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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Draft National Forest Policy sets up another battle over Forest Rights Act -Nitin Sethi

Draft National Forest Policy sets up another battle over Forest Rights Act -Nitin Sethi

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published Published on Jun 19, 2016   modified Modified on Jun 19, 2016
-Business Standard

Integrates climate change concerns and promotes private investment and role in forestry

The NDA government has made public its draft National Forest Policy to replace the one that was crafted in 1988. Incorporating consequences of climate change but entirely ignoring one of the three forest related laws, the Forest Rights Act, the policy brings new focus to plantations, growing trees outside the forest lands  and wood industry.

While the policy continues with the existing national goal to have a minimum of one third of the total geographical area under forest or tree cover, it does away with the goal for hill and mountainous regions to maintain two-third of the geographical area forest cover.

Promising to set up a parallel arrangement to the Forest Rights Act, the policy proposes to launch a new Community Forest Management Mission bringing government, community and private lands under the new proposed management system.

Drafted by the Indian Institute of Forest Management, the research arm of the environment ministry, the policy moots that special communities at the gram sabha (village council) level be created to take over management of forests. The plans prepared by the gram sabhas for their forestlands would also have to be vetted by the forest department based on rules prepared for the same such as the wider management plans the forest department prepares.

The policy released for public comments on June 16 for only 15 days ignores that the Forest Rights Act was promulgated in 2006 to take back control from the forest department of traditional forest lands and give it over to the tribals and other forestdwellers.  The act gave communities complete management control over their lands with the forest department's role substantially diminished.

The forest departments had previously too run participatory forest management systems but with the final veto of the departments over the lands and the use of the resources, the demand for greater rights to tribals and forest dwellers had picked pace and found political support during the previous NDA regime. This culminated in the Forest Rights Act during the UPA regime.  

Ever since a prolonged battle has ranged between communities, the tribal affairs ministry, forest officials and some conservation groups for control of the forest resources and the management. The FRA gave the communities to protect the forestlands as well as earn from their sustainable use. The policy, now proposes to put in place a country wide mechanism, picking up from what some state forest departments have already attempted (http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/maharashtra-government-takes-back-control-of-forest-trade-116030900548_1.html).

In its focus on producing supply for the wood industry through farm forestry, the policy recommends putting in place contracts between the industries and farmers termed as 'pre-production' agreements which would fix both price and quantity. The policy says, "Large-scale expansion of agro-forestry and farm forestry should be encouraged through commensurate incentives and operational support systems such as lowering the input costs and enabling access to reasonably priced quality planting material."

The draft policy comes at the time when the environment ministry is in the middle of finalising details of investment by the private sector in forestry in government lands, a decision that successive governments have avoided since the 80s. While such proposals have been mooted in the past too they were smacked down with concerns over the rights of the millions dependent directly or indirectly on the forestlands being restricted.  A preliminary guideline for kick-starting PPP mode investment in government forests has already been shared with the state governments.

The policy also asks that: "Climate change concerns should be effectively factored into all the forest and wildlife areas management plans and Community Ecosystem Management Plans."

For the first time the policy also asks for management plans for community forests, parks, garden and woodlands to be brought to manage urban forest cover and to nurture and sustain urban health, clean air and related benefits.

Alongside it also proposes that a national forest ecosystems management information system should be developed and made operational using the latest information and communication technology to ensure regular flow of comprehensive and reliable information. This web based system should be available for public use, the policy recommends.

Business Standard, 19 June, 2016, http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/draft-national-forest-policy-sets-up-another-battle-over-forest-rights-act-116061900129_1.html


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