Sustainable Forest Management

bg.jpg (4117 bytes)

Home

 

Activities

Pilot Sites

Related Links

Newsletter

Publications

SFM Home

 

 

 

 

 

 
Operational Strategy for Sustainable Forestry Development with Community Participation in India.

Activities

 

 

IX Meeting of the Project Steering committee, 30th March 2010 at Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal

The IXth Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting was held on March 30, 2010 at Indian Institute of Forest Management, (IIFM) Bhopal. The meeting was chaired by Dr. R. B. Lal, Director of IIFM and attended by Dr. Hawn Ok Ma, Projects Manager, ITTO, Japan, Dr. A.K.Rana, CCF (Central), MoEF, GoI, Shri R.C.Saxena, Vice Chairman, NCHSE, Ms. Sangeeta Saxena, State Director (M.P. & CG), WWF India, Dr. H.S.Gupta, Professor, IIFM, Prof. Capt. Anil Khare, Associate Professor, Dr. P.Bhattacharya, Project Coordinator, Dr. M.D.Omprakash, Project Coordinator.

During the PSC meeting Dr. Ma Hwan Ok, ITTO Projects Manager made a brief presentation on the ITTO an Intergovernmental Organization, its mission and mandate. During the presentation he briefed about International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA), guidelines, objectives, policy work, member countries and their status. He highlighted the ITTO thematic programmes on Reducing Deforestation and Forest Degradation and Enhancing Environmental Services (REDDES) with its objectives and partnership to support countries.

Dr M.D.Omprakash, Project Coordinator made a comprehensive presentation on the project. He briefed the members on the different extended period of the project and gave reasons and justifications for the extension. He also stressed upon the outreach of the project learning in the various parts of the country and efforts made to strengthen the development of draft national set of C&I framework. He highlighted the methodological framework for evolving the FMU level indicators and capacity building efforts undertaken in the project. He further briefed on the number of publications including technical reports, proceedings, working papers and dissemination of Newsletters (C&I India Update) to various stakeholders. He expressed need for a specific approach in Forest Resource Accounting (FRA) and Forest Certification. The help and cooperation extended by Forest Department and various agencies were acknowledged in the meeting.

The PSC members expressed their satisfaction on the project progress and recommended the following for the successful completion of the project;

  • Technical reports and completion report will be submitted to ITTO by the end of August 2010 which will be followed by submission of Audited report by Sept 2010. The completion report needs to compile all the lessons learning's from the project in terms of achieving development objective and operational management. The lessons and learnings will be shared in the international meetings also.
  • Separate proposal will be submitted by the institute to ITTO for utilizing the interest accrued from the money received in installments.
  • Dissemination of the project outcomes will be continued in a sustainable manner through IIFM's website and dispatching technical reports to interested parties.
  • Sustainability of the project shall be ensured by the institute through periodic updation of the website, continued publication of Newsletter (C&I India update) and other measures to continue use of the project findings, as appropriate.

Dr. R. B. Lal, Chairman of the PSC once again acknowledged the kind cooperation and help rendered by ITTO, especially by Dr. Ma, ITTO Projects Manager, in successful execution of earmarked activities of the project. He has conveyed thanks to all the PSC members for participating in the meeting and for making valuable suggestions.

 

[Back to Top]

 

 

Workshop on 'Manual for Forest Resource Valuation and Accounting for
Sustainable Forest Management' at IIFM, Bhopal during 25-26 Nov 2009

Two days workshop was held at IIFM during November 25-26, 2009 on 'Manual for Forest Resource Valuation and Accounting for Sustainable Forest Management'. The aim of workshop was to share the work done on forest resource accounting and to finalize a better system of Forest Resource Accounting and valuation suitable to Indian forestry conditions. The inaugural session of the workshop was held on 25.11.2009 between 10:30 to 11:30 am. Dr. M.D.Omprakash, Workshop Coordinator welcomed the chief guest, guests and workshop delegates. Dr. R.B.Lal, Director IIFM delivered the presidential address. While delivering presidential address, Dr. Lal highlighted the change in the doctrine of forest management from maximum revenue to sustained yield and now sustainable forest development considering ecological security and social integrity. He also discussed the importance of forest resource accounting and valuation looking to the poor budget allocated and investment made for the forestry sector. Because the intangible benefits derived from the forest and contribution made to the society is completely ignored. He briefed the initiatives taken by the IIFM in developing a draft manual based on the field research experiences. The workshop was inaugurated by Shri Prashant Mehta, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Madhya Pradesh and chief guest of the function. While delivering the inaugural address, Shri Mehta acknowledged the role of IIFM in highlighting the conservation value of Madhya Pradesh Forests, which inturn drawn the attention of Planning Commission and allocated additional budget for the State. Forest Resource Valuation is important for sustainable forest management, because it gives valuable input for planning and decision making. This will also decide the kind of development program to be planned in such land. He suggested the participants to give constructive suggestions to develop an effective FRA and valuation system. Dr. Katar Singh, Natural Resource Economist and Ex-Director, IRMA, Anand explained the main aims and objectives of the workshop. He shared how important is the forest resource valuation and accounting for India. At present, only 10% contribution of forests are accounted in the GDP where as the 90% of its contribution doesn't include in the present accounting procedure which need immediate attention by the policy makers. He further urge for skills development and modern technical knowledge required by the foresters to enable the projection of contribution to Forest Resource Accounting system through the new method. During the occasion a report on 'Forest Resource Valuation and Accounting: An Exploratory Study in Sikkim' was released by Shri. Prashant Mehta. Dr. P. Bhattacharya, co-workshop coordinator proposed the vote of thanks.

During the workshop three technical sessions and one plenary session were held. During technical session topics on conventional system of forest resource accounting and its drawback, new system forest resource accounting & valuation, total economic valuation of forest, use of geo-informatics in forestry management, using economic valuation tools for developing market for forest ecosystem services, developing a better system of FRA, application of new system of FRA and economic valuation of forests and services etc. were delivered by experts and researchers. Dr. J. B. Lal, IFS (rtd) & Ex. Director, Dr. H.S. Pabla, PCCF (W.P.) Dr. Katar Singh, Shri. MVS Ranganadham, CSO, Dr. P.C. Kotwal, Ex. Project leader participated in the panel discussion as panelist. Looking to the difficulty and complexity of the forest system, the panelists and participants suggested incorporate all the goods and services generated by the forests to the extent in the new system of forest resource accounting and valuation. The valedictory session of the workshop was held between 4-5 pm on 26.11.2009. Shri.A.K. Dubey, PCCF, M.P. and chief guest on the occasion addressed the participants. While delivering valedictory address, he has highlighted that importance of the subject for true reflection of forestry sector contribution to economy and appreciated work done by IIFM in developing a new system of forest resource valuation and accounting.

 

[Back to Top]


Eighth Steering committee meeting, 14th April 2009 at Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal

The eighth Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting was held on April 14, 2009 at Indian Institute of Forest Management, (IIFM) Bhopal. The meeting was chaired by Prof. B.P.Pethiya, Director, IIFM. The chairperson welcomed the members and briefed the house on the agenda items of the meeting. The other PSC members were representative of Government of India, Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, Chhattisgarh Forest Department, Sikkim Forest Department, ITTO representative, Research Organizations and NGO.

The members of the eighth PSC were Dr.Ma Hwan Ok, ITTO, Prof. B.P.Pethiya, Director, IIFM; Shri P.K.Rana, Regional Chief Conservator of Forests, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, Bhopal (M.P); Shri R.Okhandia, CCF, Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, Bhopal; Dr. A. Boaz, IFS, CCF, Chhattisgarh Forest Department, Raipur, Chhattisgarh; Dr. P.K.Khatri, Tropical Forest Research Institute, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, Jabalpur; Dr.Ram Prasad, (NGO), Bhopal; Dr. P. C. Kotwal, IIFM-ITTO Project leader; Dr. M.D. Omprakash, Associate Project Coordinator IIFM-ITTO project, Dr. D. Dugaya, Mr. Kiran P. Mali, Dr. B.K. Prasad, Shri Apurva Mishra, (Project Managers, IIFM-ITTO project), Ms. Sudeshna Venny, System Analyst, and Ms. Preeti Lokhande, Accounts cum Office Secretary, IIFM-ITTO project.

The Committee decided to approve and adopt the following:

  • Extension of the project: The project should be extended for the period of twelve months i.e. July 2009 to June 2010. The project document having proposed activities and related budget may be submitted to ITTO for approval.
  • The next PSC meeting may be held after completion of six months from July 2009 in one of the project intervention state/site to review the project progress.

The PSC members expressed their satisfaction over the progress of the project and endorsed the proposed extension of the project period as per the new project document utilizing the unspent amount.

Prof. B.P.Pethiya assured on behalf of the project team and IIFM for their continued commitment to the project and justifiable contribution to the forestry sector through this important project.
The meeting ended with vote of thanks by Prof. M.D.Omprakash expressing gratitude to the PSC members for participating in the meeting.

 

[Back to Top]

 

 

 

National Workshop on "Sustainable Forestry Development and Forest Certification" at Van Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi during 26th-27th February 2009.

Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal organized two days national workshop on Sustainable Forestry Development and Forest Certification in India during 26th - 27th February 2009 under the aegis of IIFM-ITTO project on SFM at Van Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The workshop was aimed to share the experiences in development and application of Criteria and Indicators (C&I) approach for Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) in six states viz. Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Gujarat, Kerala and Sikkim. The issues of Forest Certification, Climate Change and Forest Resource Accounting were also addressed. Shri P.R. Mohanty, Director General of forests and Special Secretary Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India inaugurated the workshop. In his inaugural speech he highlighted that the forest resources have been one of the most important resources for prosperity of nation and its communities. With the growing economy, the societal demands on forests are becoming more diversified and rising faster than the capacity of forests to supply them on a sustainable basis. Further, forestry in developing countries including India is also seen as means for eradicating rural poverty and help achieve sustainable development. While managing the resources sustainably, we have to take care of all those who depend on these resources for their livelihoods. He concluded that the workshop would be a useful platform for working towards shared goals of sustainable forest management. The Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) Kerala, PCCF (Working Plan) Madhya Pradesh, PCCF Meghalaya and other Senior Forest Officers from the State of Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Harayana, West Bengal, Jammu & Kashmir, Senior Scientist from Tropical Forest Research Institute, FRI Dehradun & State Forest Research Institute, Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh), Senior Scientist from WII have participated in the workshop deliberations.

