Community Forest Management - The Van Gujjar  way !
 

Though differing opinions prevail about the effectiveness of the highly centralized forest conservation models in our country, however there is little doubt about the effectiveness of these protected areas in terms of alienating the local communities from their traditional territories, lifestyles, cultures and livelihoods. RLEK firmly believes that the local communities play a key role in protecting and sustainably managing their forests. Based upon traditional knowledge and through a process of trial and error the tribal/indigenous communities have devised certain 'best practices' for the use of the forests. Over the years, such practices have become an inherent part of the traditions and customs of the communities. However, with more and more forest areas, in different parts of the country, reserved as parks and sanctuaries, forest dwelling/dependent communities are being forced to resettle outside their traditional habitats. This speaks volumes of the insensitivity and inadequacy of the post-independence forest policies, which, instead of making way for the involvement of local communities in forest management, have asserted the monopoly rights of the state over the forests.

 The indigenous nomadic Van Gujjars comprise one such community, facing threat of expulsion from their traditional forest homes in the Shivaliks, subsequent to the government declaring its intentions to reserve the area as a National Park. The government aims to resettle all the Van Gujjar families presently living in the proposed park area. RLEK has always advocated for the need for involvement of local communities in management of the forests. Without the involvement of local communities, being the primary stakeholders, effective conservation of the forests and wildlife is not possible. Moreover, it is also the optimal solution to prevent the gross violation of the human rights of the forest dwelling communities and a means to respect and restore their traditions, values, knowledge and aspirations. RLEK has a successful history of policy advocacy through litigations and mobilisation on social and environmental issues. It has successfully mobilised the Van Gujjars around this issue of forcible eviction and helped them in articulating their demands. The thrust of the intervention is to campaign for greater control of the community over the forests they dwell in and the forest resources they are critically dependent upon. This has taken two forms - one, mobilisation against the provisions of the law that prevent the access and control of the Van Gujjars to the forest, and two, mobilising them for demanding control over the management of these forest resources. With the functional participation and support of RLEK, the Van Gujjar community has mooted the Community Forest Management in Protected Areas (CFM-PA). It is RLEK's contention that all indigenous peoples like Van Gujjars, have vast knowledge and they are competent enough for sustainable management of the forests. The CFM plan is a viable alternative to eliminating the people vs park conflicts and has been appreciated worldwide. Representatives from Van Gujjar community have also been called to several countries to deliver lectures on forest management.

RLEK has also equipped the members of the Van Gujjar community with wireless sets for assisting them in forest management and communicating in case of forest fires, poaching, illegal felling of trees, epidemics and other problems. In this regard, as a special case, RLEK has been allotted two frequencies (167.525Mhz and 167.725 Mhz) by the Ministry of Telecommunications, Government of India. The members of the community are trained at regular intervals with regard to the operation and maintenance of these wireless sets. RLEK has mobilised the community by the formation of committees at various levels and the capacity building of the community is undertaken through various training programmes, which have greatly enhanced the capacities and confidence of the people.

In another significant move, RLEK organised a rally of the Van Gujjar communities and other forest dependent communities (from the Proposed Govind Pashu Vihar and Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve in the high Himalayas) who are facing similar problems pertaining to forest management. In this rally, which was organised at Dehradun, nearly 2000 people took part and peaceful demonstrations were made at the office of the Chief Conservator of Forests, Dehradun. This marked a beginning of a network between the various forest dwelling/dependent communities in Uttaranchal. Through this rally member of different communities were also able to interact with each other and learn from each others' experiences.

At a policy level, the advocacy work by RLEK and the Van Gujjars has brought forth the community management of protected areas as a viable national policy option. There is a growing political realisation that the needs of people and wildlife must be reconciled if both are to survive. On the conservationist side, too, there is a desire for a better relationship with people. The lobbying and advocacy efforts also contributed in the direction of creating political will in the state of Uttaranchal towards the cause of Van Gujjar community. The elections to the state of Uttaranchal were held in February 2002 and prior to elections, in its election manifesto, the Indian National Congress specifically mentioned that:

1. The traditional rights of the Van Gujjars shall be protected.

2. Revision of land settlement such that at least 20% of the land areas, presently under reserved forests, to be de-reserved and handed over to village communities.

3. To restore the traditional rights of village communities over forest resources.

Congress was successful in gaining the peoples verdict in the first state elections in this newly created state and on the International Women's day on 8th March 2002, RLEK invited Mr. Hira Singh Bisht, Minister of State for Surface Transport and Technical Education. Mr Bisht while addressing the meeting reiterated that the Congress shall fulfil the promises, as enlisted in its election manifesto, regarding the rights of the Van Gujjars. In order to remind the Congress and to put forth the issues and concerns of the Van Gujjars before the newly elected government, a meeting was organised at RLEK on 10th March 2002. On this day, termed as Chetna Divas, Mr. Nav Prabhat, State Minister for Environment and Forests, and Mr. Surendra Aggarwal, State Spokesperson for Congress were invited to RLEK. Addressing a huge gathering of Van Gujjar community members, the minister said that his government was committed to the party manifesto that had assured the Gujjars and other forest dwelling communities protection of their rights under the Congress regime. "The congress election manifesto, which had promised to protect Van Gujjars' rights will be implemented in letter and spirit," he said. The minister also looked into the cases of violation of basic rights of community members by the forest bureaucracy and promised that such instances shall not be repeated.

