1023-C1

MANAGEMENT OF FORESTS (CPR) BY THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE: A SUCCESSFUL STORY OF TWO VILLAGES IN ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA

Dr. LSN Prasad ¹

ABSTRACT

It is historically proven that forest resources are recognized as a source of wealth in developing countries. Large number of people in these countries are depending on forests for their livelihood. There is a lot of evidence that forests stimulate the economic growth and as a result they increase the employment opportunities in the developing economies. But the people are not treating the forests as their own forests. Governments are also not vesting any responsibilities on the people with regarding to the development of forests.

In this paper a successful story of the two villages in India is presented with statistical data. Two types of forest management with the involvement of the people is discussed . The concentration is on management of common property where the people has to manage the resource. The schemes initiated by the government such as Joint Forest Management and Vana Samrakshana Samithi are discussed in detal . By the community management of forests people treate them as common property with some rules and regulations framed by themselves for the people who are the dependent on the forests. generate themselves the income and employment opportunities. In the successful management of the forest, there are some dos and dont's are also given.

NEED OF THE HOUR:

There is a lot of evidence that forests stimulate the economic growth and increase the employment opportunities in the developing economies. Because of various reasons such as demand for fuel wood, for housing and house hold furniture there was a depletion of forest resources in these economies. This is true in the case of India. The developing economies, even though it is late, recognize that there is grater need not only in protecting the depleted forest resources but also to manage them properly for revenue generation, social development and mostly for environmental cause. The Earth Summit recognized the importance of forests but also in management aspects. Some countries, which are depending on the imports of fuel, are depending on fire wood for fuel. Since there is unreliability with regarding the supply, there is an increase demand for fuel in the countries like , India, and Nepal etc.

In the developing world, the forest resources are considered as an important source for meeting plan investments. They are also considered as a source for earning foreign exchange. In this regard the developing countries such as India requires various management plans not only to protect the existing forest resources but also to develop them in a way to satisfy the twin objectives of good environment and creating income and employment to the people who are depending on the forests. In this context people's involvement is the need of the hour. " With the modern environmental movements around the world the governments in the developing countries are forced to go for new policies for forest management and development".

COMMON PROPERTY:

Earlier there was a land tenure system in this country . The fundamental weakness of the tenure system is that it fails to recognize forests values. It has recognized that forests are meant only for timber. Due to this we can not ensure that there was an efficient allocation of land for forest use. Then the idea of common property system was identified as the solution for efficient allocation of resources. With only common property rights we can develop the forests in an efficient manner and to derive the benefits to the entire stakeholders. The deficiencies in the forest tenure system will be wiped out.

WHAT IS COMMON PROPERTY:

Common property is anything that is shared by the group of individuals or a community itself to derive the benefits in an utmost manner by utilizing the property. We see the common property in various dimensions. It may be a water source, a road or a forest. To derive optimum benefits from the common property and to manage them most efficiently one must have certain essential characteristics. The benefits must reach the individual. He can exercise his or her rights with out interference from out side or from the government. He has to get incentives (returns) by his actions (Management). In this there will not be any restriction. He can also realize the future benefits. The benefits must also be divisible and transferable. He will be allowed to reallocate his resources to highest use. There will not be any uncertainty about any other elements or their enforceability against their past. (Randall 1957).These considerations suggest that sustainable use of common-property resources is indeed possible but requires certain special conditions. They are:

1. The number of parties sharing access to the resource is small.
2. The parties sharing access repeatedly interact with each other over a long period.
3. Such parties share the harvests in an equitable fashion: and
4. Such parties are linked to each other by bonds of kinship or reciprocation in context of additional resources to use.

THE NATURE AND MAGINITUDE OF THE CPR PROBLEM:

The common pool natural resources in Ethiopia comprise a highly diverse set of resources such as village pasture lands, revenue lands, lakes, rivers, streams, groundwater basins, protected and unclassified forest lands, village fish ponds, inshore marine fisheries ect.

SOME NOTES ON THE MISUSE OF CLASSIC WRITINGS IN ECONOMICS ON THE SUBJECT OF COMMON PROPERTY: A BRIEF OVERVIEW

One of the first economists in this century to deal with the question of common property was kappa in 1950. The classical economists like David Ricardo also discussed the management of the common property. It is important to note however that for this author common property is by no means a problem, but rather a type of use which was "...jealously regulated by habits and institutional restrictions imposed by custom" (Kappa, 1970, p.112). It was only a few years later, thanks largely to the works of Gordon (1954) and Scott (1955) concerning fisheries, that common property came to be viewed as a problem that supposedly hindered the efficient management of a fishing bank. In the opinion of these two authors, "everybody's property is nobody's property", so that the fish tended to be over caught.

1. Unrestricted access to the resources system by all those who care to use it.
2. Some type of adverse interaction among the users of the system.