Presentations on experiences in application of Criteria and Indicators (C&I) approach for Sustainable Forest Management were made by the representatives from the concerned State Forest Departments. The experience of C&I application for the State of Kerala was jointly presented by Shri. T.M. Manoharan, PCCF and Shri. Lakhwinder Singh, CCF (Working Plan); C&I application for the State of Madhya Pradesh was presented by Shri. R.R. Okhandiyar, CCF (WP), Shri. Mudit Kumar Singh, CCF presented application of C&I for the State of Chhattisgarh. Prof. P.C. Kotwal presented National scenario on C&I for SFM, incorporation of C&I in National Working Plan Code, and draft C&I set for Forest Plantations. Prof. Katar Singh, Project Consultant & Shri. Kiran P. Mali, Forest Resource Economist jointly presented distortions in forest accounting and valuation and suggested a proposed system of proper Forest Resource accounting in India. Prof. P. Bhattacharya, IIFM presented on "Sustainable Management of NTFP: Development of standards for certification". Shri. Mohit Gera, CF, J&K, presented a paper on "Climate change concerns in C&I for SFM". The workshop was concluded with the specific recommendations for application of Criteria & Indicators for Natural forests, Forest Plantations and NTFPs; inclusion of C&I in Working Plan Code; Forest Certification issues and Forest Resource Accounting.

 

[Back to Top]

 

Field level training workshop on "Sustainable Forest Management and Community Particiation" at Tandla Forest range office under Jhabua forest Division in Madhya Pradesh during 6th-7th February 2009.

A two days field level training workshop was organized on Sustainable Forest Management and Community participation at Tandla Forest Range office under Jhabua Forest Division in Madhya Pradesh during 6th-7th February 2009. The programme was attended by 60 participants belonging to different JFMC members and 16 front-line forest officers of Jhabua forest division. The training programme was introduced by Dr. M.D. Omprakash and Dr. L.S. Kandari.

Shri, Jagdish Chandra, DFO, Jhabua was the Chief Guest in the workshop. He inaugurated the two days field level training workshop. He introduced the team from IIFM to the participant at the workshop and also highlighted the contribution of IIFM-ITTO project in sustainable forest management (SFM). He also stressed on the importance of Criteria and Indicators approach in the monitoring.

Dr. M.D. Omprakash made a presentation and sensitize the gathering on the concept of SFM and operationalising in Jhabua Forest Division. He delivered his deliberations on the National and State level Indicators. He discussed on the subject like, SFM, C&I for SFM, community participation in sustainable forest development in the first day. Later in the day, Dr. Omprakash explained the participants about the role of SFM in national and forest management unit level.

Dr. L.S. Kandari conducted a session on nursery techniques and sustainable management of Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) and livelihoods. This was followed by a presentation by Dr M. D. Omprakash on Soil and Water Conservation and agro-forestry approach for water harvesting. The participants were felicitated by certificates of participation and the workshop ended with vote of thanks by Dr. M. D. Omprakash.

 

[Back to Top]

 

Workshop on "Sustainable Forest Management and Community Particiation" at Dugli Forest Range office under Dhamtari Forest Division in Chhattisgarh during 23-25 January 2009.

A two-day training workshop was organized on "Sustainable Forest Management and Community Participation" at Dugli Forest Range office under Dhamtari Forest Division in Chhattisgarh during 23-25 January 2009. About 50 participants, both from Forest Department including 16 front-line forest officials and 34 community, JFMC presidents, members, attended the workshop. Sub-Divisional Officer, Birgudi, Mr. R. K. Sharma was the Chief Guest in the workshop. On day-one after the registration of the participants, Dr M. D. Omprakash briefed the participants on the importance of the sustainable forest management and role of community in it. Later in the day, Dr. Omprakash explained the participants about the role of SFM in national and forest management unit level. Dr. R. P. Mishra, Assistant Manager, Wildlife Trust of India, from their field office at Raipur conducted a session on sustainable management of NTFPs and livelihoods. In the second half participants learned about the importance of sustainable management of resources through game on sustainability.

On day two, Mr. Tajbar S. Rawat conducted a session on nursery techniques and plantation. This was followed by a presentation by Dr M. D. Omprakash on Soil and Water Conservation and agro-forestry. Dr B. K. Prasad took detailed session on Criteria and Indicator on Sustainable Forest Management. In the end, Dr M. D. Omprakash, SDO Mr. R.K. Sharma, Range Officer Dugli, Mr. U. S. Thakur, Range Office Mr. Sunil Srivastava conducted a panel discussion wherein JFMC members raised issues and discussed their ideas of sustainable forest management. The members raised queries related to area demarcation among JFMCs and encroachment by some villagers in JFMC forestland. The queries were replied by SDO and other forest officials in the panel. The participants were given certificates of participation and the workshop ended with vote of thanks by Dr. M. D. Omprakash.

 

[Back to Top]

 

Management Development Programme on "Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management" on 18-21 November 2008

Management Development Programme (MDP) on "Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management" was conducted during 18-21 November 2008 at Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal. The MDP was supported by International Tropical Timer Organization (ITTO), Japan in which 18 delegates comprising of senior forest officers, and persons from NGO, academics/ research institutes from Sikkim, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh were participated.

The programme was inaugurated by Dr R.C. Sharma, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Retd.), Chhattisgarh. He stressed the need and importance of criteria & indicators approach for the Sustainable forest management in India. He emphasized the efforts of the IIFM in developing the C&I for SFM. Prof. K.N. Krishnakumar, Chairperson, MDP has briefed the participants about the IIFM and its various activities in the area of research, education, training and consultancy. Prof. P. C. Kotwal and Dr. M. D. Omprakash were the programme directors of the MDP. The guests were introduced by Prof. P. C. Kotwal followed by introductory speech on sustainable forest management.

The objective of the MDP were to impart theme based knowledge inputs, on application of C&I for SFM in India, and its monitoring and evaluation mechanism. The training module covered principles of SFM, community participation, game of sustainability, field experience on C&I in Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary, Forest Resource Accounting, Forest Certification. The MDP also provided a discussion forum/platform to enhance the C&I approach for SFM.

The Chief Guest at the valedictory session was Prof. D.K. Bandyopadhyay, Director, IIFM. He elucidated the C&I approach by giving simple example of human health. He also briefed the participants regarding the development of C&I for SFM in India. He requested the participants to share the learning acquired on C&I for SFM among their colleagues. The vote of thanks was proposed by Prof. P.C. Kotwal.

 

[Back to Top]

 

Field Work on Forest Resource Valuation and Accounting in the State of Kerala

In the state of Kerala, the Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal has initiated work on Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) through Criteria and Indicators (C&I) approach in the Palakkad Forest Division with the active involvement of State Forest Department. Among the other outputs, one of the major outputs expected of the project is the development of a system of Forest Resource Accounting (FRA). To achieve this output the necessary work of collection of data/information on FRA was carried out in Palakkad Forest Division during June 14-19, 2008. Further, pursuant to the recommendations made by the delegates of 'Updation Workshop on C&I for SFM' held on June 20, 2008 at Forest Headquarters, Thiruvananthapuram and as suggested by the Kerala Forest Department the two additional Forest Divisions viz., Thenmala and Munnar have been chosen. These additional sites were chosen with view to have the representation and to extrapolate the findings on FRA for the state of Kerala. The Thenmala and Munnar Forest Divisions were visited during September 16-29, 2008. During the field visits the necessary data/information on FRA was collected through the specifically designed questionnaires and interactive meetings and discussions with the concerned officers of the Kerala Forest Department and said Forest Divisions, the head and divisional offices of the Kerala State Federation of SC & ST Co-operatives Ltd, the head office of the Kerala Forest Development Corporation Ltd, Department of Economics and Statistics and selected Van Shanrakshyan Samitis (VSS) of the Forest Divisions.

 

[Back to Top]

 

Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management at
Gangtok, East Sikkim Forest Divisions on 15th September 2008

A training cum sensitization workshop for Joint Forest Management Committee members and front line forest officials of East Sikkim Forest Division on "Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management" was organized at Conference hall Forest, Wildlife and Environment Management Department, Sikkim on 15th September 2008. The workshop was organized under the aegis of IIFM-ITTO research Project in collaboration with Department of Forest, Wildlife and Environment Management, Govt. of Sikkim. The workshop was addressed by DFO (T) East Sikkim Sri B.B. Gurung, DFO (LU) East Sikkim Forest Division Sri K.B. Gurung and Dr. M.D. Omprakash, Dr. D. Dugaya and Dr. B.K. Prasad from Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal. The workshop was attended by over 20 JFMC members and about 11 front line forest officials.

