The World Bank defines natural resources as “materials that occur in nature and are essential or useful to humans such as air, water, land, forests, fish and wildlife, topsoil and minerals”. More often they are found in finite quantities and their values increase as supplies decrease and a nation’s access to them contributes to its wealth and status in a global economic system. Hence, effective governance is a crucial factor that determines social equity, optimization and sustainable use and conservations of natural resources. Experts state that natural resource governance refers to norms, institutions and processes that determine exercise of power and responsibilities over natural resources, decision making, and participation of citizens, including women, men, youth, Indigenous Peoples and local communities and the benefits they receive from the management of natural resources. And conflicts arise when these integral components are not in harmony with each other.

Nepal is one such country that richly inhabits natural resources, unique ecological systems, diverse biodiversity, topography and climatic conditions upon which, millions of Nepalis are depended for their livelihoods, socio-cultural systems like rituals and rites, etc. This dependency immensely stresses the importance of sustainable use and conservation of natural resources for benefit of both people, nature and development of the nation as a whole.