Manav Seva Sansthan

MSS has been efficiently carrying out the joint forest management activities in Bundelkhand region over the years with the support of its networking partners by successfully undertaking capacity building training of forest personnel, group building and enterprise development for the community of forest adjoining villages, coordination with the government afforestation program, promoting Agro-forestry, advocacy for livelihood and food security of forest dependent families, information dissemination and knowledge management about Indian forest policies and national action plan for climate change.

Raising the Issue through Inter-Regional Forum

MSS along with its more than 10 networking partners has fruitful linkages with national environmental awareness campaign and other forest management projects. In this course, MSS, India has efficiently formed a regional level forum for disaster and natural resource management at regional level. With the support of this forum, it organizes knowledge workshops/symposia, regional level Conferences to discuss Climate Change policies at national and global level as well as advocacy events for the effective implementation of REDD (National Action Plan for Climate Change) and rights of forest dependent families.

To Cope with the Forest Dependent Families

MSS has also been actively involved in intervening the situation of forest dependent families by providing them training on optional livelihood resources and leveraging their involvement in implementing the REDD policies in the region. The formed CBOs (Van Sahayak Samiti) involving a number of forest dependent families in the region have been playing an important role in protection and improvement of forests. The samiti members with the help of micro-plans developed by them are collectively working to generate forests by removing weeds and shrubs for proper growth of important tree species in line with needs of the local people. Village development is another thrust area of formed CBOs and focus is on improving drinking water, non-timber produces, building community halls, improving women’s economic status by contributing to women’s groups etc. The Samitis have also been successful in up-liftment of forest dependent families and bringing them into the mainstream.

Impacts Assessed

• Increased availability of fuel and fodder within two years of taking up joint forest management activities
• Reduction in incidences of deforestations
• Generation of adequate employment in the village itself has reduced rural to urban migration.
• Improvement in natural regeneration of forests
• Increase in water table due to execution of soil and moisture conservation works.
• Increase in non timber forest produce (NTFP) in CBO areas resulting in villagers getting more income from collection of forest byproducts etc.