India has a forest cover of about 640 thousand sq.km. This covers nearly 27% of the geographical area of the country. According to the National Forest Policy, one-third of the total geographical area should be covered by forests. Due to over population forests are being felled mercilessly for agriculture, shelter and firewood. This has resulted in the decrease and annihilation of forests and increase in environmental degradation. There is a dire necessity for safeguarding the meagre forest resources. This responsibility has to be vested with the government and the people living around the forest areas. The State Forest Department has taken up protection of forests through the strategy of Joint Forest Management (JFM) with an objective of ensuring people's participation in the protection and management of forests. JFM hinges on the feasibility of forest regeneration with modest financial inputs for gap filling plantation and soil-moisture conservative measures. Income opportunities would become possible with forest regeneration and thereby increased availability and collection of various non wood forest products and later on also wood forest products.

The JFM programme is a major departure from past forest management practices requiring the department staff to establish a working relationship with the communities. Forest Management has to be a joint venture of the government and the people. It aims at alleviating rural poverty and mobilising the energy and efforts of people to make them self-reliant. Thus, Joint Forest Management is both a programme as well as philosophy of life. It aims at imparting self-reliance and an assigned future. But the achievement of these objectives depend upon the extent to which local felt needs are meet and people are involved at different stages of the forest management.

Concept

To treat degraded forest areas on watershed basis as per need of the land to check soil erosion, improve soil profile water regime, restore green cover so as to increase productivity of degraded forest and provide ecological balance involving forest fringe villagers by formation of implementation groups, and formation of SHGs through these groups.

Objectives

• To regenerate the forest wealth of state.
• To create employment to rural people especially landless scheduled caste, scheduled tribes and backward class women.
• To empower rural people by social and economic development
• To provide a share of usufructs of forest to the people involved in JFM and maintain sustainability in employment generation.
• To develop thrift habit and self help among the groups.
• To involve NGOs in training of the VSS groups and Forest staff.

Project Components

Treatment practices for afforestation / regeneration of forest, soil moisture conservation in the forest watersheds, entry point support service activities to villagers and training of the villagers etc.

Major Features Implementation through Vana Samrakshana Samithies (VSS), grass root level people's participation in forest resource management and sense of ownership. Joint Bank A/c maintained by VSS & Forest Deptt. a case of involvement of locals. Frequent meetings, Women empowerment as Chairpersons of VSS as also SHGs formed. People's involvement in policy making related to implementation, sharing of usufructs like Minor Forest Products (MFP) and also sale proceeds from bamboo and poles on its scheduled harvesting. Wage employment from forest regeneration, soil moisture conservation, support services etc.

Uniqueness

True involvement of people of forest fringe villages in protection and management of forest with Forest Department. Strong monitoring by State Government.