Communnity Based Forest Management

COMMUNITY BASED FOREST MANAGEMENT

WHAT IS CFM?

Relevant info + Inclusive participation = CFM

JFM V/S CFM

Social Composition JFM – women, cast and tribe CFM - Existing village council structure

Type JFM – Formal, CFM – Informal, autonomous

Ownership JFM – State CFM - Private

WHY CFM ?

Development of poor forest communities Potential to generate income and

employment Sustainable management Enhance the capacity of NTFP stakeholders Micro and small enterprise products such as

matchsticks, pencils, toothpicks, skewer sticks, blinds etc, as well as medium-scale industrial panel products that rival wood products

CFM: COMMUNITY DRIVEN

Variable land ownership Strong community use rights Communities make decisions State monitors, regulates and guides Forests meet local needs first Often strong commercial focus

INDIA AND CFM

Communities – Keepers To restore denuded

forests NE – 12000 to 15000

villages involved Protecting 1-2 million ha

CONTINUED..

Decentralized, grassroots moment Coordinated through traditional or informal

cultural institutions Major states

S- Bihar West Bengal Orissa N-Andhra Pradesh NE ( Meghalya, Manipur)

MP – recent survey informal groups

CHARACTERISTICS OF INDIAN CFM

Forest – Tribal interface cultural and economic ties

Local Environment concern Resource depletion Changing microclimate Ground water

Supportive actors NGO Forest field staff

CASE STUDY

Report on Difficulties in CFM affecting forest dependent communities in Orissa

LEGAL NON RECOGNITION OF CFM

Why? Non-monetary philosophy of CFM Unidirectional nature of govt. Homogenizing tendencies of the modern law

making process by government.

DIFFICULTIES

It is difficult to motivate villagers for protection of forest without giving them incentives.

Technical competence, capacity to raise resources of community forestry enterprises questioned

Villagers may not get any incentives by protecting forest against smugglers, poachers etc.

Creating a focus on strengthening forest based livelihood rather than immediate benefits .

FINDINGS

Undertake forest protection and management involving communities based on the local needs.

Take baby steps rather than chasing a target in a small time span.

The community should be given power to protect and manage forest.

Recognition to community forest management initiative

MEMBERS OF BAJRAKOT FOREST PROTECTION COMMITTEE, RANPUR, ORISSA, BEGINNING A NIGHT WATCH OF THE FOREST.

CFM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Vast potential for vast potential for poverty reduction and rural economic wellfare while also supporting conservative goals.

Requires integrated solutions: - like WB/JBIC aided projects

SOME PROGRESS … DFID supported and planning work in Orissa

and Himachal Pradesh ISRO work in Karnataka and Kerala on

monitoring with forest inventory, watershed, biodiversity

Bank-supported work in Jharkhand on forest livelihoods monitoring systems

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

ICT can make significant contributions. Two area of Forest Management

Resource monitoring by Firehawk. Raising awareness of sustainable practices

ICT AND CFM

Using specially developed mapping tools Non-literate indigenous map their resources

prior to any logging in their traditional forest Development of computer mapping tools,

automated GPS Maps provide the community with evidence

of their key resources and forest use

STRENGTHS OF CFM

Due to absence of govt. control , decision making process is faster .

Presence of strong motivational factor as the projects are initiated by the people living around the forests rather than a third party.

Better control over the various aspects due to limited size .

Villages feel responsible for the protected areas & use their indigenous knowledge for its protection to the max. effect .

LIMITATIONS

How long can you sustain CFM?

What guarantee is there that the forest won’t be mismanagement

Not fully inclusive participation

THANK YOU