Sri S.B. Gurung welcomed the resource persons and the participants from various JFMCs of the East Sikkim Division and explained the relevance of workshop. Sri B.B. Gurung, DFO (T) East Sikkim Forest Division explained the need and importance of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) and the role of Criteria and indicators in SFM to the participants in their local language. Dr. M.D. Omprakash, Faculty and Associate Coordinator IIFM-ITTO Project explained in detail the aims and objectives of the Workshop and the Criteria and Indicators approach of Sustainable Forest Management. He explained the initiative under taken by the IIFM for development of criteria and indicators approach for sustainable forest management. He gave the brief and simplified introduction of hierarchy of monitoring system i.e. Principle, Criteria, Indicators and verifiers. Various Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management and assessing SFM at FMU level through C & I approach were explained by the resource persons team from IIFM Bhopal comprising of Prof. Omprakash, Dr. B.K. Prasad and Dr. D. Dugaya. The whole session was quite interactive and the JFMC members not only responded to the qualitative and quantitative results of various indicators but also stressed on the need of training for the livelihood issues. Dr. Prasad and Dr D. Dugaya jointly conducted a session on the technique of field based data collection with the JFMC members. Sri B.B. Gurung at the end of the theme session again explained to the participants about various steps of scientific management of forest resources and the relevance of C&I process with specific relevance to Sikkim. At the end of the workshop RFO Mr NS Rai proposed the vote of thanks. Also Prof M.D. Omprakash thanked PCCF, Sri S.T. Lachungpa, CF Sri C. Lachungpa and DFOs East Sikkim Division for the necessary arrangements and JFMC members for their keen interest and participation held on a state holiday.

[Back to Top]

 

 

Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management: Learning and Sharing Process at Namchi, South Sikkim Forest Division on 11th Sept 2008

A training workshop for Joint Forest Management Committee members and front line forest officials of South Sikkim Forest Division on "Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management" was organized at conference hall of Rural Development Department, Namchi, South Sikkim on 11th September 2008. The workshop was organized under the aegis of IIFM-ITTO research Project in collaboration with Department of Forest, Wildlife and Environment Management, Govt. of Sikkim. The workshop was addressed by DFO (T) South Sikkim Sri Uday Gurung, Assistant. Conservator of Forests (LU) Sri N.P. Gautam and Dr. M.D. Omprakash, Dr. Dharmendra Dugaya and Dr. B.K. Prasad from Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal. The workshop was attended by over 30 JFMC members and about 13 front line forest officials.

Sri N.P. Gautam welcomed the resource persons and the participants from various JFMCs of the South Sikkim Division and explained the relevance of workshop. Sri Uday Gurung, DFO (T) South Sikkim Forest Division explained the need and importance of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) and the role of Criteria and indicators in SFM to the participants in their local language. Dr. M.D. Omprakash, Faculty and Associate Coordinator IIFM-ITTO Project explained in detail the aims and objectives of the Workshop and the Criteria and Indicators approach of Sustainable Forest Management. He informed the initiative under taken by the IIFM for development of criteria and indicators approach for sustainable forest management. He gave the brief and simplified introduction of hierarchy of monitoring system i.e. Principle, Criteria, Indicators and verifiers. Various Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management and assessing SFM at FMU level through C&I approach were explained by the resource person team from IIFM Bhopal comprising of Prof. Omprakash, Dr. B.K. Prasad and Dr. D. Dugaya. The whole session was quite interactive and the JFMC members not only responded to the qualitative and quantitative results of various indicators but also came out with number of new queries on various aspects of forest management like fire control, grazing issues, problems of insect - pest in forests, micro-plan preparation, availability of non-timber forest products and need of training for the livelihood issues. At the end of the workshop Dr. B.K. Prasad conveyed the vote of thanks.

 

[Back to Top]

Updation Workshop on "Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management" at Pallakad and Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala in June 2008

A team from Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal visited Palakkad Forest Division (FD) from 14th to 19th June, 2008 for collection of secondary information and field data/information of identified Forest Management Unit (FMU) level indicators from the selected Van Sanrakshan Samities (Joint Forest Management Committees) of Palakkad FD involving community members and frontline forest officials.

The team had elaborate discussions with the people of Vadhyarchella VSS, Nadupathy VSS, Kottekad VSS, Chembana VSS (all coming under Walayar Range) and Thudikode VSS (Olavakode Range) to collect primary data for forest resource accounting through discussions and questionnaires. The team collected secondary data pertaining to macro level details of the areas and products obtained from these areas. Besides the above information, data on the demography, livestock, socio-economic, prevalent market price of the Non-Timber Forest Products, quantity of wood and non-wood products collected, community involvement etc. While collecting the primary data the team sensitized the VSS members and motivated them to form working groups at VSS level. The team is also of the opinion to develop skill in the working groups to collect and report data of the indicators. This is to involve the communities in the process and also have their feeling to realize the importance and own the responsibility

An updation workshop on C&I for SFM was organized at Forest headquarters, Thiruvananthapuram on 20 June 2008. The workshop was designed to cover C&I for SFM, forest certification and eco-label, forest resource accounting and IIFM's research work in Palakkad forest division. The workshop was chaired by the Shri. T.M. Manoharan, PCCF. The presentations on the workshop topics were delivered by Prof. P.C. Kotwal, Prof. M.D. Omprakash and Mr. Kiran P. Mali of IIFM, Bhopal. The workshop was attended by 24 forest officials comprising of Additional PCCF, CCFs, CFs, DFOs and ACFs. The PCCF was in the opinion to open a SFM cell in the department and incorporate the C&I in the working plans, which are under preparation or revision. The IIFM's research work in Palakkad FD was briefed by Shri. J. Justine Mohan. The panel discussion was chaired by Shri. V.K. Sinha. The panel suggested for an active collaboration with the IIFM in the preparation of future working plans of the State. The workshop was concluded with the vote of thanks proposed by Shri. Lakhwinder Singh, CCF and coordinator of the workshop from Kerala forest department.

 

[Back to Top]

Sensitization Workshop on "Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management" at Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh on 29th-30th April 2008

A sensitization workshop on Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management was organized at auditorium hall of College of Horticulture and Forestry (CHF), Central Agricultural University (CAU), Pasighat on 29th - 30th April 2008. The workshop was organized under the aegis of IIFM-ITTO research Project in collaboration with CHF-CAU, Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh. The workshop was inaugurated by DCF, Pasighat, Dr. P. V Rao Dean CAU, Pasighat, Sri Oshang Shering (Retd. IAS), Pasighat. In the workshop 40 participants from Forest Department of Arunachal Pardesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur and academicians from various institutes and research organizations of North Eastern states participated.

Dr. B. R. Phukan welcomed the participants and the resource persons from various parts of the country and explained the relevance of workshop at College of Horticulture and Forestry. Inaugurating the workshop, DCF Pasighat emphasized the need of Sustainable Forest Management in the context of reducing forest cover in N-E states. He stressed that this sort of workshops should be organized regularly to increase the awareness among common people. Dr. P V Rao, Dean CAU while welcoming the participants in the institute expressed his satisfaction that CAU is proud to hold a workshop on Sustainable Forest Management in the very first year of introducing the Forestry course at CAU. Dr. Rao also mentioned that management is an essential tool to conserve the resources and it applies to all aspects of life including the vast and open natural resources like forest.

Dr. M. D. Omprakash, Faculty and Associate coordinator IIFM-ITTO Project in his address detailed the aims and objectives of the workshop. He highlighted the initiative undertaken by the IIFM for development of criteria and indicators approach for sustainable forest management. He briefly explained the monitoring system i.e. Principle, Criteria, Indicators and verifiers. The workshop sessions were consisted of Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management, introduction to National and FMU level Indicators and Forest certification delivered by Dr. M. D. Omprakash. The sessions highlighting the conventional system of forest resource accounting (FRA), distortions in system of FRA and proposed system of FRA were presented by Mr. Kiran P. Mali. Dr. B. K. Prasad made presentation on Assessing SFM at FMU level: C & I Approach. Some of the sessions pertaining to nursery management, bio-diversity, insect and paste management, were taken by the faculty of the CHF, CAU Pasighat. Dr. R.C. Shrivastava from BSI Imphal conducted session on Rare, Endangered and Threatened (RET) species of Arunachal Pradesh. Some of the issues pertaining to mangrove forest management of Andaman and Nicobar Islands were shared by Shri. Baneerjee from Rain Forest Research Institute Jorhat.

On second day group discussions were held. The two groups were formed and provided national set of C&I to evolve indicators suitable to the north eastern part of the country. In addition to the national set of C&I, the participants came out with seven additional indicators for N-E states.

[Back to Top]

 

 

 

Sensitization Workshop on "Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management" at Palakkad, Kerala on 16th February 2008

A sensitization workshop on Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management was organized at the Arnya Bhawan Complex Conference Hall at Ovalkkode, Palakkad, Kerala on 16th February 2008. The workshop was organized under the aegis of IIFM-ITTO Research Project on Sustainable Forest Management and coordination of Kerala Forest Department. In the workshop, Mr. Winston S. Suting, CCF (Wildlife) Northern Region; Mr. Justin Mohan, DFO, Palakkad Forest Division; Prof. P. C. Kotwal, Dr. M.D. Omprakash, Dr. D. Dugaya and Mr.T.S. Rawat of IIFM Bhopal and several field level forestry personnel of Kerala Forest Department were present. A total of 24 participants were present at the workshop.

Mr. Justin Mohan, DFO Palakkad Division introduced the team from IIFM to the delegates at the workshop. He also highlighted the contribution of IIFM to the forestry sector. He also highlighted the importance of criteria and indicator approach in the monitoring and evaluation towards sustainability.

Prof. P.C. Kotwal briefed the participants about the aims and objectives of the workshop. He informed the initiative under taken by the IIFM for development of criteria and indicators approach for sustainable forest management. He gave the brief simplified introduction of hierarchy of monitoring system i.e. Principle, Criteria, Indicators and verifiers. Prof. Kotwal urged to develop simple, robust indicators for Palakkad forest management unit.

Dr. M.D. Omprakash, Faculty form IIFM made a presentation to sensitize the august gathering on the concept of SFM and operationalising the C&I approach for SFM in Palakkad. Dr Omprakash focused his deliberations on the State & FMU level indicators evolved during the workshop at Headquarters of Forest & Wildlife Department of Kerala in 2004 and the national set of indicators adopted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. The sensitization workshop will help in evolving the FMU level indicators for the Palakkad Forest Division.

