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Assam – an introduction

Location and biogeographyAssam holds a unique position in the country’s strategically very important north-eastern region.

The state is bounded by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh on the north; Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur on the east; Mizoram and Meghalaya on the south; and Bangladesh and West Bengal on the west. The state is open to the mainland of the country on the west through a narrow corridor (about 40 km wide) between Bangladesh and Nepal. The state extends from 24º09’ to 27º58’ N latitude and from 89º42’ to 96º01’ E longitude. The state has an area of 78,438 sq km.1

Assam has a monsoon-type climate with a hot and wet summer and a cool and dry winter. Annual rainfall in the state varies from less than 1000 mm in some parts to more than 6000 mm in others. The temperature generally ranges between 7ºC (minimum in winter) and 36ºC (maximum in summer). The relative humidity is found to vary between 60-85 per cent during a year.

The present physiographic configuration of Assam is characterized by diverse features such as floodplains, marshes and beels (lakes), scattered hillocks, folded hill ranges and old plateaus. Thus, Assam can be divided into three major physiographic divisions: (i) the Brahamaputra valley, (ii) the hills of Karbi Anglong and North Cachar, and (iii) the Barak valley. The Bramhaputra and the Barak are the major river systems in Assam with their flood plains covering around 80 per cent of the geographical area. The state is dominated by tropical evergreen semi-evergreen forest, grassland and wetland ecosystems. The total forest cover of the state is 27,826 sq km according to the Forest Survey of India, 2003. This makes up about 35.48 per cent of the total geographical area of the state. Of the total forest area about 14,784 sq km is open canopy forest. The total state reserved forest is 18,242.23 sq km and proposed reserved forest is 3,933.62 sq km.2

The state has as many as 3513 freshwater wetlands. Assam is dominated by two river plains: the Brahmaputra plains (56,480 sq km) drained by the river Brahmaputra and its 43 tributaries, and the Barak plains (6962 sq km) drained by the river Barak and its tributaries.

BiodiversityAs many as 102 species of flora belonging to 75 genera are endemic to the state. About 193

species of mammals and more than 958 species and sub-species of birds are so far reported from Assam. About 750 species of butterflies have been reported. There are 14 species of primates, which constitute a sixth of the total primate species of the world. 19 cat species are reported from the state. The state houses 45 Red Data Species of fauna belonging to 19 families. Assam holds the entire known world population of the pigmy hog, 75 per cent of the world population of the Indian rhinoceros and the wild water-buffalo and a sizable population of Asian elephants and tigers.

Socio-economic profileAssam harbours several ethnic groups. The Karbi and Dimasa are the major hill tribes while

Bodo, Mishing, Rabha, Tiwa, Sonowal Kachari and Deuri are the major plain tribes distributed in different districts of the state. The present population (as per 2001 census) of the state stands at 26,655,528. There are 16 scheduled caste communities, making up 6.9 per cent of the total population, while scheduled tribes make up about 12.4 per cent of the total population.

The majority of people in the state are engaged in agriculture, with others working in tea plantations, livestock farming and lumbering. In various hilly areas, shifting cultivation or jhum is a common practice among certain tribal groups and villagers.

Administrative and political profileAs elsewhere in the country, Assam also has a five-tier administrative framework: state (rajya),

district (jila), sub-division (mohkuma), block (khanda) and panchayat. On the revenue front, there are two other units called circle (rajah-chakra) and mouza (a combination of a few revenue

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villages). There are altogether 23 districts, 48 sub-divisions, 219 blocks, 2,501 panchayats and 25,590 villages in the state.

Constitutional provisions such as Article 371-B; and Articles 244 (2) and 275 (1) of the Sixth Schedule are operational in the state. Two councils—Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council and North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council—have got full autonomy to deal with almost all the important areas like education, agriculture, rural development, veterinary and forests (except the reserved forest s). In addition to the above two councils in the hill districts, there are four newly constituted councils in the plains districts of Assam. They are: Bodo Autonomous Council, Kokrajhar; Mishing Autonomous Council, Gogamukh; Tiwa Autonomous Council, Morigaon; and Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council, Dudhnoi.3

ConservationThere is growing displacement of people, due to natural hazards like flood and bank erosion

and shifting of river courses, and conflicts among different ethnic groups. This is directly affecting the interest of biodiversity conservation. Destruction of natural habitats for commercial felling, encroachment for settlements and cultivation, short-cycle jhum cultivation in the hill slopes, overgrazing, extension of infrastructure facilities and various development activities pose a serious threat to the biodiversity of Assam.

