Mid-term Evaluation of Community-based Forestry in Nepal Himalaya Project (ComForM) Phase III

Implemented by: Institute of Forestry Pokhara and Department of Forest Research and Survey in collaboration with University of Copenhagen Denmark, with associate partners Forest Action Nepal

Project Duration: June-August 2012

Brief description: The third phase of ComForM built on the long-term studies and research and educational capacity building that were initiated in the previous two phases of the project, and included a reorientation of project outcomes towards nurturing research culture and enhancing research capacity at IOF and partners. Previous phases were concerned primarily with educational capacity building. However, this reorientation appears to have been insufficiently appreciated by actors within the IOF Pokhara and Hetauda, raising expectations around educational capacity that comprises the project’s legacy from previous phases. This perception emerged especially from the attitude to see the third phase as a continuation of the previous phases, but for management and donor accountability purposes, the third phase comprises distinctive objectives and outputs that are primarily focused on research capacity at IOF and partner organizations.
The overall development objective of the ComForM III project has been stated as follows: Improved livelihoods through sustainable and equitable management of forest resources in Nepal