Draft Forest Policy 2018 overlooks role of gram sabha say farmers groups, activists

NEW DELHI: Civil society organizations, academics and farmers groups are sceptical of the union environment ministry’s proposal of a National Community Forest Management Mission in the draft forest policy 2018 released recently. While such a mission ought to give hope to forest dwelling communities and tribes, what experts have found missing is the mention of implementing forest rights act (FRA) 2006 which empowers forest dwellers to depend on and conserve forest resources.

Instead, the draft policy proposes that “the new policy will address the same (forest rights act) under participatory forest management and the same will be addressed through the proposed community forest management mission.” Many civil society organisations and experts submitted their comments on the draft policy in the last couple of days. Members of All India Forum for Forest Movements (AIFFM) and Community Forest Rights, Learning and Advocacy (CFR-LA) who also submitted their comments to the environment ministry said: “the draft policy seeks to introduce a community forest management (CFM) mission as an offshoot of earlier failed experiences of participatory forest management such as joint forest management (JFM), Van Suraksha Samitis etc. Such participatory models have failed to devolve decision-making and control over forests in communities who have historical rights over forests, as these bodies remain dominated and controlled by the forest bureaucracy.” They claimed that after the enactment of FRA 2006, such participatory models are no longer legally valid and operational, as the full authority of governing community’s rights over forests is vested in the gram sabhas and not in the forest department.”

A tribal woman in Kandhamal showing millets

Interestingly, even farm activists are worried about such a community forest management regime based on participatory forest management where forest department and forest dwelling communities work together. “This is one of the most objectionable proposals in the draft policy and it is unclear on what basis this is being proposed by the environment ministry while it is apparent from discourse and practice that the Forest Rights Act 2006 and its provisions (in letter and spirit) should be the governance framework of any national forest policy,” said a group of more than 100 agriculture and forestry activists in their submission to the ministry. Both farmers groups and forest rights organisations feel the draft has clear thrust on marketing native forests by including a public private partnership (PPP) clause in afforestation projects.

“A strong thrust has been put on forward linkages with industry, especially in terms of plantations (including agro-forestry and farm forestry), and on Public Private Partnerships. Forest communities are deeply worried with the provisions in this draft policy on "public private partnerships (PPP)". They fear that the move would lead to leasing out of forest lands, traditionally used by them, to private companies for monocultures that are meant to feed industrial requirements,” said Kavitha Kuruganti, convenor of Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA) whose submission was endorsed by 144 individuals and groups.

Forest rights groups noted that the current draft is quite a departure from the forest policy of 1988 which prohibited private participation in forestry. “The draft proposes PPP based afforestation and reforestation programs in degraded forests and forest areas available with Forest Development Corporations (FDCs). There is already opposition to such privatisation attempts by the environment ministry, and to the leases given to FDCs over forest lands, as these forests are now under the authority of local communities and their gram sabhas.”

The environment ministry had released a draft forest policy in 2016 prepared by the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM). This draft was retracted after widespread opposition to a community forest management mission proposal that excludes the pivotal role of gram sabhas and fails to recognize FRA 2006.

Farm activists have also pointed that the current draft fails to recognize that forests are also source of food and nutrition. “The wide variety of foods from forests like edible leaves, fruits, flowers, seeds, stems, roots, tubers, some insects and mushrooms play a vital role in the food cultures of forest-dependent communities, as famine foods, staple, snack foods for children, offerings to deities and delicacies… the draft forest policy 2018 the immense contribution of forests as food and nutrition producing habitats. Such a policy thrust will contribute to improve forest biodiversity, forest protection and also the indigenous forest-based economy and food cultures,” experts have added.

The last date for receiving public’s comments on the draft forest policy was on April 14, 2018.