[Back to Top]

 

 

 

 

Management Development Programme on "Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management", 21st - 23rd November 2007 at Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal

Management Development Programme (MDP) on "Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management" was conducted during 21-23 November 2007 at Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal. The MDP was supported by International Tropical Timer Organization (ITTO), Japan in which 23 delegates comprising of forest officers and persons from academics and research institutes from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Gujarat, Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Tamilnadu, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka participated.

The programme was inaugurated by Shri V. R. Khare, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Madhya Pradesh. As Chief Guest of the inaugural ceremony he expressed the latest trends in the forestry sector. He stressed for the need of protection of forest and suggested multiple options like reduction in fuelwood consumption, use of Bio-gas, innovative ideas of plantations, quality seed production and protection. He encouraged the delegates to grasp the concept of criteria and indicators (C&I) for the applicability in their respective fields. Prof. D. K. Bandyopadhyay, Director, IIFM presided over the function. In his presidential speech Prof. Bandyopadhyay deliberated upon growing concern on sustainable development and the need for operationalising the C&I for sustainable forest management with highlighting its necessity for the forestry sector. He emphasized on the efforts of the IIFM in developing and implementing the Bhopal-India process for SFM in the country. Prof. K. N. Krishnakumar, Member, MDP Cell, Prof. Katar Singh, Ex-Director, Institute of Rural Management, Anand were also present in the function. The programme directors of the programme were Prof. P. C. Kotwal and Dr. M. D. Omprakash. The guests were introduced by Prof. P. C. Kotwal followed by introductory speech on sustainable forest management.

The objective of the MDP were to impart the participants theme based knowledge inputs, on application of C&I for SFM in India, and its monitoring and evaluation mechanism. The training module covered principles of SFM, world processes on C&I, Local Unit Criteria and Indicators Development (LUCID), incorporation of C&I in working plan, field experience on C&I application, Forest Resource Accounting, Forest Certification. The MDP also provided a discussion forum/platform to enhance the C&I approach for SFM.

The Chief Guest at the valedictory session was Dr. P.B. Gangopadhyay, PCCF (Wildlife), Madhya Pradesh. He highlighted the coordination between IIFM and MP Forest Department since long time. He expressed that criteria and indicators approach towards monitoring of forest resources is an important paradigm in the forestry sector. This will help to analytically assess the efforts towards maintenance and enhancement of forest resources. The programme was concluded with valedictory address by Prof. B. P. Pethia, Dean, IIFM. In his address he informed about the internationally recognized C&I processes for SFM and the Indian initiatives. He further emphasized the need to strengthen the capacity of managers in this area so that it can be implemented in the field effectively. The valedictory session was also graced by the presence of Prof. Katar Singh and Dr. R. C. Saxena. Dr. Omprakash delivered the vote of thanks.

[Back to Top]

 

Seventh Steering committee meeting, 23rd July 2007 at Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal

The seventh Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting was held on July 23, 2007 at Indian Institute of Forest Management, (IIFM) Bhopal. The meeting was chaired by Prof. D. K. Bandyopadhyay, Director, IIFM. Dr. P.C Kotwal, National Project Leader, (IIFM-ITTO Project) welcomed the members and briefed the house on the agenda items of the meeting. The other PSC members were representative of Government of India, Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, Chhattisgarh Forest Department, Gujarat Forest Department, Research Organizations and NGO.

The members of the seventh PSC were Prof. D.K. Bandopadhyay, Director, IIFM; Shri Santosh Kumar, IFS, DCF, Regional Chief Conservator of Forests office, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, Bhopal (M.P); Shri Jauwad Hasan, CCF, Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, Bhopal; Dr. J.A. Khan, IFS, Chief Conservator of Forest (Working Plan), Gujarat Forest Department, Baroda (Gujarat); Dr. Mudit Kumar Singh, IFS, CCF (JFM and Policy Analysis), Chhattisgarh Forest Department, Raipur, Chhattisgarh; Shri Har Prasad, IFS, Conservator of Forests, Tropical Forest Research Institute, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, Jabalpur; Shri R.C. Saxena, NCHSE (NGO), Bhopal; Shri B.K. Sen, Finance Officer IIFM; Dr. Shrinivas Rao, IFS, Faculty, IIFM, Dr. Manmohan Yadav, Faculty, IIFM; Dr. P. C. Kotwal, IIFM-ITTO Project leader; Dr. M.D. Omprakash, Associate Project Coordinator IIFM-ITTO project, Dr. D. Dugaya, Dr. B.L. Menaria, Dr. L.S. Kandari, Mr. Kiran P. Mali, Mr. Tajbar Singh Rawat (Project Managers, IIFM-ITTO project) and Ms. Sudeshna Venny System Analyst, IIFM-ITTO project.
The Committee decided to approve and adopt the following:

· Extension of the project: The project should be extended for the period of eighteen months i.e. January 2008 to June 2009. The project document having proposed activities and related budget may be submitted to ITTO for approval.

· The house was of the unanimous view that in the wider interest of achieving the outputs of this project, continuity of the present Project Leader Prof. P.C. Kotwal should be ensured.

· The next PSC meeting may be held in 2008 at IIFM, Bhopal to review the project progress.

The PSC members expressed their satisfaction over the progress of the project and endorsed the proposed extension of the project period as per the new project document.
Dr. D.K. Bandyopadhyay assured on behalf of the project team and IIFM for their continued commitment to the project and justifiable contribution to the forestry sector through this important project.
The meeting ended with vote of thanks by Prof. P.C. Kotwal expressing gratitude to the PSC members for participating in the meeting.

[Back to Top]

 

 

Management Development Programme on "Forest Resource Accounting for Sustainable Forest Management", 13th - 15th June 2007 at Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal

The Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal, organized a three days training programme on 'Forest Resource Accounting (FRA) for Sustainable Forest Management (SFM)' during June 13-15, 2007 at its campus. The programme theme was introduced by Prof. Katar Singh, former Director of Institute of Rural Management, Anand and IIFM-ITTO project consultant. In his speech he deliberated upon growing concern on operationalising the notion of sustainable development and need for operationalising FRA with highlighting the implication of distortions in conventional FRA.

The programme was inaugurated by Shri V.R. Khare, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Madhya Pradesh state, on June 13, 2007. In his address, he emphasised that forest is national wealth which provides enormous forest benefits to the larger section of the society. Comparing to the forest resource situation with the past, he opined that the forest resources are under great pressure. The pressure on forest can be reduced through increasing purchasing power of the people by providing the alternate source of income. While talking on FRA, he suggested that the detail study need to be carried out to capture all tangible and intangible forest benefits.

Prof. D.K. Bandyopadhyay, Director IIFM, presided the function. In his welcome address he highlighted the efforts of the institute in developing and implementing the Bhopal-India process of SFM in the country. He also stressed on need for developing a proper system of FRA, where he quoted that the concept of ledger and journal is required to bring in practice, thus the balance sheet can be prepared and necessary analytical tools can be applied to know the health of forest. The programme was attended by 27 participants belonging to Forest Departments of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Orissa, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala and Researchers & Academicians from different parts of the country.

The programme was concluded with valedictory address by Prof. D. K. Bandyopadhyay, Director IIFM. In his addresses he has given a message of "PPP" which stand for Perseverance, Patience and Perspiration need to be followed in operationalising the notion of SFM. The concluding remarks were delivered by Prof. Katar Singh where he stressed that there is need to develop and evolve bio-physical measurements for intangible forest benefits. The MDP was co-ordinated by Prof. P.C. Kotwal and Dr. M.D. Omprakash of IIFM.

[Back to Top]

 

Regional level Collaborative Workshop for Initiating Criteria and Indicators Approach for Sustainable Forest Managment , 4-6 April 07, Gangtok, Sikkim

In response to the request of Sikkim Forest Department a collaborative workshop for initiating Criteria and Indicators for SFM in Sikkim state was organised during 4-6 April 2007.

The workshop was organised to sensitize senior officials on C&I approach. The workshop was inaugurated by the Hon'ble Minister of Forest, Wildlife and Environment. The participants of the workshop at Gangtok comprised of PCCF-cum-Secretary, 8 Addl. PCCFs, 7 CCFs, 7 CFs, 15 DFOs, 2 ACFs, 42 other forest officers making a total of 81 participants. The Hon'ble Minister in his inaugural address has expressed to collaborate with IIFM for C&I approach and asssured all possible help in Sikkim to the IIFM researchers. He has also announced to initiate SFM cell in the forest head quarters at Gangtok and also desired for undertaking studies on forest resource valuation and accounting in Sikkim state. The PCCF-cum-Secretary also expressed similar views in his address.

[Back to Top]

 

Village level sensitization workshop for Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Managment , 7-9 April 07, Karfectar, South Sikkim

A sensitisation workshop was organised for field level staff and JFMCs about C&I approach. The programme was coordinated by Shri B.S.Sharma, DFO, Namchi. Prof. P.C.Kotwal introduced the objectives of the workshop to the participants. There were a total of about 60 participants comprising of the field level staff of West and East Sikkim and the JFMC members. There was an in-depth deliberation about the C&I approach by close interaction with the participants. The exercise led to evolving people's indicators at FMU level.

 

[Back to Top]

 

 

Management Development Programme on "Forest Certification for Sustainable Forest Management", 29th Nov -1st December 2006 at Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal

The Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal, organized a three days training programme on Forest Certification for Sustainable Forest Management during November 29 to December 01, 2006 at its campus. This programme was first of its kind in the country focusing on the concept, procedures, need and potential of Certification of forest resources in the country.

The programme was inaugurated by Shri Mohammad Hashim, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, M.P. on November 29, 2006. In his address Mr. Hashim emphasized the need for managing the forest resources in the country on the principles of sustainability. He further highlighted that the forest resources are only renewable resources where as other resources like coal, petroleum products, nuclear material are all limited and likely to exhaust in next few decades.

