cpr management

PSMU has facilitated linkages between, on one side, the communities and NGO partners, and the other, the KFD - helping to bring these stakeholders to a better mutual understanding. Important discussions were held at State, District and Taluk level with staff of the KFD. As a result, ISPWDK activities and government activities on CPRs in the project watersheds should, in future, be streamlined.

Forest Rules and Regulations

With regard to opportunities for local people in the ISPWDK watersheds to participate in forest/tree management, the relevant rules and regulations come under the JFPM (Joint Forest Planning and Management) Revised Government Order 19 June 2002 for Karnataka. They may be summarized as follows:

Roadside plantings:Farmers are encouraged to take up tree pattas, whereby for a one-off payment of Rs 5 (for fast-growing species) or Rs 10 (for slow-growing species) per tree, they gain full usufruct right and management responsibility over the tree up to the final harvest. At this point, it is shared 75% to the farmer: 25% to the KFD.

Plantations:For plantations on government or institutionally owned land, the KFD covers all the costs of initial establishment for the first three years, after which the community is expected to take over maintenance through a VFC – Village Forest Committee. At final harvest, the share is 50% to the community: 50% to the KFD. The VFC is currently the only legal institutional mechanism under which local people can gain harvesting rights. One important feature of VFCs as currently constituted is that the Secretary must be a member of KFD staff – thus the VFC is not a fully independent community institution.

CPRs for the poor

ISPWDK considers CPRs to have particular use and livelihood potential for the poor. The tree patta scheme is unlikely to benefit the poorest in the community, as they have the little private land along roadsides. Thus the main potential lies in the degraded Forest Lands of the upper catchments. During this phase, particular effort will be focused on how the productive potential of these lands can be improved to benefit the poor – through the cultivation of fodder, medicinal plants (both for domestic consumption and sale), and other plants that can be used for income generation (eg. Agave to provide fibre).

Read about CPR Management activities in PRAWARDA  SAMUHA MYRADA