Assessment of community-based initiatives in sustainable management of Indian dry deciduous forests

The introduction of the Joint Forest Management (JFM) programme in India as a part of community forestry initiatives from the late 1980s was an internationally recognised successful effort in forest restoration. Its achievements were most pronounced in the Sal (Shorea robusta)-dominated tropical dry deciduous forests of eastern and south-eastern states of India. However, these forests, and consequently the marginal people dependent on them for their livelihood, have increasingly faced multidimensional challenges in the past 15 years in the context of sustainable forest management. An overall assessment of the management scenario for these community forests and formulation of some guidelines towards better management was carried out on the basis of intensive case studies in the Nayagram Forest Range of West Bengal, India. Socio-economic as well as ecological aspects of sustainable forestry were analysed on the basis of criteria and indicators of community-oriented forestry. Functioning of a forest protection community as a cohesive group was found to be the major determinant in achieving sustainability in forest management. Maintenance of such institutional sustainability is recommended for better conservation of these highly stressed forest lands.