Prof. D.K. Bandyopadhyay in his welcome address highlighted the efforts of the institute in developing and implementing the Bhopal-India Process of Sustainable Forest Management in the country. IIFM is implementing these principles of Sustainable Forest Management in 6 Forest Divisions of Madhya Pradesh and 2 Forest Divisions of Chhattisgarh and has developed a sound database of the management practices and outcome in these divisions which are also at par with international standards of forest certification.

Sixteen senior forest officers from the states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Researchers & Academicians from different parts of the country and working on the issues related to Forest Certification & SFM participated in this three days programme.

[Back to Top]

 

Management Development Programme on "Criteria & Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management", 8th-10th November 2006 at Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal

The Management Development Programme (MDP) on Criteria and Indicator for Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) was organised during 8-10 Nov 2006 at Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal. The programme was designed to share knowledge and skills to all the concerned stakeholders viz. forestry officials, NGOs and other academic and research institutions. To provide a holistic learning experience on SFM, various topics viz. monitoring and assessment of SFM using criteria & indicator framework, community participation in SFM, certification of forests, trees outside forests and others were discussed during the programme. Various resource persons were also invited to share their experiences and learnings with the participants. The participants were provided a comprehensive learning opportunity on Criteria & Indicator for SFM. This MDP was participated by 33 participants which included forestry officials, NGO representatives and representatives from academic and research institutions.

On the last day of the training workshop a panel discussion was held in which the participants summarised the training program in the light of the issues raised during the program. Some of the doubts were raised and adequate explanations were provided to them.

[Back to Top]

 

 

 

Village level sensitization workshop on "Criteria and Indicators for Sustainble Forest Management" on 5th Nov 06 at Dhanol, Godhra and 8th Nov 2006 at Baria Forest Division, Gujarat

A sensitization workshop on "Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management" was jointly organized by Godhra Forest Division of Gujarat and Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal on 05th November 2006 at Aranya Van Chetna Kendra, Dhanol, Godhra. In the workshop 40 participants from Surksha Samiti, Forest Department and IIFM-ITTO Research Project team participated. Shri. S.P.Jani, IFS, DFO, Godhra inaugurated the workshop in the gracious presence of Shri.V.V.Shah, ACF, Working Plan Circle, Vadodara and RFOs, representative of IIFM-ITTO research team, JFMC members and frontline forest officials. The workshop participants were sensitized towards sustainable forest management and introduced the concept of criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management through lectures and organizing a game on sustainability. All the participants and forest personal actively participated in the workshop activities including group discussion. Shri Rajeev Verma proposed vote of thanks.

Another sensitization workshop on Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management was jointly organized by Baria Forest Division of Gujarat Forest Department and Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal on 09th November 2006 at Forest Rest House, Baria. In the workshop total of 65 participants including personal from Forest Department and IIFM-ITTO Research Project team participated in the workshop. The workshop was inaugurated by Shri M.J.Parmar, IFS, DFO, Baria and presided by Mr N.N.Baria, RFO, Dhanpur. It was followed by introductory lectures by Shri M.J.Parmar, DFO Baria and Shri Bhabhor ACF Baria, Shri L.V.Damor ACF(TA) Baria, Shri V.V.Shah ACF Working Plan Vadodara. Lecture on pertinence of Criteria and Indicators approach and Sustainable Forest Management was delivered by personal from IIFM-ITTO Research team. All the participants and forest personal actively participated in the workshop activities including group discussion. The workshop was ended with valedictory session and vote of thanks by Dr Sanjay Gairola.

[Back to Top]

 

 

 

Village level sensitization workshop on "Criteria and Indicators for Sustainble Forest Management" on 19th July 2006 at Saluapalli, Ghumsur and 12th Oct 2006 at Keonjhar Forest Division, Orissa

A sensitization workshop on Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management was jointly organized by Ghumsur North Forest Division of Orissa Forest Department and Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal on 19th July 2006 at Saluapalli, Ghumsur. In the workshop total of 45 participants from Van Surksha Samiti and Forest Department participated besides the IIFM-ITTO Research Project team. Shri. Sushant Nanda, IFS, DFO, Ghumsur North inaugurated the workshop in the gracious presence of by Shri. Nurul Amin RFO, Central Range, representative of IIFM-ITTO research team, JFMC members and frontline forest officials. The inaugural session was followed by an ice breaking session organized by Shri. Suryapani Satpathy. The workshop participants were sensitized towards sustainable forest management and introduced the concept of criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management through lectures and a organizing a game on sustainability. All the participants and forest personal actively participated in the workshop activities including group discussion activities. Vote of thanks was proposed by Shri. Anupam Banerjee.

Another sensitization workshop on Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management was jointly organized by Keonjhar Forest Division of Orissa Forest Department and Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal on 12th October 2006 at Keonjhar Range Office, Keonjhar. In the workshop total of 45 participants including 13 personal from Forest Department participated besides the IIFM-ITTO Research Project team. The workshop was inaugurated by Dr Pradeep Raj Karat, IFS, DFO, Keonjhar and presided by Mr B. C. Behera RFO, Keonjhar. It was followed by introductory lectures by DFO and Shri B.K.Acharya ACF, Keonjhar. Lecture on pertinence of Criteria and Indicators approach and Sustainable Forest Management was delivered by personal from IIFM-ITTO Research team. All the participants and forest personal actively participated in the workshop activities including group discussion activities. The workshop was ended with valedictory session and vote of thanks.

[Back to Top]

 

 

 

Workshop on "Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management", 7-8 September 2006, Gandhinagar, Gujarat

A workshop on Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management was jointly organised by Forest Department, Gujarat and IIFM Bhopal during 7-8 September 2006 at Gujarat Ecological Education and Research (GEER) Foundation, Gandhinagar under the aegis of IIFM-ITTO Research Project to sensitise the forest officers of Gujarat state on the subject. The workshop was inaugurated by Dr. M. L. Sharma, IFS, PCCF, Gujarat. Speaking on the occasion Dr. Sharma expressed that Criteria and Indicators approach towards monitoring of forest resources is an important paradigm in the forestry sector. This will help to analytically assess the efforts towards maintenance and enhancement of forest resources in Gujarat state. The workshop was participated by a total of 84 participants. The topics of discussion in the workshop comprised of overview of Criteria and Indicators approach for SFM, criteria and indicators of Bhopal-India Process, appropriate valuation and accounting of forest resources, forest certification and eco labelling, community participation in criteria and indicators approach for SFM, Trees outside forests and presentation of case study. Four forest officials of Gujarat state also made presentations on criteria and indicators for sustainable management of Joint Forest Management in north Gujarat and Kachh and field level forest management issues on criteria and indicators in North Gujarat, Saurastra and South Gujarat. Group exercise was conducted in four groups of participants to discuss the indicators under all the criteria of B-I process for their relevance in Gujarat state. The group leaders made presentations after group discussion on the topics followed by panel discussion with PCCF Gujarat in chair, besides four senior forest officers of Gujarat. The workshop ended with vote of thanks in which the PCCF Gujarat honoured the IIFM-ITTO project core team by felicitating with a shawl.

 

[Back to Top]

 

 

Sensitization workshop on "Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management"

A sensitisation workshop on 'Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management' was jointly organized by Orissa forest department and Indian Institute of Forest Management during 20-21 June 2006 at Forest Rangers' College, Angul, Orissa. In this workshop a total of 38 participants comprising of 2 Conservator of Forests, 10 Divisional Forest Officers, 14 Assistant Conservator of Forests, 4 Forest Range Officers, 3 NGO personnel participated beside the IIFM-ITTO Research Project team. The workshop was inaugurated by Shri. B.P. Singh, Chief Conservator of Forest (SF&A) and presided by Shri. R.N. Reddy, Conservator of Forest (Development). Prof. B.B. Mohanty, Ex-Director Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi, delivered special lecture on 'Sustainable forest management and development - an educationist perception'. All the Officers actively participated in the workshop deliberations including the group exercise, discussion and presentations. They were sensitised towards the criteria and indicators and related aspects through interactive presentations by Prof. P.C. Kotwal. Dr. M.D. Omprakash had interactive presentation on 'Development of site specific indicators involving communities' and 'Forest Certification'. There was lot of enthusiasm among the participating officers about the C&I approach. Two Forest Officers of Orissa also made presentation about 'Forest Management issues and challenges and joint forest management in Orissa state. Shri. Susanth Nanda and Dr Prakash Karat, DFOs of Ghumsar North and Keonjhar Forest Division were particularly enthusiastic about initiating the criteria and indicators related research activities in their divisions as was envisaged in the meeting of Sr. Officers at Forest Headquarters, Bhubneswar that was presided by the Pricipal Chief conservator of Forests, Orissa. The certificate of participation were distributed by Shri. A.K. Mohapatra. The workshop was ended with vote of thanks.

 
[Back to Top]

 

Sustainable Forest Management initiatives in Gujarat and Orissa States

The Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM) aspire to be a leader in providing knowledge and solutions for natural resources issues by adopting the theme of sustainability by using the Criteria and Indicators (C&I) approach. To extend the outreach of C&I for SFM, the IIFM-ITTO research project activities on implementation of C&I approach for SFM through community participation has been initiated in Gujarat and Orissa state.

Baria and Godhra forest divisions of Gujarat state and Keonjhar and Ghumsur North forest divisions of Orissa state were identified for applying C&I approach for SFM through community participation. Following discussions with the forest officers of Gujarat and Orissa forest department, five JFMCs in each of the identified forest divisions were selected and working groups formed in consultation with JFMC members to initiate C&I related activities. In addition, an overview of the plan of work was discussed along-with the development of indicators for SFM. The community members were also briefed about the need of SFM and priority issues for which indicators are needed and how indicators can be identified and tested in the field.

