This paper examines the legal framework of Protected Areas (PAs) in Nepal - that includes several types and categories of PAs such as national parks, wildlife reserves, conservation areas and buffer zones. Laws concerning PAs are examined against the contexts of international agreements, conventions, and accepted standards as well as the national ground realities.

Over the past few years, Nepal has become increasingly involved in international efforts to mitigate climate change through an emerging global mechanism called reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and enhancing forest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD+). This discussion paper examines the interactions among diverse institutions and actors involved in Nepal’s REDD+ readiness process at multiple scales.