FORESTS AT CROSS ROADS:

In also most all developing countries like in India the governments owns the forests. The govt impose various restrictions and rules in the use of forest resources. Most of the rules that the government frame to develop the forests are partially or totally failed. they are not even followed by the govt. It is very common in Asia and in south Asia. The rules that are framed are not clearly defined and the corruption among the forest officers made the rules inefficient. It gives a chance to the law breakers. It is a well-known fact that there is a lot of corruption in felling trees, extraction, transport and sale of produce. We cannot eradicate the corruption in the forest system without removing the underlying causes.

MANAGEMENT OF FORESTS:

The efficient management of the forest in developing countries is direly needed. But it is very difficult. We cannot substitute the needs of the rural people who are depending on the forest. To make optimum use of forest resources to the people who are depending on forests must manage them most efficiently. There are different systems of management of forests with the involvement of the people. They are

1.SOCIAL FORESTRY:

The social forestry is a novel method developed in some of the Asian countries such as in India. In this system the forests are managed as an integrated and comprehensive for multiple use. This is developed during the last decade of the 20 ^th centenary. The main cause for this change is the development of democracy in society, with the development of information technology. In this method the government take the responsibility of developing the forests in an area where land is available. This will be given to the people for getting the yield from the forest. The area that is to be chosen, the land where there was a forest earlier. The forest official will assist and supervise the activities of the people in the development of forests. The professional guidance help the forest management to have sustainability in the development of the forests.

2.JOINT FOREST MANAGEMENT:

In this method forest areas will be given to some groups of people or communities with the assistance of the government officials. The yielding will be shared by the both government and the people who are involved in the management of forests. In this aspects the people who are managing the forest and the forest officials are to be very cautious both in management and in sharing.

3.VANA SAMRAKSHANA SAMITHI: (Forest protection Associations )

This method is followed in India. In this type of management, the land will be given to a group of families are a community . They develop the forests with the help of the government. Some people from the community usually work in the development of forests. They will get his wage. After five or six years the community will share the yield.

SUCCESSFUL STORIES OF MOTADAKA AND NIDUMUKKALA VILLAGES, ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA

The above two villages are the best example of the successful and efficient management of the management of the forests. By their total involvement there is a lot of social economic and cultural development in these villages. Before 1995, these villages are just in the part of under development and searching for the government funds. Now the story is rewritten.

Two schemes were sanctioned to these villages, since they are nearby the forests. The two schemes are Joint Forest Management and Vana Samkshrana Samithi. The below table gives the details.

Table I

With the above example the efficient management of the forests by the people and for the people will generate the employment and incomes to the people who depending on the forests. Due to this there is

1. The ratio of expenditure on food items in total income increased.
2. the enrolment in the school is increased , particularly the girls enrolment is increased.
3. People in the village have established a adult literacy center. By this the visitors to the local library is also increased.

EFFICIENT MANAGEMENT OF FORESTS:

The management of forest will be very difficult unless the government involves the people. There is a good management and bad management. When it is a common property everyone has the responsibility in the development of the forests. There are three groups for the successful development of the forests involved to develop in a sustainable way.

A) Community (Stake Holder)

1. Members must be restricted to the families surrounded the forest land
2. Using the forestland, which is allocated for agricultural purpose, will not be allowed to use for non- agricultural purpose.
3. The members are free to sell their part of his production.
4. Members must manage the forest on an individual and co-operative basis. Each one has to play a complementary role.
5. Members must be restricted to the families those who are living either in the forests or in its surroundings.

b) Government:

In spite of various management methods, the government has a greater roll for sustainable development of forests. The below points must be considered.

1. The government should choose suitable locations for the growth of the forests or protecting the forests.
2. The government should supply the seeds and seedlings to the community.
3. It has to play an advisory role in the development and sharing of revenue from the forests
4. The government should organize the training courses, and establish the forest colleges.
5. Bank loans must be supplied to the private forest holders.

c) Management aspect:

Managers of forests make every body understand that forest and trees are essential to sage guard to the welfare and well being of the members of the society. The people at the helm of affairs are expected to manage the forest resources for maximization of returns. The management has to think of the below points.

1. It has to preserve the forest reserves.
2. Investment at local level must be encouraged.
3. There should be a balance between short-term objectives and long-term objectives.
4. Illegal activities must be curbed.

CONCLUSION:

Managers of forests make every body understand that forests are very necessary to the modern world. The UN resolution that every country must have at least 33 % of its geographical area under forests. Because of industrialization the world is becoming very polluted. It is high time to think of the development of forests in the countries like Ethiopia. The managing of the forest in the developing countries is very much in need but difficult. We cannot substitute the needs of the rural people who are depending on forest particularly for firewood and fodder. There is a reluctance of the forest officers to do their work carefully and efficiently. Unless there is a commitment in all the members it impossible to protect and develop the forests.

¹ Dept of Economics Hindu College, Guntur
India, [email protected]

The author is a Social Scientist , Professor of Economics, and The President , Society for Peoples Involvement and Development, (NGO) which is working for the betterment and empowerment of the downtrodden.
Paper is presented in the World Forestry congress, to be held in Quebec, Canada.