 

[Back to Top]

 

 

National Workshop on Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management

The Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India and Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal jointly organized five day workshop on Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) during 24th - 28th April 2006.This workshop has been organized to discuss the Criteria and Indicator approach for SFM to ensure continuous flow of forestry goods and services. Shri Namonarian Meena, Honourable Minister of State, Environment and Forest, Government of India inaugurated the workshop. Shri M.Hashim was the guest of honour for this occasion. The workshop is being participated by the PCCF,CCF of various state forest department, scientist and academicians from Forest Research Institute and other forestry experts from all over the country. Renounced Resource Economist Dr.Steve Johnson, representative International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), Japan attended the inaugural workshop. He made a detailed presentation on the ITTO initiative on Criteria and Indicator approach on Sustainable Forest Management. Dr. Juergen Blaser from Intercooperation, Switzerland attended the workshop as ITTO consultant. In the five day workshop he made various detailed and illustrated presentations on wide ranging forestry related topics including Forest Certification, SFM approach and Silvicultural systems. Dr.M.M.Yadav and Dr.P.C.Kotwal, Faculty IIFM also made their presentation on Forest Certification in Indian Scenario and Bhopal-India Process on SFM respectively.

Two-day group activity was also organized to generate better understanding and applicability of ITTO Criteria and Indicators on the Indian scenario. Three groups had been made and thorough presentation was made by respective group representative.

A field trip was also organized to Samardha VFPC of Bhopal Forest Division to field test the Indicator of Bhopal-India process and to evolve other site-specific Forest Management Unit level Indicators.

At last a recommendations has been made with common concession to implement the framework under Bhopal-India process to other Forest Types of the Country.

 

[Back to Top]

 

Preliminary Discussion held with Officials of Orissa State Forest Department

A two-day meeting of IIFM-ITTO Project Members with the Senior Officials of Orissa State Forest Department was held on 24-25th January 2006 at Aranya Bhavan, Bhubaneshwar to discuss modalities for undertaking research activities of the project on "C&I for SFM" in the Orissa State. The meeting was headed by Mr.P.K.Mohanty, PCCF and the conceptual background on Criteria and Indicator approach was briefed by Prof.P.C.Kotwal (National Project leader). Later Dr.M.D.Omprakash made a detailed presentation about the previous four years research project activities. In the meeting Mr.B.P.Singh CCF (Social Forestry) has been appointed as state representative to coordinate the research activities. To undertake the research activities the tentative names of forest divisions were also decided. A two daylong Sensitization workshop in the month of may in collaboration with State Forest Department was also finalized in the meeting.

 

[Back to Top]

 

 

Initiating Research on "C&I for SFM" in Gujarat State

A preliminary meeting was held with Dr.M.L.Sharma PCCF, Gujarat and other Senior Forestry Officials on 10th January 2006 at GandhiNagar to draw a work plan and implementation strategy to initiate SFM related activities in the state. Prof.P.C.Kotwal (National Project Leader) and Dr.M.D.Omprakash participated in the meeting as IIFM-ITTO project representatives. Agenda also appraised the need and importance of C&I approach, to the forest officials. In the meeting two forest divisions namely Godhra and Baria are recommended and finalized to initiate the field activities.Dr.J.A.Khan IFS has been recommended as the state SFM coordinator for the research project. In the meeting it was also decided to organize two-day sensitization workshop for Gujarat State Forest Department to impart the knowledge on conceptual framework of criteria and indicators for SFM.

 

 

[Back to Top]

 

 

Sixth Steering Committee meeting

The sixth Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting was held on 19th September 2005 at Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal. The meeting was chaired by Prof. D. K. Bandyopadhyay, Director, IIFM. Dr. P.C Kotwal, National Project Leader, (IIFM-ITTO Project) welcomed the members and briefed the house on the agenda items of the meeting. The other PSC members were representative of Government of India, Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, Research Organizations and NGO.

The members of the sixth PSC were Prof. Bandopadhyay, Director, IIFM; Shri D.V. Negi, Regional CCF, MoEF, Western regional office, Bhopal; Shri. A.K. Singh, CCF Madhya Pradesh Forest Department; Dr. P. K. Shukla, Director, State FRI, Jabalpur; Dr. Praveen H. Chawhaan, ICFRE, Tropical FRI Jabalpur; Shri R.C. Saxena, NCHSE (NGO), Bhopal; Shri. S. K. Borwankar, Finance Officer IIFM; Dr. Manmohan Yadav, IIFM; Dr. P. C. Kotwal, IIFM-ITTO Project leader; Dr. M.D. Omprakash, Associate Project Coordinator IIFM-ITTO project and the project core staff.

The Committee decided to approve and adopt the following:

  1. The committee reviewed the progress of the project since its inception i.e. 6th June 2001. National Project Leader briefed the members of the committee about the outcomes of the project. The committee expressed its satisfaction over the progress and applauded the efforts towards successful implementation of the project.
  2. Extension of project period: As was recommended in the previous PSC meeting, a detailed project proposal for extension of the project for two years in two additional states of the country, utilizing the approved unspent amount of the ongoing project, was presented by the National Project Leader. Members of the steering committee expressed satisfaction on the project proposal. The extended period of the project would be from January 2006 to December 2007.

 

[Back to Top]

 

Workshop on "Incorporation of Criteria and Indicators in Forest Working Plan" 29th April, Satpura Bhavan, Bhopal

The workshop on 'Incorporation of Criteria and Indicators in Forest Working Plans' was jointly organized by Indian Institute of Forest Management and Madhya Pradesh Forest Department on April 29, 2005 at Satpura Bhawan, Bhopal. Thirty-three participants with the breadth of knowledge and experience in forestry sector attended this workshop. The group consisted of veteran foresters, additional PCCFs, CF (Working Plan) from the states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, academicians and researchers from the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM). The workshop provided an opportunity to the participants to get themselves aquatinted with work done at IIFM in the area of SFM under the IIFM-ITTO research project on 'Operational strategy for Sustainable Forestry Development with Community Participation in India'.

The workshop concluded with the unanimous consent for the need for incorporating the C&I in the Forest Working Plan. The modalities of Incorporation of C&I in the Working Plans were also discussed. The process of incorporating the C&I in the Working plans requires a long-term association and interaction through the regular meetings between the Forest Department and IIFM. The workshop participants emphasised on pilot testing the incorporation of C&I in the Working Plan where the preparation of Working Plan is presently under way, preferably in the selected FMUs under IIFM-ITTO research project. The participants agreed that prior to finalisation of Minimum Acceptable Standards (MAS), the political and social implications of such actions need to be taken into cognizance.

 

[Back to Top]

 

Workshop on "Refining Indicators of Bhopal-India Process and Implementation Strategy of C&I for SFM in India"

The Workshop on 'Refining Indicators of Bhopal-India Process and Implementation Strategy of C&I for SFM in India' was organised during 10-11 March, 2005, at IIFM. This event bears great significance not only for the forestry sector of the country but also to the larger populace who are dependent on the forests of India for day today needs. As the global fora is fast switching to sustainable principle, this pioneering effort for operationalisation of C&I for Sustainable Forest Management bears immense credence and this workshop played a pivotal role in refining the indicators which were decided.

A total of 56 participants, representing senior and veteran forest officers, renowned academicians, scientists, researchers and non-governmental organisations, from all over the country attended this workshop.

The confluence of experienced foresters and erudite scholars was guided by the learnings gained since the four years of execution of this pilot project. The workshop concluded with the recommendations of refined set of indicators in the light of various operational limitations, data availability, paucity of resources and inadequacy of existing policy framework.

 

[Back to Top]

 

Fifth Steering Committee meeting

The fifth Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting was held on 21st of Feb 2005 at Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal. The meeting was chaired by the Prof. D. K. Bandyopadhyay, Director, IIFM. Dr. P.C Kotwal, National Project Leader, (IIFM-ITTO Project) welcomed the members and briefed the house on the agenda items. Dr. Hiras Sidabutar, Projects Manager, ITTO, attended this meeting. The other PSC members represented GoI, Forest Department of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and other research institutions.

The members included Dr. Hiras Sidabutar, ITTO, Prof. Bandopadhyay, Director, IIFM, Dr. A.A. Boaz, CCF, Chhattisgarh, Dr. S.P. Shrivastava, O/o Regional CCF, Bhopal (Govt. of India representative), Dr. Jamaludin, TFRI, Jabalpur, Mr. R.C. Saxena, NCHSE, Bhopal (NGO), Dr. V. K. Sinha, AO, IIFM, Dr. Madhu Verma, IIFM, Dr. M. M. Yadav, IIFM, Mr. S. K. Borwankar, FO, IIFM, Dr. P. C. Kotwal, IIFM-ITTO Project leader and the project staff.

The Committee decided to approve and adopt the following:

  1. Extension of the project: The project period should be extended for the period of seven months i.e. June' 05 to Dec' 05. The budget for proposed extension should be planned from within the project funds and submitted to ITTO for approval.
  2. The proposal for next extension of the project period by two years, would be prepared and the proposal for next extension of the project period by two years would be prepared and presented by the representative of IIFM at the ITTC meeting in November 2005 for consideration and approval. For this, the provision of budget may be made from within the project funds.

Following the PSC, Dr. Hiras was taken to Ratapani WLS(Project site) for field visit and interaction.

 

[Back to Top]

 

 

Workshop on Benefits and Costs of Forest Resource and distortions in the current system of Forest Resource Accounting.

Following up the deliberation during the workshop 'Developing, Institutionalising a comprehensive Forest Resource Accounting system', held during 11th - 12th September 03, to develop a operational system for Forest Resource Accounting, a workshop on 'Benefits and Costs of Forest Resource and distortions in the current system of Forest Resource Accounting' was held during 28th - 29th September 2004 at IIFM, Bhopal.

