Joint Forest
Management in Andhra Pradesh
The National Forest Policy
of 1988 has recognised the need to involve local people in management
of forests for ensuring their effective conservation. The Government
of India has issued detailed guidelines in the year 1990 on the
concept of implementing Joint Forest Management. Accordingly the
Government of Anhra Pradesh has issued formal orders in 1992 for
adopting Joint Forest Management (JFM) as a strategy for rehabilitation
of degraded forests. Detailed guidelines were also issued in the
year 1993, for taking up JFM through village level committees called "Vana Samrakshana Samithies" (VSS).
Like many other State Governments,
the AP Forests Department have also issued comprehensive guidelines
for adopting Joint Forest Management as a strategy for rehabilitation
of degraded forests in the year 1993, through village level committees
called "Vana Samrakshana Samithies" (VSS). Initially,
there was lot of skepticism among the foresters about the worthiness
of this strategy as a remedy for protection problems. This type
of approach for managing forests was new to the people also, hence
lot of effort was needed to convince the people also about the assurances
of the Government on the returns promised to the people, if they
take up Joint Forest Management.
However, with the passage
of time, both the local people as well as the forest officials started
seeing what JFM can do for rejuvenating degraded forests, and the
concept gained more acceptance. The success stories spread from
one village to another village. What was started as a small program
has today attained gigantic proportions. Under the dynamic leadership
of the Chief Minster Sri Nara Chandra Babu Naidu, the program attained
a state level campaign mode. As the CM himself had said many times,
if we have to see the impact of any strategy we have to think big
and implement it all over the State, instead of dealing with a few
hundred villages here and there.
Keeping in view the tremendous
enthusiasm being shown by the people towards this program and the
spectacular improvement in forest regeneration due to their efforts,
the State Government issued orders on 7-12-96 giving 100% share
of timber and bamboo to the VSS members, enhancing it from 50% share
envisaged earlier. This is a true sign of the confidence imposed
in the ability of the people in managing their forest resources
efficiently.
Special
features of JFM in Andhra Pradesh
• People are given
100% incremental rights over the forest produce, unlike in many
other States where the sharing is limited to 25%, with a built in
mechanism for recycling 50% of the revenue from timber and bamboo
for sustainable management of the forests under their control
• VSS members are given
50% of the net revenue obtained from the Beedi Leaf collected from
VSS area
• VSS members are also
given a share of 50% in the "Compounding Fees" collected
from the forest offenders apprehended by them
• Transparency in VSS
operations by channeling the funds through Joint Account system,
duly supported by the Managing Committee resolutions, and presenting
the quarterly progress reports to the General Body
• 50% compulsory enrolment
for women in the general body and > 50% in the Managing Committee
• Involvement of Non
Governmental Organisations in strengthening the Vana Samrakshana
Samithies through motivation, extension, training and other support
activities
• SCs and STs are automatic
members of VSS. This is to ensure that the poorer sections of the
society are not left out.
• Forest areas under
cultivation by the poor tribals are being brought under VSS so that
the poor people can get employment during the regeneration phase
and subsequently draw income from the usufruct. This will also stop
the pernicious habit of shifting cultivation
• Medicinal plants
occurring in Forest areas have been identified which the VSS members
can harvest and market. Plan for regeneration of important medicinal
plants, both insitu and exsitu, are being drawn linking with the
market.
• Making requisite
funds for implementation available by mobilising resources from
Employment Assurance Scheme, Centrally Sponsored Schemes and the
World Bank, so that work does not suffer for want of money
• With the initiative
taken by Government of Andhra Pradesh, the Government of India has
also issued guidelines to all states for earmarking funds for forestry
sector under EAS and Jawahar Rojgar Yojana
• Effective inter departmental
co-ordination for ensuring development of VSS villages as "Model
Villages"
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