Van panchayats of Uttarakhand as role model for community forest management
No hay miniatura disponible
Fecha
Título de la revista
ISSN de la revista
Título del volumen
Editor
FAO ;
Resumen
Descripción
Community forests, in a sharp contrast to government forest or private forest, are by and large severely degraded and subject to deforestation easily. They manifest ‘tragedy of the commons’ (Hardin, 1968). Contradicting this conventional wisdom is the institution of Van Panchayats, in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand in India. Their history is that of conflict (against rigid government control) to collaboration (on community management and control). Van Panchayats are village level, democratically elected, grass root level natural resource management bodies. They have successfully cleared all the three aspects of sustainability, that is: social acceptability, technical feasibility, and economic viability. Starting with few in 1930's, their number has swelled to 12,089 and cover more than 7,350.85 square kilometre area which is approximately 13.41% of the total forest area of Uttarakhand. They are easily one of the best examples of participation of all stakeholders including women, weaker and marginalized sections of the society, in the management, decision making, and sharing of usufructs. In externally aided projects by the World Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JAICA), their role has been appreciated and they have been assigned various key works of connservation/development. Various nongovernmental organizations have also lauded the contribution of Van Panchayats at various forums. More management inputs and facilitation by government orders to ensure implementation of all village level schemes through them is required to make them still more vibrant and self-sustaining. Van Panchayats are the practical manifestation of the thoughts echoed by Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom (2002) demonstrating how local communities can use natural resources in a judicious and commonly acceptable manner. With suitable modifications they can be used worldwide for management of community lands for sustainable environmental, ecological, and economic benefits.
Keywords: Social protection, Conflict, Deforestation and forest degradation, Sustainable forest management, Gender
ID: 3484260