The document summarizes the benefits of the Forest Protection Committee/Joint Forest Management (FPC/JFM) community-based forest management model. It contributes to forest management, sustainable human development through income generation, infrastructure development, and community empowerment. These benefits help fulfill forest dwellers' basic needs like food, water, and shelter according to Maslow's hierarchy of needs. The FPC/JFM model also provides indirect benefits like empowerment, ecology maintenance, and increased forest cover. However, it faces challenges like balancing power between villagers and forest departments, coordination issues, conflicts, monitoring, and sustainability. The document proposes solutions like clarifying roles, independent auditing, and generating new revenue streams from additional forest products to

1. Active Y
Shanu Singh (shanuchaudhery@gmail.com)
Rakesh Sahu (rksahu.83@gmail.com)

2. Introduction
FPC/JFM community based institution model is replicable since it contribute to:
1. Forest management
2. Aspects of sustainable human development – ecological output, income generation, village infrastructure
development and community empowerment. These aspects converts into benefit for villagers.
Maslow’s Positioning For Forest Dweller
FD  Limited avenue of income generation
 Majority of forest and forest fringe dweller have 20-54% income generated
from NTFS.
 Physiological, safety and security needs are of major concerns
FPC/JFM
Physiological Needs - JFM Initiative
Forest
Sustainability &  Food  Improved nutrition by helping grow chana,
Human
Development soyabean etc
 Water  Development of irrigation & drinking water
facilities
 Shelter  Indira Avas Yojana for shelter development
Security Needs - JFM Initiative
 Education  Introduction of primary school education
 Economies  Provided direct access to seller market
 Financial  Introduction of microcredit facility
 Health  Access to health care
Safety Needs - JFM Initiative
 Family  Women up-liftment and empowerment
 Social Stability  Better income level, education level and lesser
crimes
 Forest Property  Villager are empowered to protect the forest
Introduction Benefits Challenges Structure Future Roadmap

3. Indirect Benefits (Villager Perspective) Direct Benefits (Villager Perspective)
Employment
Empowerment Opportunities
 Villagers are empowered and in better control of their lives Shared control and
 Women betterment through their participation in decision making Enhanced irrigation
decision-making
potential for higher
authority over
Ecology Maintenance crop production
forest-lands
• Protection of forest helps in maintaining the bio-diversity both in
terms of flora and fauna Better
communication Forest based
Area Coverage transport and earning
health care
 Land coverage by forest decreases the extent of soil erosion
 It has helped in maintaining ground water level
 Enhanced spring flows Earnings from Non
Timber Forest Daily Wage income
Green Cover Products (NTFPs)
 Initiative has helped in improving the forest coverage from 76.52m
ha in 1997 to 76.96m ha in 2005
Advantages (FD Perspective)
• Provides the required manpower capacity for protection of forest (76 m ha)
• Local forest dwellers are more acquainted with forests hence better security
• Upliftment of tribal population will help in development of geography
• JFM can help in providing
• Rehabilitating the degraded forest areas with the participation of local communities
• Biodiversity conservation and Rehabilitating the degraded forest areas
• Control over forest fire and grazing
Introduction Benefits Challenges Structure Future Roadmap

4. Challenges Proposed Solutions
Control Mechanism Control Mechanism Layer
•Strike a balance in power and authority between the villagers •A legal document should be designed to categorically define
and the FD/FPC the power, authority 7 role of the FD/FPC.
•Establishing effective control over the decentralized structure •Regular reporting mechanism should be put in place
Coordination glitches Coordination
•Proper Communication and coordination between the village •All the communication should done between FD official and
and the FD/FPC elected village representative
•Revenue boundaries may lead to disputes •Revenue percentage breakup should be made clear to villagers
Conflict Conflict Resolution
 Conflict at different levels :  Conflict resolution at different levels :
Among villagers Village representative will handle
FPC- Other formal/Informal Institutions Forest department with State forest ministry
FPC-FD Forest department with State forest ministry
Monitoring Monitoring Measures
 Auditing community forestry related financial records  Auditing should be done by an independent auditing NGO
 Monitoring and inspection of the actual achievement s of FPC  Regular performance check and immediate action
Sustainability Of Model Sustainable Model
 Model is not completely sustainable since it needs initial start  Non government organization such as NGO, private
fund of Rs. 50,000 and driving fund from institutions like organizations should be approached for sponsorship to
government and world bank maintain the cash flow for development activity
Needs New Revenue Stream New Revenue Stream
 Only few low cost NTFP are in the list.  Addition of new high value NTFP such as aonla dry & green,
baheda, stavan, bilora, belgada and honey will bring in more
revenues
Introduction Benefits Challenges Structure Future Roadmap

5. Proposed Structure JFM
Allocates funds
after review
JFM Fund
reviews
audits SFD
surveys
JFM Fund Crop Actual or
Expense Production Achievement forwards
Report Report Report FSI
Comm. Fund Planned
Expense activities
report Repot JFM Fund
Revenue
Generation
Report Forest Density
Bio Diversity
prepares
Abbreviations Regeneration of
FPC Head VR
•JFM – Joint Forest plant species
Management
•SFD – State Forest FPC Dpty Head Asst. VR
Dept. FPC
•FPC – Forest
Protection committee Villagers
•VR – Village
Representive
•FSI – Forest Survey of Comm. Fund
INDIA
Introduction Benefits Challenges Structure Future Roadmap

6. Recommendations Recommendations (policy front)
Recommendations For Human Development
 Renewed NGO and civic orientation policy : All act like
Healthcare non-state equal partner for both facilitation and
-Development of healthcare facility in coordination with the implementation
district level government medical office or NGO.  Economic re-orientation of policy : Change approach from
-Regular immunization campaign to prevent disease like polio etc target driven approach to transaction cost analysis on
Cottage Industry social cost benefit analysis
-FPC should promote small cottage industry like handloom,  Build social capital though social re-engineering: Social
sericulture etc engineering to provide platform for mainstreaming
Roads marginalized sections of society to mitigate social
-Approach road to nearby highway/forest road should be laid for movements like Maoist Movement
easy forest management  Organic village community: Instead being a political
Drinking Water institution , agency should be formed with marginalized
-New hand-pumps should be setup for easy availability of water poor people, landless laborer, NGO, environmentalist and
-Water treatment plant should be setup for community water women for benefit of all
drinking water  Target vulnerable groups: Since Panchayat is an institution
of rural elite which does not represent landless laborers .
So policy needs to be drafted to serve in larger villages with
1970-80: Participatory 1988: The National
forest management at Forest Policy created
1990: GOI launched heterogeneous population from all walks of life.
community participation
Sukhomajri, Arabari, and
Harda
space for community
participation
in the form JFMC  Coordination with NREGA to provide employment at village
level
2005: Forest cover 1999: Forest cover
2007: Reduction in JFM
76.96m ha, 22m ha 76.52m ha, 10.24m ha
funding, adverse effect
under 106482 JFMC under 36,160 JFMC.
Beyond: Restoration of
momentum by
2010: We are here
implementing proposed
recommendations
Introduction Benefits Challenges Structure Future Roadmap