The Chure conservation issue is long standing. Recently Nepal government declared the Chure environmental conservation area and constituted the President Chure Terai Madhesh Development committee. The on-going debate for and against of the government decision has created more confusion among the concern right holders and stake holders. In this context, GFN organized a multi stakeholder dialogue on Sustainable Conservation of Chure and Prosperity: Role of the Right Holders and Stake Holders with the key objective to help the right holders and stake holders to build the common understanding to conserve the Chure sustainably and improve the livelihood of forest and Chure dependent peoples.

The participants of the programme dubbed their views saying government alone cannot conserve chure. For the sustainable conservation, communities depending on Chure should be involved. The programme had huge participation of stakeholders including government sector and private sector. The members of constitutional assembly sated the decision of declaring Chure conservation area was governments own decision. They blamed stakeholders from government did not try to consult with any of the right holders and communities members. To return the decision back, constitution assembly members will collaborate with communities and organization working for community rights. In the programme, members from Green Foundation Nepal, Community Self Reliance Centre, Federation of forest user group, Nepal presented the paper in Sustainable conservation of Chure. Mr. Krishna Prasad Acharya from Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation said government is taking this issue seriously and told to be ensured that community forestry rights of communities will not be banned.

The programme was run by Mr. Sushil Mainali of Nepal Forum for Environmental Journalists and chaired by Ms. Rama Ale Magar of HIMAWANTI Nepal.