Forest ecosystem, as a natural resource
base, provides benefits that
support the livelihoods of countless
human beings. Forests provide a
wide range of timber and non-timber
produces, including fuelwood,
fodder, food, medicines etc., which
act as natural resource inputs that
are then converted into economic
outputs and thus contribute towards
the livelihoods of the people.
The quality of the forest and the
pattern of forest management determine
its productivity and flow
of natural forest products for generating
livelihood options for the
people. The productivity and sustainable
harvesting pattern of a
particular forest, in turn, determine
the volume of forest resources
available for the livelihood of the
community dependent on forest.
Thus, there is a direct link between
the quality of the forest resource
base and the sustainability of the
livelihood of the community for its
survival, assuming that the forest
is managed on a sustainable basis.
But there are other factors as well
that influence sustainable forest
management and - by extension -
the sustainability of the livelihood
of people.
The increasing depletion of India’s
forest resources has brought into
sharp focus the inherent inadequacies
of traditional, state owned and
run systems of forest management
in sustaining the forest resource
base. The National Forest Policy
1988 of India envisages people’s
involvement in the development
and protection of forests to meet
the growing demands for fodder,
firewood and timber. The policy
talks about “creating a massive
people’s movement, with the involvement
of women, for achieving
these objectives and to minimize
pressure on existing forests”.
Based on the above policy, the Joint
Forest Management (JFM)
programme has been implemented
to strengthen community institutions
as well as institutions of the
Forest Departments (FD) of the
states for sustainable forest management.
Joint Forest Management
(JFM) seeks to forge partnerships
between forest fringe user
groups and the Forest Department
on the basis of mutual trust and a
jointly defined set of roles and responsibilities
with regard to forest
protection and development.
Sustainable forest management
integrates two interdependent
goals- ‘well being of the forest’ and
‘well being of the people’.
Sustainability rests on the principle
that we must meet the basic
livelihood needs of the present
without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their
needs. Therefore, sustainability of
both natural and human resources
is of prime importance.
Sustainability of human resources
involves assessment of social
capital and assignment of
responsibilities for management of
resources. Sustainability of natural
resources, on the other hand, calls
for maintaining or enhancing this
vital resource base in the long
term.
Understanding sustainability needs
a perspective on systems. System,
in this context, is envisioned in its
broadest possible sense - from the
individual member of the Joint
Forest Management Committee
(JFMC) to the social and
ecosystem. An emphasis on the
system leads to a clearer and
better understanding of the
consequences of forest management
practices on human
communities and the environment.
A systems approach gives us the
tools to explore the interconnections
between Silvicultural
practices and other aspects of the
environment. |