Dil Khatri

My PhD research entitled ‘Climate and development at the third pole: Dynamics of power and knowledge reshaping community forest governance in Nepal’ explores how the implication of climate agenda on the community forestry governance. My broader research interest lies in environmental governance focusing on participatory forest management, ecosystem services (with a specific focus on carbon and water), and climate change adaptation. The geographical focus of my work has been on Nepalese Himalaya. Analytically, my works are focused on understanding resource politics focusing on power, authority, and access. I am contributing to science by publishing and reviewing papers in a wide range of international peer-review journals such as Forest Policy and Economics, Geoforum, Climate and Development, Human Ecology, Small Scale Forestry, Climatic Change.

My research engagement at SOL is linked to the research project entitled “The practice of resilience in mountain landscapes: exploring risk and landscape investments in rural Nepal” (popularly known as PECA III) (with Kristina Marquardt, Adam Pani, Orjan B. and Kjell H.). Besides this, I am also involved in two other projects led and managed by the Department of Urban and Rural Development on the issues related to local responses to climate change (with Harry Fischer) and politics of resource governance and climate change (with Andrea Nightingale and Noemi Gonda).

In Nepal, I am heading the SIAS as Executive Director and involved in a number of research projects in SIAS on the issues related to climate change, mountain resilience, disaster risk management, forest, and land management issues with Swedish, UK, Norwegian, US, and Australian Universities.

My earlier work with ForestAction was related to policy-oriented research on forest and climate change-related issues. I was also engaged as editor of the Journal of Forest and Livelihoods and the number of other publications. Before joining ForestAction in 2010, he had worked as a development practitioner on community forestry and rural livelihoods.

I am partly teaching in different courses in Rural Development such as International Rural Development and Food Systems. I also teach some courses in the masters program of Natural Resources Management and Rural Development at the Institute of Forestry, Tribhuwan University.

Leder, S., Khatri, D. and Ojha, H., 2019. Water security and inclusive water governance in the Himalayas (editorial introduction). The New Angle: Nepal J. Soc. Sci. Public Policy, 5(1): 1-6.

Devkota, K., Khatri, D.B. and Neupane K.R. 2019. Water conflicts in urbanizing regions in the Himalaya: Case studies from Dhulikhel and Bidur in Nepal. The New Angle: Nepal J. Soc. Sci. Public Policy 5(1):  49-73

Khatri, D.B. Nightingale A. Ojha, H. et al. (manuscript). Multi-scale policy politics: An examination of the climate change policy reform in federalizing Nepal.

Khatri et al. (manuscript). Techno-bureaucratic control and forest decentralization:  A critical reflection of ‘Scientific Forest Management’ practice in Nepal.

Khatri, D.B. (under review in the Climate and Development). Adaptation or ‘Development as usual’? Doing climate change adaptation under forestry and conservation projects in Nepal.

Ojha, H., Maraseni, T., Nightingale, A., Bhattarai, B. & Khatri, D. (2019). Rescuing forests from the carbon trap. Forest Policy and Economics, 101, pp. 15-18.

Khatri, D. (2018). Climate and development at the third pole: dynamics of power and knowledge reshaping community forest governance in Nepal. (PhD), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden.

Khatri, D.B., Maskey, G., & Adhikari, B. (2018). REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal: Strengthening or Paralysing Decentralised Governance? Journal of Forest and Livelihood, 16(1), 35-55. 

Khatri, D.B., Marquardt, K., Pain, A. & Ojha, H. 2018. Shifting regimes of management and uses of forests: What might REDD+ implementation mean for community forestry? Evidence from Nepal. Forest Policy and Economics, 92: 1-10.

Karki, R., Shrestha, K.K., Ojha, H., Paudel, N., Khatri, D.B., Nuberg, I. & Adhikary, A. 2018. From Forests to Food Security: Pathways in Nepal’s Community Forestry. Small-scale Forestry, 17(1), pp. 89-104.

Khatri, D., Shrestha, K. K., Ojha, H, Paudel, N. & Paudel, G. 2016. Reframing Nepalese Community forestry governance for food security, Environmental Conservation.

Khatri, D.B, Marquardt K, Pain A. and Ojha H. (a paper manuscript submitted to Environemntal Science and Policy). Vindication or policy experiment? Unravelling the flawed lessons of Nepal’s REDD+ pilot project.

Khatri, D.B., Pham, T.T., Di Gregorio, M., Karki, R., Paudel, N.S., Brockhaus, M. and Bhushal, R., 2016. REDD+ politics in the media: a case from Nepal. Climatic Change, 138(1-2), pp.309-323.

Marquardt, K., Khatri, D.B. and Pain, A., 2016. REDD+, forest transition, agrarian change and ecosystem services in the hills of Nepal. Human Ecology, 44(2), pp.229-244.

Ojha, H., D.B. Khatri, K.K Shrestha, B. Bhattarai, J.C. Baral, K. Goutam, B. Basnet, M.R.Banjade, S.Jana, B. Bushley and S. Dhungana (2015). Can evidence and voice influence policy? A critical assessment of Nepal’s Forestry Sector Strategy 2014: Society and Natural Resources.

Paudel, N.S. and Vedeld, P.O. and Katri, D.B. 2015. Prospects and challenges of tenure and forest governance reform in the context of REDD+ initiatives in Nepal.Forest Policy and Economics, 52, pp.1-8.

Ojha, H., S. Ghimire, A. Pain, A. Nightingale, D. B. Khatri and H. Dhungana (2015). Policy without politics: technocratic control of climate change adaptation policy making in Nepal. Climate Policy.

Ojha, H., D. Khatri, K. K. Shrestha, B. Bushley and N. Sharma (2013). Carbon, community and governance: is Nepal getting ready for REDD+? Forests, Trees and Livelihoods 22(4): 216-229.

Paudel, N. S., D.B. Khatri, H. Ojha, et al (2013). Integrating climate change adaptation with local development: Exploring institutional options. Journal of Forests and Livelihood 11(1): 1-13.

Khatri, D.B., Bista, R. and Gurung, N. 2013. Climate Change Adaptation and Local Institutions: How to Connect Community Groups with Local Government for Adaptation Planning. Journal of Forest and Livelihood,11(1): 14-28

Paudel, N.S., Khatri, D.B., Ojha, H., Karki, R. and Gurung, N., 2013. Integrating Climate Change Adaptation with Local Development: Exploring Institutional Options. Journal of Forest and Livelihood, 11(1):1-13

Bushley, B.R. and Khatri, D.B., 2011. REDD+: reversing, reinforcing or reconfiguring decentralized forest governance in Nepal. Forest Action.

Paudel, N. S., Khatri, D. B., Dil R, K., & Karki, R. (2013). The context of REDD+ in Nepal: Drivers, agents and institutions: CIFOR.