Community Forest Act 2019.

This Act is enacted to enable individuals and communities to benefit from the community forest, maintain and manage the community forest with the state, prevent illegal logging and destroying forest areas, preserve and restore natural resources, environment, and make biodiversity in the forest to be in perfect condition and remain as a natural heritage of the country and of humanity, and to define the essence of the rights of individuals and communities in conservation, rehabilitation, and maintenance as well as balanced utilization of natural resources, environment and biodiversity.
The Community Forest Policy Committee shall be established, which includes (1) Deputy Prime Minister being chairman; (2) Minister of Natural Resources and Environment being vice chairman; etc. The Policy Committee's duties and powers include: (1) Propose opinions to the Cabinet regarding policies for promoting and supporting community forests. (2) Suggest to the Cabinet to specify financial, fiscal or other measures to support the community forest management operations of the community forest management committee. (3) Suggesting the enactment of Royal Decrees and issuing Ministerial Regulations under this Act (4) Specify rules for the implementation of this Act.
Community forests must be established for the following objectives (1) Conservation of natural resources, environment and biodiversity (2) Restoring forest areas in community forest areas by reforestation (3) Strengthening cooperation in all sectors in the management of community forests (4) Promoting diverse cultures and traditions of communities for conservation, rehabilitation and development Supervision And the use of natural resources in community forests (5) Balanced and sustainable use of natural resources in community forests. Management of community forests must be in accordance with the objectives of the community forest and the community forest management plan approved by Provincial Community Forest Board. A community forest management plan approved by the provincial community forest board shall be enforced for five years.
The Act further makes provisions for: establishment, duties and powers of Community Forest Policy Committees at provincial level, application, conditions and approval for the establishment of community forests, offences and penalties, etc.