JICA Nepal and Ministry of Forest and Environment (MOFE) concluded an agreement on the Technical Cooperation Project on Climate Change Adaptation through Sustainable Forest Management in Nepal on 14 June 2022. The Record of Discussion (R/D) was signed between Dr. Pem Narayan Kandel, Secretary, Ministry of Forest and Environment and OKUBO Akimitsu, Chief Representative ,JICA Nepal in their respective offices.

The five years Project intends to strengthen institutional capacities of government entities responsible for accelerating climate change adaptation through sustainable forest management at national and local levels. At the federal level, the project aims to strengthen capacity of Ministry of Forest and Environment (MOFE) to roll out the policy and priorities on climate change adaptation. At the province level Ministry of Forest Environment and Soil Conservation (MOFESC) in Gandaki province is expected to enhance its capacity to supervise the actions on climate change through sustainable forest management led by both Division Forest Office (DFOs) and Soil and Watershed Management Office (SWMOs) in close coordination with the local government.

The project consists of two major outputs; i)policy implementations on climate change adaptation through sustainable forest management and ii) demonstration on community’s forest based adaptation activities.

Although JICA has been supporting in forestry sector of Nepal since 1990s through forestry extension program, community development and forest & watershed management conservation programs, participatory watershed management and local governance programs as such to name a major few, this is the first project to be directly implemented under climate change adaptation practices.