Question

Give an example where participation of local people leads to efficient management of forest.

Answer 1

People’s participation in forest conservation and its efficient management in India has a long history. A tree plantation movement or Van Mahotsava has been carried out in India since 1950. Under this movement, both government and private agencies perform the plantation during July and February every year.

Complete answer:
- The king of Jodhpur, Rajasthan asked his minister to arrange for woods for his new palace. The Minister and workers went to a nearby village to cut down trees. That village was inhabited by the Bishnois.
- A Bishnoi woman named Amrita Devi showed exemplary courage by hugging a tree and daring King’s men to cut her first before cutting the tree. The tree mattered to her more than her own life.
- Along with Amrita Devi, her three daughters were also killed because they tried to save the trees from being cut. Hundreds of other people of the village also followed Amrita Devi and her daughters, and lost their lives. For the very first time in history, such a large number of people sacrificed their lives for the conservation of their forests.
- In order to pay tribute to them, the Government of India instituted the Amrita Devi Bishnoi Wildlife Protection Award for individuals or communities that have gone beyond their limits to protect wildlife and forests.

Additional information:
- Similar movement started in 1974 by Chandi Prasad Bhatt and Sundar Lal Bahuguna and was referred to as the Chipko movement, in which local women showed enormous bravery in protecting the trees from the contractors by hugging them.
- Another such movement was led by Pandurang Hegde, called the Appiko movement, aiming at conservation, plantation, and rational use of forest trees.

Note: The government of India also started a Joint Forest Management in 1980 to work closely with the local communities for protecting and managing the forest. In return, the government allowed the villagers to use forest resources like rubber, fruits, gum, medicine, etc. Such methods allow the sustainable conservation of wildlife and forests.