Kathmandu, September 16 :

The first meeting of the government-formed Terai Forest Management Task Force concluded here yesterday with decisions to form an inclusive committee to formulate working rules for the task force and call a meeting of donors to manage its expenditure.

With the objectives of ensuring sustainable use of forest resources and protecting rights

and interests of stakeholders, including local communities in the Terai forests, a 17-member task force had been formed under the leadership of Jamuna Krishna Tamrakar, the joint secretary at the Ministry of Forest, two weeks ago.

The task force comprises stakeholders of forests, including the Forest Ministry, the Department of Forests, forest technical officials, forest users’ associations, federations, civil society, and donors as members.

The meeting had kicked off here some two weeks ago.