Workshop was inaugurate by Shri. A. P. Dwivedi, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Madhya Pradesh. He provided a insight into the levels of accounting distortions and hence the need of an accounting system for forestry sector. Dr. D. K. Bandyopadhyay, Director, IIFM; through his address, provided the foundation for further deliberation during the workshop.

The workshop was participated by 45 delegates that included senior forest official, economists, researchers and academicians working in the area of natural resources. The congregation deliberated upon developing a framework, in consonance to others international processes, for operationalising the economic accounts for the forestry sector. Research papers were presented by the participants to share various initiatives and frameworks for developing a operational system for economic accounting of forestry sector. The group further discussed various operational limitations and possible alternatives for implementing this system.

 

[Back to Top]

 

Regional workshop on "Criteria and Indicators system for Sustainable Forest Management", Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh

This workshop was organized at the Forestry Training Institute at Kanpur during 23rd - 24th of June 2004. This workshop pioneers the efforts and initiatives to ensure sustainability of forest resources, in the states of north India. The workshop jointly organized by IIFM and the Forest Department, Uttar Pradesh; was to sensitize the forest officials and other stakeholders on the issues and concepts of Sustainable Forest management and its monitoring and assessment using the C&I framework.

The workshop was participated by 54 participants comprising of senior forest officials from different states, researchers, academicians and representatives from various non - government organizations. Shri K. Prasad, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Uttar Pradesh inaugurated the workshop. He reiterated that the value and importance of the forests have to be acknowledged and respected in its true essence. The participants arrived at the common consensus that to check further degradation and deterioration of forests in their respective states and throughout the nation, its imperative that sustainable forest management be introduced and its monitoring and assessment using the C&I framework be operationalised.

[Back to Top]

 

 

Regional workshop on "Criteria and Indicators system for Sustainable Forest Management", Kerala Forest Department, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

In the series of Regional Workshops, under the aegis of the IIFM-ITTO Project, a regional workshop was organized at the Forest Headquarters, Kerala Forest Department, Vazuthacaud, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala during 26th and 27th of May 2004. The workshop aimed at initiating a discussion on Criteria and Indicators and Sustainable Forest Management, among the stakeholders in the Southern states of India viz. Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. Participated by 51 participants representing various stakeholder groups and states and facilitated by experts like Dr. C. Chandrashekharan; the workshop discussed various issues and strategy to implement C&I to achieve Sustainable Forest Management.

 

[Back to Top]

 

 

 

Fourth Steering Committee meeting

Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting was held on 18th of March 2004. Dr. Hiras Sidabutar, Projects Manager, ITTO, participated in the meeting.It was attended by other PSC members representing the GOI, the Forest Department of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Research institutions and IIFM. Shri. D.V. Negi, the Chairman of PSC called the meeting at 10:30 am. Dr. P.C.Kotwal discussed the progress of the project during the year (2003-04). The PSC members critically analysed the progress and gave suggestion for further improvement of the project activities and their impact on the forests. Dr. Hiras and the members were satisfied with the progress of the project and appreciated the project team for successfully implementing the activities envisaged by the project. The meeting ended up with member signing the minutes.

The members included Dr. Hiras Sidabutar, Shri A.P. Dwivedi, PCCF M.P., Shri R. C. Sharma, PCCF, Chhattisgarh, Dr. G. B. Gangopadhya, PCCF, M.P., Shri D.V. Negi, CCF, Regional office MoEF and Director IIFM, Shri P.K.Shukla, SFRI, Dr. R. K. Srivastava, TFRI, Dr. R.C.Saxena, NHSCE, Dr. Madhu Verma, IIFM, Dr. M.M.Yadav, IIFM, Dr. P.C.Kotwal and the project staff.

Following the PSC, Dr. Hiras was taken to Jhabua (Project site) for field visit and interaction.

[Back to Top]

 

 

Regional workshop on "Criteria and Indicators system for Sustainable Forest Management" 11-12 February 2004. NIPCCD, Guwahati.

A Regional workshop was organized, at the National Institute of Public Co-operation and Child Development, Khanapara, Guwahati, from the 11th to 12th of February, 2004; to create awareness and sensitize the forestry personnel, NGOs and other academic and research institutions, from the northern-eastern states viz. Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura; to initiate the process of operationalising C&I for SFM in the respective states and hence throughout the nation in co-operation and participation of forest department, communities, NGOs and other academic and research institutions.

The workshop was jointly organized by the Assam State Forest Department and the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal and jointly co-ordinated by Dr. P.C. Kotwal (National Project Leader, IIFM-ITTO Project) and Shri. D. Mathur (Conservator of Forests, Forest Department, Assam). The venue for the workshop was provided by National Institute for Public Co-operation and Child Development (NIPCCD), Guwahati.

[Back to Top]

 

 

Management Development Programme on Criteria & Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management - 13th- 17th October 2003

The Management Development Programme (MDP) on Criteria and Indicator (C&I) for Sustainable Forest Management (SFM), organised during 13-17 October 2003 at Indian Institute of Forest Management, was one of its kind in the country. The programme was designed to provide knowledge and skills to all the concerned stakeholders viz. forestry officials, NGOs and other academic and research institutions. To provide a holistic learning experience on SFM, various topics viz. monitoring and assessment of SFM using C&I framework, community participation in SFM, use of computers in monitoring and assessment, certification for forests, trees outside forests (TOF) and others were discussed during the programme. Various resource persons were also invited to share their experiences and learnings with the participants. Further, supplemented by the field exercise, the participants were provided a comprehensive learning opportunity on C&I for SFM. This MDP was participated by 20 participants that includes forestry officials, NGO representatives and representatives from academic and research institutions.

On the last day of the training workshop a Panel Discussion was held in which the participants summarised the training program in the light of the issues raised during the program. Some of the doubts were raised and adequate explanations were provided for them.

Data availability
Participants expressed concerns on the issue of the availability of authentic, accurate and reliable data from the records of various departments involved.

Duplication in collection of data
There are various agencies collecting data for the same agenda from the same location, but there might be differences in the objectives of collection of data. This results in duplication of data.

Capacity for collection of data
Capacity enhancement is imperative for authentic and appropriate collection, recording and analysis of data from various sources. Involvement of local community can be an initiative in the direction of collecting site and requirement specific data.

Way ahead
As envisaged by the august gathering of participants there are some issues, which should be given adequate attention and at the same time should be developed upon in order to have a different picture than what exists. These issues are enumerated below.

Interdepartmental coordination/ networking
There has to be an institutionalized approach to cater to the requirements of the situation present in front of us. It is imperative to have a coordination amongst various departments at all levels, starting from grass roots till policy designing level, to have a holistic coverage of all the issues in question.

Utilization of Working Plans
Working plan should be considered as base for the process of SFM and its prescriptions should be in accordance to the C&I system and vice-versa. A summary of these plans should be circulated to the panchayat level after translating it into the language of community concerned.

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) strategy
There are certain prerequisites for such a system to be brought in to practice. Responsibility as well as control centres would have to be defined and elaborately set according to the requirements of forestry scenario. Scale, periodicity, cost implications of M&E system should be decided and put into practice as decided.

Funds and Policy implications
Decision-makers and stakeholders should be supported by the policy environment and availability of required amount of funds for effective application of the concepts and practices required for SFM.

Minimum Acceptable Standards (MAS)
For the analysis of the situation MAS would have to be defined for comparisons and improvements in the process. These are necessary for assessing whether any aspect is taking us towards or away from sustainability.

Stakeholders' participation
Community based activities require participatory mechanisms to be developed to capture the perceptions of various stakeholders involved in the process. This is imperative in the light of the strategy of Joint Forest Management. Involvement of all stakeholders is all the more essential for development of a comprehensive institutional framework for implementing the process and designing of policies for better management of our natural resources esp. forests.

[Back to Top]

 

 

Workshop on Methodologies for Forest Resource Valuation and Accounting - 11th - 12th September 2003

Acceptance of the need to account for and assign values to forestry resources is growing globally. Need to assess the real value of contribution of forestry sector in the mainstream is being felt the world over. Policymakers need a mechanism to take decisions regarding natural resources, their usage and accounting for incorporating it into the national income accounts. Global brainstorming is needed to develop a framework, which can be operationalised in order to have a appropriate and systematic representation of our natural resources in the National System of Accounts. Existing methodologies adopted and processes being followed, to estimate the value of natural resources, have serious limitations and do not provide the decision makers an authentic and valid representation of the value of forest resources. In the light of the above limitations it becomes imperative to develop a comprehensive system to capture all the values of forest-related input & outputs, benefits & costs etc.
With the above objective in mind under the aegis of IIFM-ITTO research project workshop was organized on 11th-12th September 2003 at Indian Institute of Forest Management, to bring together experts and specialists from various fields on the same forum.

In this two day workshop on "Developing and Institutionalising a comprehensive Forest Resource Accounting System", experts, specialists, researchers from various streams participated. Senior officials from Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, senior economists, statisticians, members from Planning Commission of India took part in this workshop. A synergy of various streams was observed during the two-day workshop. An essential purpose of this workshop was to initiate a thought process in the direction of developing and operationalizing a system, which would not only evaluate the natural resources (esp. forests) in terms of real value but also incorporate these values in the national accounting system.

Forest Resource Accounting. Two papers, one by Dr. Madhumita Mishra, Mr. A. R. Kulkarni, from Centre for Multi-disciplinary Development Research and the other by Mr. M. Govindan Kutty former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Kerala, were also presented during the workshop.

Highlight of the workshop were the technical sessions, where participants discussed and deliberated on issues like components of cost, benefits, incorporation of forest resource accounts in System of National Accounts and framework for Institutionalisation of proposed system of Forest Resource Accounting.

