The involvement of communities in forest management is now a significant feature of national as well as state forest policy. The state has begun community-based initiatives in executing forest schemas/programs. A new JFM Resolution, specifying clear guidelines regarding formation of JFM committees, allocation of rights and duties among the communities and sharing of benefits to communities has already been issued in Nov-2001.Through this new JFM Resolution, the state has begun a process of transition from user-centered approach to multi-stockholder, community based approach.

Forest Department, Government of Chhattisgarh has passed resolution in October 2001 and revised it in October 2002 to make Joint Forest Management as a basis of forest management.  Out of a total 19720 villages in the State, there are 11,185 villages located within 5 kms periphery of forests.  The State Government has constituted Forest Protection Committees (FPC's) and Village Forest Committees (VFC's) on the basis of the density of forest cover as follows:-

2. Village Forest Committees – These Committees are formed where there is forest having density less than 0.4.

These Committees have now been united into Forest Management Committees.

q   Geographical area of the State          :  135224 sq km
q   Forest area of the State                    :  59772 sq km
q   Percentage of Forest area   to  
      total Area                                          :  44.27 %
q   No. of Districts                                 :  18 
q   Total Villages in the State                  :  19720       
q   No. of Forest Fringe Villages             :    11185
       (within 5 km of the Forest Boundary)
q    No. of Territorial Circles                   :   6
q    No. of Territorial Divisions                :   32
q    No. of JFM Committees                   :   7887
q    Area covered under JFM                  :   33190 sq km
q    % of Forest Area under JFM            :   55.52%
q    Dense (crown cover > 40 %)            : 18220.03 sq km
q Open / Degraded                              : 10104.12 sq km
       (crown cover < 40 %)                     

Benefits to Committees

The JFM Committees are given 15% of the total cost of timber / Bamboo obtained from the final felling in the coup falling within the jurisdiction of the Committee.  This money received is used by the Committee for the developmental activities in the village.  So far the money transferred to Committees is as follows:-

1. Participation of Committee members in protection of forests and other village departmental works.

2. Self efforts of samitis to promote income generating activities, entry point activities, protection of 
    protection of forests, maintaining account of the income and its auditing.

3. Planning and running programmes from the funds deposited in the samiti account.

4. JFM Committees have spent Rs.37.45 Crore on assets building in the villages.

01. School Buildings

02. Community Centres

03. Roads (Earthen & Murrum)

04. Bridge / Culverts

05. Hand Pumps

06. Tube wells

07. Wells

08. Stop Dams

09. Tanks / Ponds

10. Irrigation Canals          

11. Solar Panel for street lights

12. Solar Pumps

People's Protected Area (PPA)

Vision

Values

1. Honouring the forest dwellers and their traditional knowledge.

2. Coordination and participation in protection of forest resources.

3. Capacity building at all levels.

4. Upgradation of local technology and use of modern Information & Technology.

1. To prepare microplans with the cooperation of community for the development of forests and near by villages.
2. To develop specific techniques to assess the natural resources.
3. Sustainable harvesting of forests and other natural resources.
4. Ex-situ and In-situ  protection and extension of resources.
5. Forests and clean water.
6. Gradation, Processing, Certification and Marketing of forest produce.
7. Advancement of tourism in natural habitats.
8. Bio-cultural diversity protection and bio-diversity development
9. Entrepreneurship development.
10. Promoting Public Private Partnership.
11. Creation of funds for the Self Help Groups in the villages.
12. Empowerment of women
13. To develop mechanism for equal distribution of benefits.
14. Carbon Sequestration.
15. To ensure food security and health security.
16. To use social resources
17. To develop an effective policy and legal structure to achieve the above goals.

          This programme has been started in year 2001 and so far 115320  hectares of area has been covered under In-situ and 92 hectares of area under Ex-situ conservation.

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Development of Training Expenditure

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Forest Development Agencies

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Funds allocation for Advance work for Year 2006 - 07 under 11^th Five Year Plan

State Level JFM Training at Raipur

In the year 2007 - 08 an amount of Rs 137.72 Lakh has been sanctioned for Training Programme in the State.  Model Microplans are being developed in each Range.
                     Bamboo products are being manufactured by Self Help Groups and marketed as brand name 'Aranyak'.

• DFO Dhamtari has been declared ex-officio Addl.  CEO Zila  Panchayat and Forest Department has been declared nodal agency for the developmental works.
• In Dhamtari District there are 401 villages within 5 kms periphery of forests, out of a total 641 villages.
• For these 401 villages budget has been separately allotted to Forest Department at Development Block level.
• Separate work plans are being prepared and approved at District and Block level for  the villages within 5 kms and villages out side the 5 kms.
• The different development departments are executing these work plans under the coordination of Forest Department.
• The general monitoring of the above works is done by Forest Department and technical monitoring is done by the senior officers of the concerned department.
• There is a district level coordination committee under Chairmanship of Collector; with CEO Zila Panchayat and DFO Dhamtari being its members.

It is a system to execute rehabilitation of degraded forests work according to microplans in those Joint Forest Management Committees, which resolve to do above work by managing funds either by loan or from Government employment generating Schemes.  To motivate such Committees, the total forest produce obtained either from rehabilitation of degraded forests work or from the felling of mature trees raised by plantation will be given to Committees. The Committees can sell this produce for the repayment of the principal and the interest of the funds managed to raise the plantations.  Out of the remaining funds 50% of amount will be used as per the decision of the general body, 30% amount will be used to develop basic infrastructure in the village and 20% of the amount will be used to develop forest resources in the Committee's area according to microplan.
                        Plantation work in 600 hectares of area has been taken during the year 2003-04 in 23 JFM committees in 3 forest Circles.  Plantations work in 911 hectares of area has been taken up in the year 2004-05 in 65 committees.