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SOCIAL FORESTRY
GAINING GROUND
DEPARTMENT OF FORESTS
GOVT. OF WEST BENGAL
H'tu/e lands!—unutilised resources in Purulia district.
The need for an appropriate Social Forestry Programme
in West Bengal becomes apparent if one examines the
forestry situation and its contribution to the State economy
or rural uplift. The State of West Bengal with a high
density of population has only 13-5% of the total
geographical area under forest cover. Per capita forest
area of about 0-02 ha. is one of the lowest in the country.
The forest area is not only small in extent but its
distribution is also lop-sided. The forest areas are in fact
concentrated in three well-defined pockets viz., in the
northern montane and sub-montane tracts, in the coastal
areas and in the south-western uplands. The rest of the
State which is generally an alluvial flat extending for about
800 k.m. from the coastal areas to the sub-montane
tracts has practically no forest cover. Additionally, the
forest area is not only small in extent but its quality
and productivity is also not uniform; in fact the total
productive forest area would hardly exceed 5% of the total
geographical area of the State.
Contribution of forestry and forest based-industries to the
State income was estimated around 2% in 1977. However,
it is to be appreciated that the authorities were so long
concerned with net revenue, financial rate of return and
such other indices of productivity and management
efficiency. In this process, forestry activities became
inevitably linked with the consumption pattern of the
relatively affluent urban society. Rural people were
benefited by wage income and concessional sale of low
grade forest produce and similar ‘fringe benefits’.
Untapped potential of the forest as a tool for rural
development, especially by meeting the daily needs of the
How lo plant ? What to plant ? A lady Motivator engaged in extension—
Jalpaiguri district.
A bid to reconstruct the future—rural people digging planting pits in Midnapur
district.
rural people, generating income and improvement of
their life-style, was never explored in the past.
The deterioration of the forest evoked a less responsible
concern for the forests by the local communities, who live
near the forests and suffer. This may be in the form of
repeated cutting of an already impoverished forest,
uncontrolled grazing, influx of population in search of
cultivable lands etc.
Such reaction of the people to forests, though
unfortunate, is not unpredictable as they have little stake
in a system which restricts their narrow range of
options merely in redistribution of penury.
The spatial pattern of development within the regions of
West Bengal more or less mirrors that of national space
economy. Service facilities and productive activities are
highly concentrated in a few urban centres. Large
disparities exist in the levels of development and standards
of living between urban population and those in the
hinterlands. Linkages between the peripheral rural areas
and town centres are weak. The limited access of rural
people to productive resources, social services and public
facilities perpetuate rural poverty. The frail linkage among
settlements within the region makes the spread of growth
from urbanised centres slow and uncertain.
In-depth study of agriculture and allied activities in the
rural areas of West Bengal reveals their high degree of
dependence on forests and forest products.
In particular, the dwellers around the forest fringe areas
depend much on the forest for their subsistence and
Planting pits in Burdivan district.
Preparation for planting in Bankura district.
day to day living. Such dependence has been there from
time immemorial. Unfortunately, because of a variety of
reasons, this intimate relationship has of late, warped.
Adverse conditions have, in fact, created a situation where
agricultural activities, the main-stay of rural West Bengal
are in jeopardy. The existing dilapidated forests are
incapable of bearing the burden of the growing population
and their ever increasing demands on forests, particularly
in the south-western parts of die State. This is
manifested by the existence of large depressed areas around
the forests in this region. Destructive pressure on the
forest areas can hardly be expected to abate in the present
condition unless the people around the forests are
provided with alternate means of living. The current social
forestry programme should, therefore, be viewed from the
angle of its being an exercise in local community
development rather than merely as one of tree plantation
and management.
Fortunately, the State administration and the policy
makers appreciated the deteriorating trend in forestry sector
and have embarked upon a community forestry
programme on an appreciable scale. The immediate
operational part of the programme consists of raising
plantations on a variety of lands which are mostly unused,
Trees offuture—Forest nursery in Kalyani, Nadia district.
Planting for creation of near resource—Darjeeling district.
under-used and mis-used. The ultimate objective is,
however, to integrate forestry as a tool for local community
development, beginning at the micro level, with active
participation of the local communities.
The operative part of the project consists of creation of the
following types of plantations—
A.
Establishment of 6,000 ha. village woodlots
B.
Reforestation of 15,000 ha. of degraded forests
C.
Creation of 20,000 ha. of strip plantation along roads,
irrigation canals, embankments, railway side lands,
tank fore-shores, etc.
D.
Establishment of 52,000 ha. of farm forestry on
individual holdings in rural areas.
It is expected that the above activities when promoted,
protected and diversified, would stimulate conditions for
local community development in the rural areas.
