A senior Nepali forester will discuss his ideas on who owns the forests of Asia and the implications of this ownership when he visits Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga this week. Dr Ganga Dahal, who is the Asian facilitator for the Rights and Resources Initiative in Bangkok, Thailand, is visiting the University’s School of Environmental Sciences to meet with CSU staff and research students, as well as presenting a public seminar titled Who controls the forests? Exploring community forestry in Asia. Dr Dahal said control and ownership of local forests is at the core of community forestry as it seeks to enhance local livelihoods. “Community forestry is widely promoted throughout Asia, however local communities often have insecure tenure over their traditional forests,” said Dr Dahal, who will explore the current status and changes in forest tenure in Asia, and the implications for community forestry at this seminar. Visit coordinator at CSU, Dr Digby Race, believes international visitors are important for the research and teaching programs of institutions such as CSU. “Having visitors like Dr Dahal is vital for exchanging experiences and ideas. It helps connect our local knowledge to global issues, and for our solutions to be informed by international lessons,” Dr Race said.