Essential issues, which emanated during the deliberations, revolved around bridging the gaps in the existing system of data collection, evaluation and reporting system. This would be done best through invoking community's participation and involvement in collection, authentication, and validation of data. A unanimous feeling that was generated amongst the participants was towards developing an enabling policy environment. It is imperative for any new system or process to be formulated and accepted in existing systems. Participants agreed on having continuous dialogues between various stakeholders on different forums. A comprehensive system can be developed and operationalised if and only if synergized efforts are made at all levels utilizing indigenous as well as specialized knowledge and skills.

 

[Back to Top]

 

 

Regional workshop at Jaipur, Rajasthan - 5-6 September 2003

Sustainable forest management as a process has certain prerequisites. One of which is sensitization and capacity building of actors involved in the process. Systematic implementation and operationalisation of SFM requires all stakeholders to be fully aware of the issue and its concepts.

IIFM-ITTO research project envisages to sensitize the various stakeholders involved in sustainable forest management. Under the aegis of this project, several trainings and workshops have been organized to sensitize capable human force and create an adequate policy environment. One such workshop, with the above stated objective, was organized at Forestry Training Institute, Jaipur from 5th to 6th September 2003.

"Strides of sustainability to foster prosperity: The Criteria and Indicator system for Sustainable Forest Management" was organized by Indian Institute of Forest Management in collaboration with Forest Department of the state of Rajasthan. This workshop was first of its kind in Rajasthan, pioneering the efforts and initiatives to ensure sustainability of forest resources. Personnel from forest department from various states of western India participated in the workshop. The two-day workshop involved the participants in various introductory & technical sessions and group discussions. The event concluded with officials agreeing on applying SFM and C&I system in a comprehensive manner.

[Back to Top]

 

 

Project third Steering Committee Meeting

The Third Meeting of the Steering Committee, of the IIFM-ITTO Project on Sustainable Forest Management was held on the 4th of April 2003 at Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal. The meeting was chaired by Shri. D.V. Negi, Chief Conservator of Forests, Regional Office, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. Dr. Hiras Sidabutar, Projects Manager, ITTO represented ITTO, the project's funding agency. Dr. Ram Prasad, PCCF, Madhya Pradesh, Dr. P.C. Sukhla, Director, Tropical Forest Research Institute, Jabalpur, Dr. (Mrs.) Gopa Pandey, C.F, M.P Forest Department, Mr. K.C. Yadav, C.F. Chhattisgarh Forest Department, Shri. S.M. Hassan, Administrative Officer, IIFM, Shri. Shakti Sharan, Finance Officer, IIFM, Dr. P.C. Kotwal, National Project Leader, IIFM-ITTO Project and other staff in the IIFM-ITTO project participated in the meeting.

The Steering committee was preceded by a pre-PSC meeting, participated by the PCCF, Madhya Pradesh, PCCF, Chhatisgarh and other members of the Steering Committee to discuss the issues and other limitations to be discussed in details during the Meeting of the Project Steering Committee.

The Steering Committee Meeting reviewed the progress of the project as well as discussed the bottlenecks of the project. Dr. Hiras Sidabutar expressed satisfaction on the progress of the project and also provided suggestions for better implementation of the project. The Steering Committee agreed on need for further extension of the project to gain satisfactory results towards sustainability of forest resources in the country. The Steering Committee also recommended various inputs and strategies for smooth execution of the project and achievement of desired objectives.

 

[Back to Top]

 

 

Cross Site Visit

Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) is a multi-actor process and informed participation of all actors is a prerequisite for its effective implementation. Hence, its imperative that the local resources, knowledge and capacities, be integrated in the decision-making process at the community levels. Further, in the C&I (Criteria and indicators) perspective, its essential that the existing local capacities be adjudged and accordingly enhanced thus, enabling them to select standards, decide on monitoring an assessment methodologies, develop capabilities for decision-making and larger control over resources.

Indian forests entered the era of sustainable forest management implementation under the auspices of the IIFM-ITTO Project, "Operational strategy for Sustainable Forestry Development through Community Participation". Since its inception in June 2001, numerous activities have been undertaken including a series of training workshops for sensitization of officials of the forest departments and the grassroots people at eight project sites in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Further, to augment the knowledge and capacities of the community members, through sharing of traditional knowledge base and learning from community-initiated and local interventions for managing the forests; cross-site visits were organised under the aegis of the project.

 

[Back to Top]

 

 

Training Workshop on Information Management on Criteria & Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management

Under the aegis of IIFM-ITTO project on SFM in India, one of the prime activities for attaining SFM is efficient forest information management. This is being done by operationalising the C&I system through the existing system of information management of the forest departments of the states of MP and Chhattisgarh. With the C&I system in place it would help in achieving the monitoring, assessment and reporting of the data related to SFM through community participation.

In order to achieve this objective, the software titled 'FORMACS' has been developed. It stands for Forestry Management Control System. FORMACS has been developed as a C&I based customized information system software for field-level forest managers for helping them in forest management related decision-making towards achieving sustainable forest management. The objective of the software is to provide an easy to use system for assessing the status of forestry resources and the direction of change, towards or away from sustainable forest management.

The workshop was conceptualized as a training workshop for stakeholders from civil society, research institutions and forest managers (officials from the forest department hierarchy) for whom the software would be of use for assessing the sustainability of forests in their work areas. One of the sub-objectives of this workshop was to have a critical review and simulation of the software by the stakeholders, and assess its strengths and points of improvements by inviting constructive criticism from them. Hence the invitees also included participants from non-governmental organisation and researchers from educational institutions.

The workshop was of two days duration starting from 1 August 2002. The introductory module covered the conceptual framework of SFM and its relevance to Indian forests and the related global perspectives, a brief on the IIFM-ITTO Project and its progress made till date and the applicability aspects of the C&I system (the set developed under the Bhopal-India Process). The technical module covered the description and demonstration of the software, its design and its technical details. The demonstration module was intended to instruct the participants various features of the software and its adaptability. The practical module included hands on experience of the software in order that the participants become familiar about its working. A session on ' Measures of Success' (MoS) was also conducted in order to get familiar with the concepts of measuring SFM by virtue of the 'ecology, economy, society' paradigm of the MoS meter technique.

The discussion session was intended to provide a platform for brainstorming on the utility and other features of the software and its possible points of improvement. The participants were invited to present their discussions with points of justification of their recommendations. This was followed by a feedback session. The training workshop on forest information management was a successful event because the objectives were achieved as it helped in creating awareness and sensitivity of the participants towards a systematic approach for measuring and reporting SFM. It also helped in probing the points of improvements so as to make it more user friendly and increase its utility.

 

[Back to Top]

 

 

Rally and establishment of extension centers

On the 5th of June 2002, Rallys were organised at four field sites viz. East Mandla, Jhabua, Dhamtari and Harda to commemorate the 'World Environment Day', besides the successful year of completion of the IIFM-ITTO project. It had the enthusiastic participation of almost 600 villagers and forest personnel, spreading the concept and importance of forests and Sustainable Forest management.

Following, to dessiminate information and knowledge specific to SFM and C&I for SFM, an Extension Center was established in each site. These Extension Centers have illustrated representation of C&I and importance of SFM, besides other reading materials, for generating awareness, knowledge-sharing and clarity in implementation of an operational C&I system for SFM.

The overall objective of the rally was to create mass awareness among the JFMC members of the project villages in the four divisions. The specific objectives of the event were:

  • To enhance senstivity of the target villagers towards SFM
  • To reinforce the concept of SFM and C&I in the target audience
  • To create mass awareness about SFM, C&I and its significance
  • To mark World Environment Day and generate awareness about its relevance among the JFMCs
  • To initiate a process of self-perpetuating dialogue on SFM through mass awareness campaigns and information dissemination through extension centers

[Back to Top]

 

 

Evolving Local Level Criteria and Indicators

 

 

[Back to Top]

 

 

 

 

Description of Field Sites.

 

[Back to Top]

 

 

 

 

 

Selection of Field Sites.

Selection of eight pilot study sites were done as follows:

Six sites in the state of Madhya Pradesh

  1. East Mandla
  2. South Seoni
  3. Ratapani WLS
  4. Harda
  5. Sheopur Kalan
  6. Jhabua

Two sites in the state of Chhattisgarh.

  1. Dhamtari
  2. Marwahi (North Bilaspur)

 

[Back to Top]

 

 

First Steering Committee Meeting

Dr. Ram Prasad, Director of IIFM, Bhopal and Dr.P.C Kotwal, National Project Leader of IIFM-ITTO Project welcomed the members and other special invitee's at the first meeting of the steering committee. Prof. Kotwal, National Project Leader, came out with the objective - outcome - activity - chart of the project. He elaborated the objectives of the project that included one development objective, two specific objectives, twelve outcomes and thirtyseven associated activities. These activities were to be carried out in a phased manner, throughout the project duration of four years. He also briefly discussed about eight criteria and fortythree Indicators of Bhopal - India Process of SFM.

To get copy of the Publication mail to : itto@iifm.ac.in

 

[Back to Top]

 

 

 

 

Launch Workshop

A launch workshop was organised on 6th of June 2000 with the cooperation of officials of Government (Madhya pradesh and Chhattisgarh). The guest of honour for the workshop were Chief Minister of M.P along with the Forest Minister of M.P and various distinguished guest from the forest department of M.P and Chhattisgarh.

The Director of IIFM, Dr. Ram Prasad welcomed all the guests and gave a brief introduction about the IIFM-ITTO project . Shri Digvijay Singh Hon'ble Cheif Minister and Shri Harbans Singh Forest and Transport Minister addressed the gathering and felicitated sixJoint Forest Management workers from M.P and Chhattisgarh for their outstanding role in their respective communities for conservation and management of biological diversity, rural development and social security.

The function concluded with vote a of thanks by Dr. P.C.Kotwal, Project Coordinator. The media was also invited for obtaining appropriate publicity for the project.

To get copy of the Publication mail to : itto@iifm.ac.in

[Back to Top]

 

 

 

[Back to Top]

 

homebar.gif (1074 bytes)