Women, Power, and Nepal’s Forests | Apsara Chapagain on Community Forestry, Leadership, and Policy
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Women, Power, and Nepal’s Forests | Apsara Chapagain on Community Forestry, Leadership, and Policy

In this conversation, Apsara Chapagain — Deputy Speaker of the Bagmati Province Assembly and former Chair of the Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal (FECOFUN) — traces her journey from grassroots forest work to provincial leadership. She discusses how community forestry helped double Nepal’s forest cover, why local communities must be first-right holders of forest benefits, and how the movement has become a powerful pathway for women’s leadership, political participation, and inclusive development.