The Asia Network for Sustainable Agriculture and Bioresources (ANSAB) is a civil society organization that has been conserving biodiversity and improving livelihoods across South Asia for almost twenty years. It places community empowerment and economic incentives at the cornerstone of its approach, believing that as people benefit from natural resources they become more motivated to conserve them – and vice-versa. ANSAB implements a variety of innovative solutions in line with this core conviction, such as the creation of enterprises based on the sustainable use of natural resources, especially Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs), and the establishment of payment-schemes for environmental services, especially for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) plus. It has notably pioneered the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification in Nepal and introduced the concept of subgroup in community forestry to ensure that ultra-poor and marginalized people benefit from the natural resources of their communities. ANSAB is also deeply involved in climate change mitigation and adaptation as the issue continues to threaten the environmental and economic progresses achieved so far – in Nepal as in the rest of the world.

ANSAB employs a team of 57 professional staff members and has access to a roster of more than 200 individual experts. Their day to day activities cover a wide range of interventions, including enterprise-oriented community forest management, enterprise development and planning, marketing, biological and socio-economic monitoring, research, grassroots capacity building, national and international networking as well as policy analysis.

ANSAB is widely regarded as a trailblazer and a leading organization in the region, its innovative approach having been recognized by numerous awards and its expertise being regularly sought by development agencies, national governments and international NGOs.