Operational plan non-renewal: A second-generation governance challenge in nepal’s community forestry

Community-based forest management (CBFM) is an effective approach for forest conservation and rural development, with Nepal’s community forestry program often cited as a successful global model. Yet an increasing number of Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs) are failing to renew their legally required Operational Plans (OPs), raising concerns about the long-term sustainability of decentralized forest governance. Despite the importance of OP, its non-renewal remains poorly understood, particularly from the perspectives of local stakeholders directly responsible for implementation. This study examines the governance challenges underlying OP non-renewal among CFUGs in the Dhading District of Nepal. Using Q methodology, the study captures and analyzes subjective viewpoints of 31 CFUG executive members and users whose OPs had expired and had not been renewed. Factor analysis identified three distinct but overlapping perspectives that frame OP non-renewal as a consequence of (i) social and organizational dynamics driven by out migration and declining participation, (ii) technical and administrative complexity predominantly voiced by women, and (iii) financial viability and incentives arising from low income and high transaction costs.OP non-renewal thus emerges from the interaction of changing social conditions, demanding procedural requirements, uneven institutional support, limited economic returns, and a political economy in which bureaucratic and intermediary interests benefit from complexity. These dynamics exemplify broader “second-generation” governance issues where functions become difficult despite formal decentralization. By foregrounding stakeholder perspectives, the study highlights the need for adaptive, differentiated OP renewal mechanisms that better align procedural requirements with local capacities, gendered realities, and administrative support.