The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) defines governance as the ?exercise of economic, political and administrative authority to manage a country?s affairs at all levels? (UNDP 1997). The quality of governance depends on the capacity and vision of the Government to design, formulate, implement, and monitor policies and to perform its duties.

Importance of Environmental Governance:

1.   Good governance is participatory; people oriented, and involve the entire stakeholder.

2.   It is transparent and accountable.

3.   It honors rights of the people to participate in the decision making that affects their life.

4.   It is effective in making the best use of resources and it is equitable.

5.   It promotes the rule of law (UNDP 1997).

6.   It includes mobilization of requisite resources from different sources.

7.   EG controls the misuse of natural resources and promotes their sustainable management and use.

8.   EG encourages local leadership and decentralization of power to the grassroots level and builds local capabilities.

9.   EG includes implementation and evaluation of a country?s commitments to different international environmental conventions, treaties, and protocols it has signed.

Environmental governance in Nepal includes:

1.   Key elements of environmental policy and strategy planning,

2.   Development and implementation of plans and programs at national and local levels,

3.   Development and enforcement of environmental laws and regulations, norms, and standards, &

4.   Establishment and operation of environmental institutions that supervise, execute, and monitor all aspects of the process.

Overall performance of EG: 

1.   Environmental governance in Nepal has not been very effective. Key reasons for ineffective environmental governance in Nepal,

2.   Frequent changes in governments,

3.   Government?s poor functioning and inadequate attention paid to the increasing urban and rural environmental problems.

4.   Absence of long-term environmental policies, weak enforcement of environmental laws.

5.   Insufficient funding.

6.   Inefficient public administration in general, weak monitoring.

Environmental governance can be better understood by reassessing environmental performance to date and identifying areas where changes are needed.