Public land management has the potential to promote the right to resources of
the landless and the land poor in Nepal. Experiences from three Terai districts in Western
Nepal demonstrate that effective management of underutilized public land provides an
important asset for communities not only to generate forest resources and supplement
forest products but, more importantly, also to reduce vulnerability and generate livelihood
opportunities for the landless and the land poor. It is argued that the lack of appropriate
legislation covering the tenure rights discourages the poor from large-scale investment
and restoration of public land. Furthermore, when it starts to generate income, powerful
sections of communities might claim access to benefits derived from the land and if
subsequent use rights legislation is unable to adequately embrace what has occurred
during the initial period of protection and management conflicts may result. Examples are
provided of pro-poor livelihood outcomes through public land management, which call for
collective efforts for national and local legislation and policy instruments to protect the
use rights of the poor groups engaged in public land management.