As a part of conservation initiatives, the forest department has identified 5 national parks, 16 wildlife sanctuaries, 2 tiger reserves (Manas and Pakhui-Nameri) and 2 biosphere reserves (Manas and Dibru-Saikhowa).4

Deepor Beel, spread over 4000 ha, is a permanent freshwater lake in the former channel of the Bramhaputra river, of great biological importance and also essential as the only major stormwater storage basin for the city of Guwahati. Deepor Beel supports an important fishery, providing a means of livelihood for a number of local families. Local people traditionally utilise the beel to collect fodder for domestic cattle; for food such as vegetables, flowers, aquatic seeds, fish, molluscs; and for other essential requirements. It is a Sanctuary, an Important Bird Area and the only Ramsar Site designated in the state. However, 22 more Ramsar sites are proposed in the state.5 46 sites in the state have been declared as Important Bird Areas.6

Joint Forest Management (JFM) was introduced in the state in 1998 and so far 245 JFM committees have been formed. Along with the above, the FD is also involved in ecodevelopment, involving local communities, in fringe areas of protected areas and also in conservation of medicinal plants, endangered and endemic orchids, and bamboo and cane varieties.

The activities of NGOs in the state are many and very diverse, covering environmental education and awareness, people’s participation in forest and wildlife conservation, sustainable use of biological resources, promotion of traditional values relating to environment and biodiversity conservation,

integration of interdepartmental activities of the government and bridging the gap between the people and the government in the fields of environment and conservation.

The growing initiatives and positive activities of the people and the NGOs in this regard have been able to draw attention of the government and to initiate something in this direction. One of the exciting examples of this kind of effort was observed in Brahmajan near Bihali in Sonitpur district where an individual, Mahendra Agarwal, has sacrificed a plot of highly valuable land measuring nearly 1 hectare within his residential plot by the side of NH 52, where thousands of birds congregate every year during a season for nesting. It is also reported that in places like Mukalmuwa in Nalbari district and Purani Gudam in Nagaon district, many individuals have taken initiatives in conserving trees like simul for nesting of adjutant storks. As reported by Green Guard Nature Organization there are two breeding colonies of Greater adjutant stork in Khutikatia and north

Hoibargaon area of Nagaon district maintained undisturbed by the local people. The efforts of the people for conservation of native flora in the areas like Hajo and Uparhali in Kamrup district are also worth noting.

Some traditional institutions are generally interested in plantation of sacred as well as fruit-bearing trees. People’s initiatives to

conserve certain trees of religious and medicinal importance are commonly observed throughout the state.

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This information has been compiled by Saili S. Palande, Kalpavriksh, based on S. Baruah, State Biodiversity Strategy And Action Plan Assam, Assam Science Society. Prepared under National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, Ministry of Environment and Forests (Government of India).7 Other sources for specific information are mentioned in the text.

Endnotes1 Government of Assam, Statistical Handbook of Assam. (Guwahati, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, 1992).

2 Forest Survey of India, State Forest Report of Assam, 2003.

3 Advisory Panel on Decentralisation and Devolution,‘Empowerment and strengthening of Panchayati Raj Institutions’, A Consultation Paper on ‘Empowering and strengthening of Panchayati Raj institutions/autonomous district councils/traditional tribal governing institutions in north east India’ (New Delhi, National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution, 2001).

4 TPCG and Kalpavriksh, Securing India’s Future: Final Technical Report of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. Prepared by the NBSAP Technical and Policy Core Group (Pune, Kalpavriksh, 2005).

5 M.Z. Islam and A.R. Rahmani, Potential Ramsar Sites in India. (Mumbai, IBCN, BNHS and Birdlife International, UK, 2006).

6 M.Z. Islam and A.R. Rahmani, Important Bird Areas of India: Priorities of Conservation (Mumbai, IBCN, BNHS and Bird Life International, UK, 2004).

7 Contained in TPCG and Kalpavriksh, Securing India’s Future: Final Technical Report of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (as above).