RLEK has always been known for fighting for the rights of the people and getting them their rightful due. This struggle for the rights of the indigenous/forest dwelling communities is just like the struggle of countries for freedom, the only difference being that during independence struggles nations fight against foreign colonial powers but RLEK has to fight against an apathetic and inefficient bureaucratic machinery of its own country. However, change cannot be brought about overnight and it takes its time, though through RLEKs efforts the CFM - PA programme has been very successful, yet RLEK feels that it still has a long way to go. Achievement in real terms for RLEK will mean that indigenous communities worldwide are able to secure their rights.

Source: http://www.rlek.org/cfmp.html

Community Forest Management of Protected Areas

Creation of protected areas, National Parks, Sanctuaries etc. are in the news world over because of endangered eco-systems, threatened wildlife and faulty bio-diversity conservation policies. India has followed the western oriented idea of notifying areas as national parks and sanctuaries under the "fence and protect policy" probably because of the enormous amounts of moneys to be handed over by western agencies to governments that would follow suit. As a result, traditional communities who have always depended on natural resources, mainly available in our forests, for their livelihood and needs are being evicted. This has resulted in centuries old traditional rights being all of a sudden usurped in the name of protection of eco-systems and protection of threatened species.

RLEK is convinced that only those conservation strategies which are community based i.e. which assign roles and responsibilities to people residing in & around protected areas, would serve the cause of environment protection and conservation much better than the present systems.

It is with this belief that RLEK has prepared a Community Forest Management Plan of Protected Areas (CFM-PA) of the proposed Rajaji National Park by the Van Gujjar community. This community is culturally homogenous; it is a tribal community; it has a high level of dependence on the forest for survival; it has low economic disparity; it has clearly defined forest use areas; it has a good perception of gender equity and involvement of women. This makes it an ideal community to undertake the implementation of the CFM-PA.

This plan is the first of its kind for protected areas and its acceptance by government and its successful implementation would not only have a strong and long lasting impact on the local tribal community but could also become a replicable model for the national and international tribal communities and the environment.

The foreword to the plan has been written by Mr. Justice P. N. Bhagwati, former Chief Justice of India and presently the Vice-Chairman of the United Nations Human Rights Commission. The plan has been submitted to the Prime Minister of India in a meeting he had called at the Raj Bhavan, Lucknow, on the 3rd of July, 1996. In the Rajya Sabha, on the 19th of July, 1996, in answer to starred question no. 145 with reference to this plan the Minister of State for Environment and Forests assured the House that with the recent emphasis on involvement of local communities in protection and maintenance of forests in consonance with the national forest policy of 1988, the central government are in the process of making suitable changes in the existing forest laws, including Indian forest Act, 1927 and wildlife (protection) act, 1972. The government is making suitable changes in forest laws to allow involvement of local communities in protection and maintenance of forests."

On August 16, 1997, Prof. Saifuddin Soz, India's Minister for Environment and Forests, released the book"Community Forest Management in Protected Areas.. Van Gujjars' proposal for the Rajaji Area".

This plan, prepared with the close involvement of the Van Gujjars, includes proposals which aim to provide "a practical model of community forest management in protected areas (CFM-PA) in which local people are the lead managers and the Forest Department role is that of supporter and monitor and a specific, practical structure through which to implement CFM-PA in the Rajaji area which assures environmental protection while respecting the needs, rights and traditions of local people."

This plan says that so far van gujjars as well as other local people have been ignored in Rajaji Park area policies. The Van Gujjars have been the primary target of eviction as they live in the core area. The plan proposes that the Van Gujjars become lead managers of the core area while other groups have lead management roles in relation to the resources and areas that they use.

The plan carefully analyses six major ecological problems of this area (forest deterioration, depletion of ground cover, weed infestation, widlife problems, soil erosion and forest fires. It presents several studies and facts to challenge the official view which mainly blames the local people and their animals for most of these problems. It documents “past destructive forest management practices, present poaching and tree felling, and the extensive system of illicit fees resulting in over exploitation by local people, as the principal causes of ecological problems.”

The plan shows that the ecological problems of the Rajaji Park area are “due to overall structural problems in the management system. The system must be re-structured with decision making authority placed in the hands of groups with the highest investment in forest protection.”

The van gujjars are particularly suited for CFM-PA as they are a homogeneous closely knit group with “strong social and ecological values. They have clearly defined areas of forest use both as families and a community, plus a traditional and effective decision making structure to enforce regulations. They are specifically motivated, and request that they be given the opportunity to manage the forests.” Some other groups of local villagers “are also motivated to take responsibility for management of minor forest produce resources and are explicitly requesting involvement.”

This is book is very reasonably priced at Rs. 395 and is available with Natraj publishers, Rajpur Road, Dehra Dun.

Source: http://www.rlek.org/cfm.html