Community Forest Management

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 Uttarakhand. 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 Uttarakhand towards the cause of Van Gujjar community. The elections to the state of Uttarakhand 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.