Nepal is one of the world’s least developed countries, with many communities depending on the natural environment for food, shelter, and income. In Nepal, over 80% of the population still lives outside densely populated areas and cities, which means that the local population is heavily affected by deforestation.
Today, less than 30% of its original forests remain due to exploitation, forest fires, and agriculture. The effects of this degradation are devastating for local communities and wildlife.
In 2015, our partner in Nepal started their reforestation program to improve local living conditions and restore the forests of Nepal. In collaboration with Chitwan National Park, and with support from local leadership and Nepalese employees, nearly 400,000 seedlings were planted in just the first year. Since then, they have expanded their work in Nepal to locations spread across large geographic landscapes.
The places where we support tree planting are around community-owned forests, from the mountainous Nawalparasi District to the lowland plains of the Terai Region and around the subtropical and tropical rainforests of Chitwan National Park, to develop a growing ecosystem.
