Federation of community organisations in joint forest management: a case from India

SUMMARY

Central to the debate on sustainability of joint forest management (JFM) initiatives in India, lie strategies to strengthen the existing institutional set up. An important aspect of this debate has been consolidation of community organizations at various levels. While the local village organizations form the bedrock of JFM initiatives at the micro level, at the regional level, over the years, the concept of federal bodies of village organizations with diversity of structures and functions has been a very important phenomenon taking place in several states of the country. Taking the case of JFM in Haryana, this study explores the various aspects of formation of federation of village level organizations in JFM, known as Hill Resource Management Societies (HRMS). Based on the findings, it elaborates some of the operational issues which need to be taken into consideration before developing the federation. It concludes that such a set up would not only augment the synergistic and productive relationships with respect to resource management and conservation but also enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the JFM programme in Haryana.

Keywords:

• India
• joint forest management
• sustainability
• community organizations
• federation