|
Joint Forest Management
|
|
The Government of Haryana had
initiated joint forest management in the state in the late seventies, much
before it became a policy of the Ministry of Environment & Forests. The model
developed in Sukho Majri village of Haryana, employing participation of people
in protecting forests who were given rights over water and forest produce in
return, is now world famous. Practice of participatory approach in forestry
operations and forest management has continued in the state. Village level
forest committees(VFC) have been constituted in over 817 villages under national
afforestation programme (NAP). Besides this 1135 VFCs have also been constituted
under Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) funded Integrated Natural
Resource Management Project and Haryana Community Forestry Project (HCFP).
In all these programmes/projects, there is
special thrust to empower women by providing them assistance in forming
self-help groups and training them to start some income generation activity to
improve their economic well being.
|
Concept of Joint Forest Management
Joint Forest Management programme is an endeavor to fulfill the forestry related
needs and aspirations of the local people from the adjoining Government forests
with their active participation in protection and maintenance of these forests.
The Forest Department is undertaking those forestry interventions in these
areas, which synchronize with the local felt needs to the maximum. An atmosphere
of goodwill and faith has been and is being created whereby the people feel that
it is their programme and the Government is participating in it. The Department
is increasingly acting as facilitator to meet the aspirations of the local
populace and in return seek their active participation in preventing the
degradation of forests by eliminating illicit felling of trees and grazing.
|
|
|
To arrest the degradation of forests successive Governments framed rules from
time to time. These rules aimed at conserving and enriching the existing forests
as well as bringing more eroded areas under tree cover. Whatever meager rights
the locals had in these forests were insufficient in meeting their daily needs
of forests produce. To bridge the difference between demands and supply the
people went in for illegal extraction of the same, which was opposed by the
foresters. Thus these stringent rules and regulations created a sense of
alienation amongst the locals who were always at loggerheads with the foresters
whom they thought were only interested in the conservation of forests as part of
their official duty without caring for the genuine demands and welfare of the
local inhabitants.
|
|
Since the last few decades the concept of the forestry and its application for
rural development has undergone a tremendous change. It has now been
increasingly felt that it will be virtually impossible to prevent the
degradation of forests without the active involvement of the locals in their
protection and maintenance. While doing so the needs and aspirations of the
locals from these areas have to be clearly understood and met with to the
maximum extent possible. Keeping in tune with these developments the role of the
Forest Department has become more supportive, considerate and accommodating to
satisfy the aspirations of the locals keeping in view their priorities,
perceptions, preferences, motivations and constraints.
|
|
The concept of JFM is now woven in almost all the forestry projects being
undertaken by the Forest Department. It has taken roots in the Shivalik
foothills as well as common lands in the Aravallis.
|
|
|