Cambridgeharda project policy paper 02 rights issues in. Government may or may not exercise authority over some aspects of forest management, including harvesting and marketing forest products. The issue is of crucial importance considering that forest landscapes cover over 23% of the country and aff ect the livelihoods. Community forest rights the scheduled tribes and other traditional forest dwellers recognition of forest rights act, 2006 hereafter forest rights act or fra, came into force in 2008. Broadly defined, cbf encompasses the management of forest lands and forest resources by or with local people, individually or in groups, and for commercial or noncommercial purposes. Protection of core areas establishment of critical wildlife. The implementation of community forest cf rights and community forest resource cfr rights under the forest rights act 2006 fra can transform forest governance and rural livelihoods in india the recognition of cfcfr rights under the fra provides the indian state with a historic opportunity to implement the largest land reform ever in india. These forest areas have commercial timber andor practical potential for timber production.
The issue of forest rights in india can be interpreted from diff erent perspectives depending on whether one is a forest dweller, forest offi cial, environmentalist, economist or social activist. It aspires to undo the historic injustice meted out to forest dependent communities by recognizing and vesting in them the rights to use, manage and conserve. Where and why has devolution of forest rights contributed to better governance and livelihoods. How protecting forest community rights fights global climate change deforestation is a major contributor to climate change, as forests and the many forms of life they support are important for. National consultation on community forest resource rights and governance 11th and 12th december 2015, new delhi as part of community forest rights learning and advocacy process cfrla, kalpavriksh and vasundhara with support from oxfam organised the annual consultation on community forest resource rights cfr provisions of the forest rights.
The rights and resources initiative rri is a global coalition of international, regional, and community organizations advancing forest tenure, policy and market reforms. The basic issue that was aimed to be redressed through this initiative is to recognize the traditional rights that the forest dwelling scheduled tribes and other traditional forest dwellers have been enjoying over the forest land for decades altogether without getting any sanction from the government in form of a legally valid title and possession over such lands. Forest rights scheduled tribes and other traditional. Forest conservation approaches must recognise the rights. This paper summarises the views expressed by project. Pdf on oct 9, 2011, christoph schurr and others published shared property in forests property rights and their implementation in common and community forests find, read and cite all the. The act aims to provide a framework which recognizes and vests forest rights in forestdwelling. It has also been called the forest rights act, the tribal rights act, the tribal bill, and the tribal land act. Recognizing our rights to live in the forest is part of the solution to climate change. Village forest rights committee the village forest rights committee consists of 1015 members elected at the gram sabha one third of the members should be women the committee has right to ask any department for documents and proofs needed by the people, the committee inspects the actual site makes. After multiple attempts, mgsa and the frc ended up mobilising 4000 villagers to gherao lay siege to the local government office in malthon, carrying out a dharna peaceful sitin protest. Community forest rights at a glance about the cfrla process despite the potential of the cfr provisions of the act, few communities have been able to utilize them, since there is a widespread lack of awareness regarding these provisions, and the implementation of the act is still focused on recognition of individual forest rights3. Box 487 sante fe, nm 87504 5059950000 what is community forestry and why does it matter.
Box 11 taylorsville, ca 95983 5302841022 national community forestry center ajit krishnaswamy, coordinator co national network of forest practitioners p. The recognition and vesting of forest rights under this act to the forest dwelling scheduled tribes and to other traditional forest dwellers in relation to any state or union territory in respect of forest land and their habitat shall be subject to the condition that such scheduled tribes or tribal communities or other traditional forest dwellers had occupied forest land before the th day. Potential for recognition of community forest resource. Most rights to access and use forest products held by forest owners. These rights can be claimed both as individuals and as a community.
Community forest rights at a glance indiaenvironmentportal. B community rights such as nistar, by whatever name. It is a lie when kenya forest service says they are kicking us out to protect the forest. The madavan gouri forest rights committee hold a meeting to discuss their latest plan of action. In state forests, harvesting products for personal use is allowed, but. City of soldotna urban forest management plan 32012 pdf sitka urban forest management plan 720 pdf anchorage forestland assessment and management plandraft 92010 pdf anchorage forests. The forest belongs to the community cifor forests news. The context the issue of forest rights in india can be interpreted from diff erent perspectives depending on whether one is a forest dweller, forest offi cial, environmentalist, economist or social activist. Community forest agreements province of british columbia. Empirical linkages between devolved tenure systems and forest conditions. Community forest rights under the forest rights act. Forest governance is largely based on a combination of formal and informal regulation of forest use by governments, companies, communities and other forest users.
Kalpavriksh and vasundhara in collaboration with oxfam india on behalf of community forest rights learning and advocacy process. Scheduled tribes and other traditional forest dwellers recognition of forest rights act, 20062 of 2007 under the notification of the government of india in the ministry of tribal affairs number g. The concept covers a range of activities including indigenous management of sacred sites of cultural importance, smallholder forestry. Local community attitudes toward forests outside protected. It facilitates the exchange of information and experiences related to the community forest rights cfr provisions of the forest rights act. Rights for forest dwellers welcome to forest rights act. Forest dwellers recognition of forest rights amendment rules, 2012 has been published in the gazette of india, extraordinary, part ii section 3 subsection i, dated 19. The scheduled tribes and other traditional forest dwellers. The social costs of forest conservation have been generally underappreciated and advocacy for nature conservation reveals a lack of awareness of the.
This report is an outcome of the community forest rightslearning and advocacy cfrla process, initiated in 2011. They address the general implementation practices relevant to community forestry, leaving detailed technical aspects to be covered by technical guidelines and toolboxes. Community forest rights at a glance india, south asia. The community forestry guidelines provided in this document aim to offer practical procedural and operational guidance for the establishment and management of community forests. Act, rules and guidelines a right to hold and live in the forest land under the individual or common occupation for habitation or for selfcultivation for livelihood by a member or members of a forest dwelling scheduled tribe or other traditional forest dwellers. Giving forest ownership and use rights to indigenous communities is meant to fulfill the legal obligations of the government and stimulate economic development, while also reducing local deforestation rates and rural poverty. A national report on community forest rights under forest.
It undermines the foundational position of forests, prepares them to become a playground for profits and minimally serves the interests of the marginalised. An assessment of their conservation effectiveness across the tropics luciana porterbollanda. Among the rights vested under the fra, community rights cr under section 31 and rights to. In recent years rural communities have come to recognize the key. Forest ecology and management center for international. National consultation on community forest resource rights. It reinforces national level efforts for evidencebased advocacy on cfrs. Undermining the foundational position of the forest savyasaachi this essay argues that the forest rights act 2006 is designed on the principles of labour teleology. As such, new policies are claims are, however, taking more time. Community forests support new options in recreation, wildlife and watershed management for communities and a. Recognition of community forest rights under the forest. Rules and regulations often support important values and public policy goals, including conservation and biodiversity protection, says lawry. The traditional right established after forest right act 2006. Dwellers recognition of forest rights act, 2006 no.
There were effective channels for learning from past field implementation of community forestry. The forest belongs to the community, managed under customary control. The rights to the forest for marketoriented timber production have been allocated. With support from the multilateral investment fund mif of the interamerican development bank idb, we have produced a series of ten case studies. It is through this process, or rather its shortcomings, that forest rights were curtailed by the colonial regime and later by the independent republic saravanan 2009, as recognized by the preamble of the forest rights act government of india 2007. Impacts of community forestry on livelihoods in the middle. Before they came it was us who protected the forest.
Bilapaka, with a population of 480, was one of the 44 villages in the core and buffer areas of the tiger reserve whose community forest resource rights, better known as community forest rights cfr, were recognised in april, under the scheduled tribes and other traditional forest dwellers recognition of forest rights act, 2006, better known as the forest rights act fra. Concession forests forest areas accessed by local people, within a forest concession allocated to a commercial company by the rgc. Sec 32 authorizes the government for diversion of forest land to provide the communities with the facilities towards education, health, connectivity. Recognition of community rights under forest rights act in. The rainforest alliance supports community forest enterprises cfes around the globe to improve forestry operations, organize sociallyequitable enterprises, and achieve greater competitiveness. Pdf shared property in forests property rights and. Community managed forests and forest protected areas.
Ownership and use rights held by individuals, households, groups or communities to manage forests and receive. The report is targeted at policymakers, practitioners, researchers, communities and civil society. These rights when claimed as a community are referred to as community forest rights or cfrs. A community forest is a forestry operation managed by a local government, community group, or first nation for the benefit of the entire community. The law concerns the rights of forestdwelling communities to land and other resources, denied to them. Cambridgeharda project policy paper 02 rights issues in the forest rights over land, especially for cultivation, are an important and contentious issue in the context of forestry and livelihoods. Steven lawry director, equal opportunities, gender, justice, and tenure, cifor 29 august 2017 2.
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