Chapter II
Vana Samrakshana Samithies Participatory Forest Management (PFM) provides an opportunity to sensitize the people residing in and around the forest areas that 'Forest is a common property resource and it has to be respected and utilized as such'. This in turn warrants empowering the community to protect and manage the natural resources in perpetuity. Traditional forest management practices neglected the needs and aspirations of the forest dependent community on the justification that "Forest land of any locality is meant to produce materials and services for the State as a whole". It restricted the people from appropriating forest resources and as a result they kept on intruding the forests. The conflict in interests was detrimental to both the people and the Forest Department. Self-restrained legitimate utilization of forest resources thus became necessary. *
The PFM approach addresses mainly to the following issues: -
· Forest fires,
· Grazing;
· Unsustainable harvest of Non Timber Forest Products (NTFP) such as green manure, firewood, medicinal herbs and poles;
· Man animal conflicts;
· Encroachments;
· Smuggling;
· Ganja cultivation;
· Poaching wild animals; and
· Environmental degradations.Vana Samrakshana Samithies (VSS) are community organizations, comprising of families living in and around the forest areas, is responsible for forest protection, management and community development. It is a committee of stakeholders of forest resources in a designated forest area. VSS is the connecting link between Forest Department and individual forest users.
The Vana Samrakshana Samithi is empowered to function by means of prescribed registration with the Forest Department to manage and protect forests based on the micro plan approved by the Conservator of Forests. They function on the basis of a memorandum of understanding entered into with the Forest Department. Financial assistance is provided to these Samithies through Forest Development Agencies (FDAs). FDAs are confederations of not more than 50 Vana Samrakshana Samithies, wherein all line departments are represented. The execution, monitoring and evaluation of the micro plan is vested with the Samithies. Technical and policy support are given by the Forest Department. The emphasis is on building up of self-reliant forest communites so as to devote their knowledge, skill and manpower for the conservation of forest-bio-diversity. Forest Department has an active role in forest protection and management whereas Community development is the responsibility of the Vana Samrakshana Samithies.There are primarily two types of Vana Samrakshana Samithies viz. the Fringe area VSS and Tribal VSS. The Fringe area VSS consists of families inhabiting villages adjacent to forest areas. Tribal villages inhabiting forest areas constitute the tribal VSS; which is equivalent to Oorukoottam.
PFM requires sharing of forest produces with local communities 10% of profits from plantations raised by VSS and 100% of NTFPs are the share of VSS. Villagers co-operate to protect forests in exchange for a share in the usufruct and final harvest. The ownership of forest lands remains with the State whereas communities are involved in its protection and regeneration.
This two pronged approach is aimed at increasing the stake of the neighbouring communities in the management and utilization of the forests and creating alternative sources of employment to reduce the pressure on forests. These include work on tree planting and regenerating activities, building sources of drinking water supply, approach roads, schools, check-dams and other facilities.
Thus VSS is a means to promote§ Bio-diversity conservation;
§ Empowerment of local people giving them greater responsibility for forest management and increasing motivation to conserve the forests;
§ Equity, through management of forests, and eventually ; and
§ The improvement of local livelihoods through sustainable resource utilisation and income generation opportunities.The long-term process of transforming the management system based on policing and bureaucracy into one of people centered and empowerment oriented system enabling social participation can be accomplished only by monitoring and corrective measures.