Community Forest Management in the Nakina Van Panchayat (ອິນເດຍ)

ງົບປະມານປະຈຳປີ ໃນກິດຈະກຳ ການຄຸ້ມຄອງທີ່ດິນແບບຍືນຍົງ ທີ່ເປັນສະກຸນເງິນໂດລາ

ການບໍລິການ ຫຼື ສິ່ງກະຕຸກຊຸກຍູ້ ດັ່ງລຸ່ມນີ້ ແມ່ນໄດ້ສະໜອງໂດຍຜູ້ນຳໃຊ້ທີ່ດິນເອງ

• ການສະໜັບສະໜູນ ທາງດ້ານການເງິນ / ອຸປະກອນ ສະໜອງໃຫ້ແກ່ຜູ້ນໍາທີ່ດິນ
• ຫຼຸດປັດໃຈນໍາເຂົ້າ
• ສິນເຊື່ອ
• ສິ່ງຈູງໃຈ ຫຼື ເຄື່ອງມືອື່ນໆ

Van Panchayats come from a grassroots organization. In the case of Nakina Village, has improved coordination across a multitude of stakeholders, including the village, local government institutions and NGOS.

As Van Panchayat members are given the freedom to control and manage forest resources, and external institutions have recognized the need to enhance their operations and decision-making processes through trainings (carried out by the Forest Department). Under one such programme at FRI (Forest Research Institute), Dehradun, training on Forest Panchayat management, plantation techniques and fire control methods was given to Nakina VP members.

With their own resources, indigenous knowledge, trainings and support from collaborative projects, the approach was a successful mechanism of formal organization for the village. Having legal backup to enforce the rules and regulations developed by the forest users themselves is an effective method to implement and maintain SLM technologies.

Local NGOs like Swati Gramodyog Sansthan and HSS (Himalayan Sewa Samiti), Pithoragarh have given their support to Nakina Van Panchayat by providing plants and planting techniques and some financial assistance. T

There is financial resources available to the Nakina VP (via the joint bank account). This is largely due to the recent projects and remaining funds from external organizations (JICA, MNEGRA), however there is constrained space in accessing those funds as the Forest Department has the main authority for financial decisions. Mr. Joshi (Sarpanch, village head) does not have a comprehensive idea of the budget allocation for the village nor the direct freedom to decide how to use these funds. However, he is personally close to the forest staff and regularly communicates the VP propositions and can get clarification on fund management and be granted access to the money with a staff member's signature.

Through instruments of education, motivation and persuasion, this approach has helped the VP an forest users realize their potentials to improve the resource base and their livelihoods.

With coordinating NGOs, research institutions, the forest departments and land users, a triangulation of knowledge transfer is encouraged. This platform for the village communities to voice their needs and perceptions is essential for other stakeholders to effectively navigate the future course of these hilly regions and for recognition of true resource capacities.

The approach and active engagement of the Nakina VP has helped different stakeholders realize the need to play more active roles in keeping the institutions alive and effective by brining the communities to the center stage of decision making and promoting participatory forest management at the grassroots level. All levels of organization need to be involved in the preparations of plans/schemes for economic development. G.B. Pant is currently orchestrating a project that will further develop Nakina Forest into a complete "Model-ecosystem Forest" as a leading example of VP forest management and regeneration strategies through more plantations and long-term springshed management.

Ad hoc changes in village boundaries and poor boundary demarcation of village forests, inequitable distribution of forests among villages, and inattention to conflict management among villages have soured inter-village relations in many cases. However, the Nakina VP has been exceptional in mitigating disputes between forest resources and other villages. They are very open to collaboration and organizing with others, like VP members of the Digtoli village. In general, the good communication and neighborly relations have only been enhanced with the approach. This has been recognized by others (villages, external stakeholders)

According to Van Panchayat Rules, 2005, (Rule 7) 4 seats are reserved for women of whom one is for SC/ST. As members of the Nakina VP are led by acutely forest-dependent women, this provides more accessible space for community forest management to poor women and marginalized groups. This, being outside the framework of complicated bureaucratic procedures and controls, is an impactful initiative for immediate empowerment of such groups at the local level.

Mr. Joshi, the head of the VP, has actively been incorporating the younger generations in participatory processes, such as meetings and involvement in interventions. This is often tied with celebratory events in the forest, to merge the social/cultural and conservation aspect into one. However, due to economic opportunities and outmigration their is a lack of interest to participate in the VP and with agriculture activities in general, as it does not demonstrate a promising stable income. Modernity has drastically changes the peoples' aspirations and incomes. Mr. Joshi suggests that if there was a change in policy to fix a salary for committee members, the next generation would be involved and management activities could be carried out effectively with full-time commitment.

Nakina VP demonstrates the vast potential of the approach, as they have institutionally restored the ownership and sustainable management of forest to the village community. However, there is dual control of the revenue and forest department on Van Panchayats. All administrative powers are vested in the revenue department and the technical powers are the forest department .This dual distribution of powers often leads to delay in decisions and can create confusion. Placing a forest department functionary as the joint account holder and member secretary inside Van Panchayats can shift institutional accountability to the Forest Department and away from forest users.

Due to protection of forest resources and improved forest resource, there has been more security of the fuel, fodder, water nexus in Nakina. This increased resource availability has in had direct and indirect positive effects for the land users, i.e. increased on-farm productivity from more fodder and drinking water availability via restoration of springs.

The direct benefits of improved access to water by sustainable forest management were felt just recently by the people of Nakina Village (Dry season, 2019). The improved spring discharge in the Vaishnavi and Bhind Naula have allowed the village to be independent from using the neighboring village's spring water. Still, Nakina is dependent on external water sources to meet their domestic needs. These are unreliable, and consequently the village is still facing acute water shortages in the dry season.

Dried and fallen leaves (which are used as liter and for making compost), grasses, fuelwood, and timber for home construction all are provided by the forest. As the village access to energy (i.e. gas cylinders, electricity) is not always available, forest fuel is necessary to meet the energy needs. The Nakina VP plays a key role in managing these resources, and with SLM of the forest there is future potential to support the use of biofuels made from woody biomass.

The Nakina VP works to sensitize people about practices contributing to climate change and measures to reduce it. They are initiators to disseminate SLM practices for adaptation. In this sense, the VP acts as the main task force manage the land to cope with extreme events and equipping of local communities.

Though there is more money and time saved by increased resource availability, the Van Panchayat can not really raise money and sell surplus forest produce from the area to the right holders for their domestic use. They need prior approval of the Divisional forest officer (OFO), an action which has yet to be taken. If Nakina VP decides to do this, they are permitted to sell fallen twigs, trees branches and grasses to the villagers.