Understanding the Policy Contexts for Mainstreaming Climate Change in Bhutan and Nepal: A Synthesis

The report analyzes the policy landscapes of Bhutan and Nepal to identify opportunities and obstacles for mainstreaming climate change adaptation. It highlights the success of community forestry in both nations as a tool for protecting livelihoods and ecosystems, while noting significant failures in Nepal's integrated water resource management due to bureaucratic and political instability. The synthesis emphasizes that both countries struggle with sectoral fragmentation, funding gaps, and a lack of technical climate data, recommending a shift toward more integrated, consistent, and community-empowered governance frameworks.

• Community forestry has been a successful mechanism in both Nepal and Bhutan for curbing deforestation, improving watershed management, and protecting the livelihoods of vulnerable rural populations.
• Nepal's efforts to implement Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) through the Water Resources Strategy (2002) and National Water Plan (2005) have largely failed in practice due to resource constraints, bureaucratic culture, and political instability, including the 2010 splitting of the Water Resources Ministry into two.
• Nepal's National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA), submitted in 2010, prioritizes local-level decision-making with a target that 80% of adaptation funds be spent at the grassroots level through Local Adaptation Plans of Action (LAPAs).
• Bhutan's National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) has produced few tangible results since its inception because of a limited understanding of climate impacts.
• Both countries face significant implementation barriers including sectoral fragmentation, contradictory laws, and a lack of technical data and public awareness regarding climate change.

APA

Davis, M., & Li, L. (2013). Understanding the Policy Contexts for Mainstreaming Climate Change in Bhutan and Nepal: A Synthesis. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/akp-understanding-policy-contexts-bhutan-nepal-synthesis.pdf

Chicago

Davis, Marion, and Lailai Li. Understanding the Policy Contexts for Mainstreaming Climate Change in Bhutan and Nepal: A Synthesis. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2013. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/akp-understanding-policy-contexts-bhutan-nepal-synthesis.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Davis |first1=Marion |last2=Li |first2=Lailai |title=Understanding the Policy Contexts for Mainstreaming Climate Change in Bhutan and Nepal: A Synthesis |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2013 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/akp-understanding-policy-contexts-bhutan-nepal-synthesis.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{davis2013understanding, author = {Davis, Marion and Li, Lailai}, title = {{Understanding the Policy Contexts for Mainstreaming Climate Change in Bhutan and Nepal: A Synthesis}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2013}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/akp-understanding-policy-contexts-bhutan-nepal-synthesis.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }