EVALUATION AND BENEFIT SHARING OF JOINT FOREST MANAGEMENT IN HIMACHAL PRADESH
Loading...
Date
2016
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The present study entitled “Evaluation and Benefit Sharing of Joint Forest Management in Himachal
Pradesh” was conducted in the total 18 JFMCs of 6 forest development agencies (FDAs) of the state, using random
sampling technique to select the sample. A sample of 206 respondents was selected from the 18 selected JFMCs. The
results revealed that average family size at overall level comprises of 6.45 persons and the sex ratio was 946 females
per thousand males in the study area. The overall literacy rate was found to be 85.64 per cent while literacy index was
only 2.18. The size of land holding per family head varied from 0.331 ha in Dehra FDA to 1.655 ha for Kullu FDA
whereas, average holding on overall basis was found to be 0.761 ha. The cropping intensity was worked out to be
169.68 per cent at overall level and was found highest in Palampur division (193.64 %). The share of income derived
from forests in total income was only 4.25 % in the study area. The level of inequality in total income among the
sample households at an overall level was 0.31 and varied from 0.22 in Una division to 0.43 in Sundernagar. As on 1st
February, 2016 there are 1562 registered JFMCs in Himachal Pradesh which are involved in execution of National
Afforestation Programme out of which only 963 were active. There has been an increase in the total number of the
FDAs from 11 to 36 from 2007 to 2011, however, the funds outlay to the FDAs decreased significantly from 644.11
lakhs in 2007-08 for 11 FDAs to 62.59 lakhs in 2014-15 for 36 FDAs. In the selected FDAs, the total number of
JFMCs were 172 out of which only 80 were found to be active. The number of executive committee members varied
from minimum of 8 in Thore and Dhamasan JFMCs to a maximum of 28 in Badoo Kandi JFMC. Among 18 JFMCs, 7
failed to fulfill the condition of minimum 33 per cent female members in the executive committee in the study area.
The expenditure of 41.95 lakh rupees has been made in the selected JFMCs during 2005-06 to 2015-16 and maximum
expenditure of 12.47 lakh rupees was incurred in the JFMCs of Dehra FDA. It was also found that the funding to the
JFMCs were meagre and also not provided regularly. Among all FDAs except the Dehra and Paonta Sahib shows the
decline in the expenditure and employment growth rate over the years. The employment of 23463 mandays has been
generated in the selected JFMCs during 2005-06 to 2015-16. Maximum employment of 5249 mandays was generated
in Dehra FDA. Since the inception of JFMCs 336 ha area was covered under new plantation, 69 check dam/ retaining
walls, 26 water harvesting structures, 10 vermicomposting pits, 3 nurseries and 21 path construction, tialas, kuhls road
repair work etc. was done in the area. During the past 29 years, the forest cover in the state has registered an increase
of 2115 sq. km to 14997 sq. km during 1987 to 2015. The results of the people participation at various stages of JFM
programme reveals that at an overall level the participation index in the planning stage, implementation stage and
maintenance stage was found to be 60.29, 51.32 and 61.53 per cent. There is almost equal participation of the
households of general caste and the other caste and the APL as well as BPL at an overall level. The study also
concluded that the annual income from community forest is higher for small and marginal, and poor households than
that of rich households. Lack of involvement of local institutions in micro plan, lack of budgetary support to micro
plan, lack of incentives to the village leadership, operational clash between agriculture & JFM activities, failure to
address the social factors, and delay in payments were observed to be the main constraints in the effective
implementation of JFM programme in the study area.
Description
Keywords
participation, forest management, area, policies, biological phenomena, forestry, economics, meat, forest resources, land resources