Imagine spending a night in the middle of the jungle, staying in a tree house surrounded by the sounds of birds and insects, with fireflies illuminating the darkness, cool fresh air brushing past, leaves rustling in the wind, and wild animals moving around as if they were familiar companions. It is an experience unlike any other.

This is exactly what visitors can experience in the buffer zone community forests surrounding Chitwan National Park.

According to Meghnath Poudel, chairperson of Milijuli Buffer Zone Community Forest in Ratnanagar Municipality, Chitwan, the community forest earned more than Rs 600,000 in revenue from its night-stay tower, popularly known as the Tree House, in the last fiscal year alone. The four-story tower features an open space on the ground floor, rooms for guards and nature guides on the first floor, and two guest rooms each on the third and fourth floors, all equipped with attached washrooms. In total, the tower can accommodate 12 guests.

The Tree House overlooks a pond frequently visited by wildlife. Visitors often witness one-horned rhinoceroses, tigers, deers, wild boars, crocodiles, and a variety of bird species as they come to drink water, bathe, or simply rest near the water body.

Poudel says that although the primary income source of the community forest remains the sale of firewood, tourism-related services such as the Tree House and Jeep Safari are becoming increasingly important revenue streams. 

A similar initiative has recently been completed by Chaturmukhi Community Forest in Kalika Municipality, Chitwan, where another night-stay tower is expected to begin operations soon. Chairperson Hari Gurung says the decision was driven by growing demand from both domestic and foreign tourists.

“As we saw increasing interest from local and international visitors in staying at Tree Houses, and observed that similar facilities elsewhere were consistently occupied, we decided to build one in our own community forest,” says Gurung. “Selling wood alone is the traditional concept of community forestry, but now we need to focus on long-term alternative income sources such as tourism.”

Gurung says Jeep Safari services have also become a promising source of income, generating more than Rs 600,000 in just the past six months. “We have now received permission to operate evening Jeep Safaris from 5 pm to 10 pm, which is still a relatively new concept in Nepal,” he says, expressing optimism about increased tourist inflow, particularly because wildlife sightings are often more frequent during evening hours.

However, Chaturmukhi Community Forest faces a major challenge. Unlike buffer zone forests, it is not located in an area where wildlife concentration is naturally high. “Wildlife visibility remains relatively low because we are not in a buffer zone area, where animal sightings are much more common,” Gurung explains. “Still, we are doing our best to improve wildlife habitats because this forest falls within a Biological Corridor Pathway, essentially serving as a highway for wildlife movement. We are also investing in restoring natural grasslands for wildlife.”

Kalabanjar Buffer Zone Community Forest in Bharatpur Metropolitan City presents a different story altogether. The area has become an important habitat for both summer and winter migratory birds in Nepal.

Among the major winter migratory species found here are the Bar-headed Goose, known for flying over Sagarmatha, Ruddy Shelduck (locally called Chakhewa), Mallard, Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon, and Booted Eagle. Summer migratory species include the Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Pied Cuckoo, Oriental Cuckoo, and Chestnut-headed Bee-eater.

Yet, according to nature guide Manish Limbu, bird populations have declined significantly in recent years due to multiple challenges, including shrinking ponds, increasing use of chemical fertilizers in farmlands, hunting, depletion of water sources due to deep boring systems, and the absence of recharge ponds.

“We have established a community-based anti-poaching unit and trained local communities to understand the ecological importance of birds,” says Sailendra Mahato, outgoing secretary of Kalabanjar Buffer Zone Community Forest. “Previously, people saw migratory birds as enemies, but awareness programs have helped communities understand their ecological value. This knowledge should now be incorporated into school curriculums.”

However, Mahato raises concerns over the lack of compensation mechanisms for farmers whose crops are damaged by birds. “At present, only minimal compensation, up to Rs 10,000, is provided when crops are damaged by wild animals such as elephants, rhinoceroses, or wild boars,” he says. “There is no compensation when birds destroy crops. Unless farmers are compensated properly, they will continue seeing birds as enemies rather than part of the ecosystem.”

A major challenge common to all community forests in Chitwan is the spread of invasive plant species.

According to ForestAction Nepal, 29 invasive plant species have been recorded in Nepal. Four of them—Lantana camara, Mikania micrantha, Chromolaena odorata, and Eichhornia crassipes—are listed among the world’s 100 worst invasive alien species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). These invasive plants not only hinder forest growth but also degrade habitats critical for threatened wildlife such as tigers and rhinoceroses.

So what is the solution?

Thangkhola Community Forest in Kalika Municipality, Chitwan has found an innovative answer: turning invasive plants into organic compost fertilizer.

Ram Bahadur Karki, chairperson of the forest, says the community forest users group previously cut and burned invasive plants, but this year they adopted a new strategy. “We have started decomposing invasive plants spread across 28.5 hectares out of the forest’s total area of 199.85 hectares to produce compost fertilizer,” he says.

Karki estimates that around seven tons of fertilizer will be produced in the first batch. The product is sold internally to community forest members at Rs 20 per kilogram, while external buyers pay Rs 50 per kilogram. It is packaged in both 5-kilogram and 25-kilogram sacks.

Working in partnership with the local organization Sahamati under the Triple Benefit Program–Nepal, WWF Nepal has provided both financial and technical assistance. Beyond supporting compost production, the organization has strengthened forest conservation by supplying fire-fighting equipment, constructing fire lines, and training forest guards for patrols. To mitigate climate and disaster risks, the initiative has built bio-dams and bio-dykes to curb landslides, established multi-floral tree regeneration plots, promoted bamboo cultivation, and restored forest vegetation. Furthermore, the partnership focuses on water security and community resilience by conserving wetlands, building conservation and recharge ponds, and supporting local agricultural and livelihood programs.

The compost production process itself is relatively simple. Workers first cut invasive plants and transport them to a processing shed. The plants are finely chopped using a chaff cutter, mixed with soil and water, and left to decompose. Approximately 10 percent soil or dung is added to the mixture, while water is supplied as required. Full decomposition takes roughly three months, after which the compost is packed for sale.

The product, branded as ‘Prakriti Compost Fertilizer’, contains 2.28 percent nitrogen, 0.92 percent phosphorus, 2.26 percent potassium, and 31.93 percent organic carbon. Karki says the fertilizer has undergone laboratory testing and is fully ready for use.

Only local consumers of the community forest are employed in the unit, all on daily wages. Workers put in eight-hour shifts and receive compensation according to the government’s minimum wage standards. The factory has already produced around 10 trainers who can support other community forests interested in replicating the model.

According to Karki, market demand appears highly promising. “We have already introduced the product to banana and mushroom farmers in Chitwan. If they approve the quality and begin placing orders, we could quickly run out of stock, considering there are thousands of hectares of farmland in Chitwan alone,” he says. “Our long-term vision is to expand this practice widely across Nepal, protecting forests through nature-based solutions while helping make the country self-reliant in organic fertilizer production.” He adds that transforming invasive species into a profitable resource creates a rare win-win situation. “It is an alternative way of making money from invasive species while simultaneously protecting forests,” he says. “It is part of a circular economy.”

Meanwhile, Poudel of Milijuli Buffer Zone Community Forest says his forest also plans to establish a similar compost fertilizer production enterprise using invasive plants in the near future.