Development projects conceived now are rarely expected to have a life of more than five years, perhaps ten years at most. Looking back over more than twenty years of project experience in community forestry - itself grounded on an integrated development project of a similar time span - is thus a rare opportunity.

This paper outlines options for rural communities to participate in climate change mitigation and adaptation activities in the
forest sector in Nepal. It look at the various institutional barriers that would need to be overcome, as well as the existing institutional opportunities, particularly in relation to tenure