| Agency Name: | Ministry of Forests and Environment |
| Nativename: | वन तथा वातावरण मन्त्रालय |
| Jurisdiction: | Government of Nepal |
| Headquarters: | Singha Durbar, Kathmandu, Nepal |
| Motto: | निजामती कर्मचारीको प्रतिवद्धता: पारदर्शिता र चुस्तता |
| Minister1 Name: | Aain Bahadur Shahi Thakuri |
| Minister1 Pfo: | Minister |
| Deputyminister1 Name: | Rupa Bishwakarma[1] |
| Deputyminister1 Pfo: | Minister of State |
The Ministry of Forests and Environment (Nepali: वन तथा वातावरण मन्त्रालय) is a governmental body of Nepal responsible for the conservation of forests and managing the environment in the country.[2] Its main purposes are to enhance sustainable growth of the forest and water sectors and to manage the biodiversity, flora and fauna and also to increase the development of forest related enterprises in order to combat poverty throughout the rural areas of Nepal.[3]
Throughout its history, the ministry had several different names and portfolios. Under the Koirala cabinet[4] and the first Oli cabinet, it was the Ministry of Forests. In 2018, under the Second Oli cabinet,[5] the portfolio of the ministry was changed from Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation to Ministry of Forests and Environment.[6]
Two departments serve under the ministry to facilitate and implement its work:[7]
This is a list of former Ministers of Forests and Soil Conservation since the Nepalese Constituent Assembly election in 2013:
| Name | Party | Assumed office | Left office | Portfolio | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mahesh Acharya[8] | 25 February 2014 | Minister for Forests | |||
| 2 | Agni Sapkota[9] | 19 October 2015 | ||||
| 3 | Shankar Bhandari[10] | 26 August 2016 | 31 May 2017 | Minister for Forests and Soil Conservation | ||
| 4 | 7 June 2017 | 11 September 2017 | ||||
| 5 | Bikram Pandey[11] | 11 September 2017 | 15 February 2018 | |||
| 6 | Shakti Bahadur Basnet[12] | 16 March 2018 | 25 December 2020 | Minister for Forests and Environment | ||
| 7 | 25 December 2020 | 4 June 2021 | Minister for Forests and Environment | |||
| 8 | 10 June 2021 | 22 June 2021 | Minister for Forests and Environment | |||
| 9 | Krishna Gopal Shrestha | 24 June 2021 | 12 July 2021 | Minister for Forests and Environment | ||
| 10 | Ram Sahaya Yadav | 8 October 2021 | 4 July 2022 | Minister for Forests and Environment | ||
| 11 | Pradeep Yadav (Nepalese politician) | 4 August 2022 | 14 October 2022 | Minister for Forests and Environment | ||
| 12 | Birendra Prasad Mahato | 24 May 2023 | Minister for Forests and Environment |