Afforestation of barren lands is also expected to have a
favourable impact on the land and environment especially
on recovering productivity of critical land areas outside
forest reserves. The underlying strategies adopted are
mainly—
(i) To reach a maximum number of small and
marginal farmers and landless farm labourers.
(it) To create community motive and increase
organisational and operational efficiency of the
Salvation lies in the group approach.
Stabilising the canal bank by creation of resources in Howrah district.
target population through a well scheduled
extension and communication system so that apart
from maintaining their woodlots they can also
assume control and management of village
woodlots, strip plantations and reforested govt.
forest lands, in due course (estimated at 7th-8th
year after establishment).
(iii) To utilise a variety of lands which are now lying
unutilised, under-utilised and mis-utilised, to meet
economic and environmental needs of the rural
people.
(in) To develop a viable production and management
system which would offer a better economic and
ecological option in land management in rural
areas.
(») To endeavour to achieve reorientation of the
attitude of the forestry professionals from purely
technical issues to those of sociological nature to
reach the stated objectives conceptually as well as
physically.
Tree planting to meet economic and environmental needs
is by itself a simple concept but its implementation is not.
There are various constraints which sometimes make tree
planting on an appreciable scale difficult. These constraints
An asset for the Gram Panchayat—Village Woodlot in Midnapur district.
are of various types—physical, financial, institutional and
sociological. The biggest physical constraint is obviously
lack of suitable land for tree planting. In a densely
populated State like West Bengal with acute land hunger
it is clearly unrealistic to expect availability of large
chunks of land for tree planting and far less to divert
agricultural land even of marginal quality for tree planting.
Accordingly, we endeavour to select only such areas
Another canal bank plantation—Midnapur district.
Subabul plantation—a new hope for the village community—24 Parganas
where appreciable quantities of waste lands or marginal
lands are available and also to encourage tree planting
in a diffused manner in the intensively cultivated areas.
In the south-western uplands there are considerable
tracts of waste lands which are almost exclusively rain-fed,
sheet eroded and generally degraded where agriculture is
not possible at least with the resources available with their
owners. These areas have been our prime target area.
In addition, attempts have been made to plant up
•available lands off road side, irrigation canal sides and such
other lands in narrow linear strips. It is on record and
one of some satisfaction that we have been able to
overcome these constraints as would appear from our
actual achievements against appraised targets as indicated
below:
A roadside plantation provides shade to the travellers.
Mixed woodlot on tank fore-shore in 24-Parganas district.
Component
Appraised Achievement
Likely
Targets
1981 to 1983 achievement
1981 to 1983
in ha.
1984
in ha.
ha.
Strip Plantation
5,300
5,700
4,447
Village Woodlot
1,960
1,149
489
Farm Forestry
14,780
20,704
15,157
Reforestation of
Degraded Forests
4,500
10,835
3,595
26,540
38,388
23,688
Total
The tree planting activities under the project started
rather hesitantly in 1981; but after two years of constant
interaction with the rural communities it appears that
this concept is fast catching up the ideas of the rural
people. Emergence of social forestry as a viable option in
land management has been the greatest success apart from
physical achievements. It appears that the untapped
potential of tree planting as a tool in rural development
particularly in areas where physical and social conditions
preclude other development activities have at last been
exploited and if the current achievements are any
indication, this may ultimately enable one to come out
from the blind alley of contemporary resource growth.
Peaceful co-existence—groundnut for food, Subafrul for fodder.
Site-specific choice of species—coconut trees for community benefit in Howrah
district.
It is true that compared to the demand of forestry
related resources, current achievements can only touch
the fringe of the problem but small and exciting as
these success stories are, these may open up hope for a
better environment both physical and social in the
depressed countryside of this State, in not too remote a
future.
There arc clear signs of identification of the community
with the aims and objectives of the Social Forestry Project
and their spontaneous response and adoption, in many
areas, is the biggest achievement apart from the achievement
in physical terms. Hopefully this is a resurrection of
tree consciousness and this has to be sustained with further
efforts and investments. Such efforts can only be successful
through continuous persuasion and motivation. It has
to be realised that the efforts can wane out if the slogan of
social forestry is muffled by indifference and inaction.
Much of the motive force may die out and the
effectiveness of the institution may not last long, unless
constant endeavour is made to sustain the present
favourable community response, by securing the current
gain and promoting and expanding the activities so that
the concept of social forestry as an institution could be
built into the societal fabric of rural West Bengal.
After the day’s toil! Women head-loaders returning home in Bankura district.
The fruits of labour.
Published by:
SOCIAL FORESTRY WING
Directorate of Forests
Govt, of West Bengal
Adunique 76/SSP
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