Karnataka   

‘VFCs now have greater say in forest management’

VENOOR (Dakshina Kannada DISTRICT): When the Forest Department set up 71 village forest committees in Dakshina Kannada in the early 1990s, they intended to associate people with various aspects of forest management. However, lack of timely release of grants from the State Government to sustain various projects initiated at the time when the VFCs came into being meant that they never really took off to perform the role expected of them.

It was the government’s intention to set up a VFC for a part of a village, a village or for a selected group of villages.

Every adult member within the jurisdiction of VFC and interested in conservation, development and management of forest was eligible to become a member of the general body of the VFC.

They could enrol themselves as members of the VFC with the member-secretary by remitting a prescribed fee of Rs. 2. Taking note of the initial lukewarm response to the VFCs, the government re-launched the concept in 2005 through two schemes – namely the Centrally-funded Forest Development Agency (FDA) scheme and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation funded Karnataka Sustainable Forest Management and Bio-Diversity Conservation scheme. The first scheme was taken up under the National Afforestation Programme in India.

The functioning of VFCs had undergone a major turnaround since then, said P. Manjunath Shetty, Assistant Conservator of Forests, Moodbidri.

Mr. Shetty told The Hindu on the sidelines of a workshop organised to train VFC members here on Wednesday that under FDA, each committee got Rs. 4,000 per hectare to take up development activity in the forest area.

They could also take up entry-point activities for their village with the funds.

The government also allowed VFCs to share the revenue earned from its earlier plantations from 50:50 basis to 75:25 basis under the JBIC-funded scheme.

In case of minor forest or non-timber forest produce, the VFCs could keep 90 per cent of total net revenue, with the rest accruing to the government. In addition, each VFC got Rs. 1 lakh as seed money to take up income generation activities through self-help groups, he said.

Accordingly, in Venoor range, the department had set up five VFCs under the JBIC scheme and two under FDA scheme.

Mr. Shetty said the modified schemes had made villagers to consider themselves as partners in forest development and management.

“Better revenue-sharing mechanisms have really spurred these committees into action,” he said.

VFCs had a major role in participatory rural appraisal where the feedback given by them is incorporated into micro-level planning, he said.

This gave them a better say in developing both forest and non-forest resources, and had vastly improved people’s participation in forest and forest-related economy.

VFCs are now playing an active role in protecting forest wealth from poachers and natural disasters, he added.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

BJP national executive in Bangalore in January
Still going strong
‘Provide alternative arrangements’
Periodontology meet in Davangere from tomorrow
Davangere APMC president resigns
Land identified for shifting Kurlageri village
Welcome visitor
Girl drowns
Conference
Team to submit report on suicide by farmers
‘VFCs now have greater say in forest management’
Janata Dal (S) denies any setback
Vipassana meditation
Dental consultation
Eye camp
BJP executive meet in Bangalore
Welcome visitors
CPI(M) undecided on poll tie-up
Efforts on to patch up differences in Congress
Pulling out of pact with BJP has not hit the Janata Dal (S), says Merajuddin Patel

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu