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Summary

Forest fire, largely caused by human, has changed the Terai forest ecosystems. Of the total, 58% forest fire were deliberate burning by grazers, poachers, hunters and non-timber forest product collectors. Forest fire due to negligence (22%) and accident (20%) also had a significant share. The major causes of the fire were carelessness of passer-by, smokers and picnickers for the former and illiteracy, ignorance and fun for the latter. Analysis affirmed that most of the fires that occurred due to the aforementioned reasons were related to agricultural activity. Forest fire occurrence and awareness level of local community is, therefore, always intertwined. Public understanding of the environmental services of ecosystems is expected to help minimize the forest fire incidences