Contesting the Future of Forest Governance

• Chhattisgarh forest department issued a letter designating itself as the nodal agency for implementing CFRR under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006.

• The letter violated gram sabhas’ statutory authority to implement locally developed management plans in their CFR areas.

• The letter was withdrawn after grassroots mobilisation by gram sabhas, local elected representatives, and Adivasi rights groups.

Forest Management

• Historically, forests under government control have been managed through forest departments’ working plans.

• The FRA’s vision recognizes the integral role of local communities in the “very survival and sustainability” of forests.

• CFR management plans are to be developed by gram sabhas to prioritize local needs and address current problems.

• Over 10,000 gram sabhas have received CFRR titles in India, but less than 1,000 have prepared their CFR management plans.

• Forest departments have pursued a strategy of attrition, delaying or rejecting CFRR claims, attempting to revoke CFRR titles, and denying funds to CFRRholding gram sabhas.

Addressing the Bogeyman

• The NWPC prescribes a working plan should outline “the purpose with which a forest should be managed so as to best meet the interests and wishes of the owner, and indicate the means by which the purpose may be accomplished.”

• Forest management by gram sabhas will likely pursue multiple livelihood needs, for which the NWPC provides little guidance.

• The variable impacts of climate change also challenge the linear trajectory of working plans.

• CFRR demands shedding historical baggage and embracing new possibilities.