeddedness, such as trust and reciprocity, whereas the forest user groups in low conflict environments had more stable institutional arrangements and stable embeddedness characteristics. Both types of locations showed an increase in forest density. These results emphasize the capacity of local institutions to organize and cooperate even in extremely vulnerable situations, building trust and reciprocity for sustainable forest use and management.

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Invasive Alien Species cause tremendous ecological and economic damage in agriculture, forestry, aquatic ecosystems, and pastoral resources. They are one of the major threats to biodiversity conservation. Understanding the spatial pattern of invasive species and disentangling the biophysical drivers of invasion at forest stand level is essential for managing invasive species in forest ecosystems and the wider landscape. However, forest-level and species-specific information on invasive species abundance and area of extent is largely lacking. In this context, we analysed the cover of one of the world's worst invasive plant species Chromolaena odorata in Sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn.) forest in central Nepal. Vegetation was sampled in four community-managed forests using 0.01 ha square quadrats, covering forest edge to the interior. Chromolaena cover, floral richness, tree density, forest canopy cover, shrub cover, and tree basal area were measured in each plot. We also estimated the level of disturbance in plots, and calculated distance from the plot to the nearest road. We also explored forest and invasive species management practices in community forests.Chromolaena cover was found to be negatively correlated with forest canopy cover, distance to the nearest road, angle of slope and shrub cover. Canopy cover had the greatest effect on the Chromolaena cover. Chromolaena cover did not show any pattern along native species richness gradients. In conclusion, forest canopy cover is the overriding biotic covariate affecting Chromolaena cover in Sal forests. The practical application of our results in managing Chromolaena in forest ecosystems is discussed.

Invasive alien species are a major threat to global biodiversity due to the tremendous ecological and economic damage they cause in forestry, agriculture, wetlands, and pastoral resources. Understanding the spatial pattern of invasive alien species and disentangling the biophysical drivers of invasion at the forest stand level is essential for managing forest ecosystems and the wider landscape. However, forest-level and species-specific information on Invasive Alien Plant Species (IAPS) abundance and their spatial extent are largely lacking. In this context, we analysed the cover of one of the world’s worst invasive plants, Chromolaena odorata, in Sal (Shorea robusta) forest in central Nepal. Vegetation was sampled in four community forests using 0.01 ha square quadrats, covering the forest edge to the interior. C. odorata cover, floral richness, tree density, forest canopy cover, shrub cover, tree basal area, and disturbances were measured in each plot. We also explored forest and IAPS management practices in community forests. C. odorata cover was negatively correlated with forest canopy cover, distance to the road, angle of slope, and shrub cover. Tree canopy cover had the largest effect on C. odorata cover. No pattern of C. odorata cover was seen along native species richness gradients. In conclusion, forest canopy cover is the overriding biotic covariate suppressing C. odorata cover in Sal forests.