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CCA/Assam/CS1/Bongaigaon/Shankarghola/Forest protection

Shankarghola village, Bongaigaon

BackgroundShankarghola village is situated in the North

Salmara taluka in the Bongaigaon district of Assam. The forests of Shankarghola have been home to a considerable number of mammal species like the golden langur, wild boar and barking deer, along with a large number of avifauna including the black eagle. Legally these forests are proposed reserved forests (RF) under the Aie Valley Division, Bongaigaon.

The main communities inhabiting this village are the Rabha tribe and the Bengali Hindu community. The village comprises 45 households of the Rabha tribe and 25 households of the Bengali Hindu community. Their main source of livelihood is agriculture (rice and jute) in the low-lying areas. Besides this, they also cultivate chili, ginger, etc. and rear livestock. Some of the women earn a living from the sale of handloom garments. The socio-economic situation of the village is not very good, poverty and illiteracy are common problems.

Towards community conservationThe low socio-economic status of the villagers compelled them to sell the natural resources

in their vicinity. There were enough outsiders interested in buying the forest resource that the villagers were selling cheap. Villagers also started receiving requests for the golden langur. In the 1980s, huge trees from the forests were being sold at Rs 5 per tree and the golden langur at Rs100. These activities over a long period of time resulted in forest degradation and the decline in the population of golden langur, which was otherwise common.

By 1990s, the effect of indiscriminate logging in the forests was clearly visible. The once-perennial stream Kangalkati, which flowed through the forest, dried up. It was during this period when a local youth named Hemanta Rabha, who had traveled out of his village for college education, returned to the village and realized the extent of damage that had been caused. In 1993, he, along with four of his friends, called for a meeting with all the villagers to discuss the cause of degradation and prescribe certain protection measures. This led to the formation of a committee called the Shankarghola Ban Sanrakhan Samiti to protect 50 ha of the forest with Hemant Rabha appointed as the secretary.

The Samiti consists of one representative from each family. An executive committee of seven members was also formed to take care of day-to-day functioning. Despite many efforts by the villagers from Shankarghola, the surrounding villages that use the resources from the protected patch of forests did not agree to participate in the protection efforts.

The protection efforts of the villagers received some encouragement from the support of the patrolling Beat Officer, Biswajit Sarkar. The committee was re-formed and renamed as Tinikonia Pahar Sanrakhan Samiti. Later an anchalic samiti (Regional Committee) was formed by the DFO (District Forest Officer) of the Aie Valley Division under the Joint Forest Management Programme or the Anchal Van Programme.

Impacts of community conservationThe conservation efforts taken up by the villagers over a period of nine years have shown

remarkable results. The hill has revived, along with the Kangalkati stream becoming perennial once again. Species like the golden langur, wild boar and barking deer are now visible.

Community protected forest of Shankarghola Photo: Ashish Kothari

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The villagers believe that the fertility of soils in their fields has increased and there has been an increase in the availability of firewood for domestic purposes.

Opportunities and constraintsThe villagers face a constant threat from outsiders

who come from the other side of the hill to smuggle timber. There has been no help received from the forest department to resolve this.

ConclusionThis case study reflects a direct relation between the socio-economic conditions of the villagers

with forest resource exploitation. However, once villagers realize the long-term impact of forest degradation on their lives, they would come together to conserve resources against all odds. In this case, despite the villagers initiatives there seems a threat to the forests from outsiders. A little support here from the government agencies to resolve the issue of external threat as well as local livelihoods can go a long way in a secure future for the golden langurs.

The above information is provided by Hilloljyoti Singha, Zoology Department, Birjhora Mahavidyalaya, Assam.

For more information contact:Hilloljyoti Singha, Zoology Department, Birjhora Mahavidyalaya, Nr. Namghar Barpara, Bongaigaon 783380, Assam E-mail: hilloljyoti_assam@rediffmail.com

Some members of Tinikoniya Pahar Sanrakhan Samiti Photo: Ashish Kothari

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CCA/Assam/CS2/Dhubri/Chakrashila/Protection of species

Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary, Dhubri

BackgroundThe Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Dhubri district of Assam. The forests in the

sanctuary are of dense semi-evergreen and moist deciduous type, with patches of grasslands and scattered bushes, and several water sources. The climate is temperate, with dry winters and hot summers followed by heavy rains.

The diverse ecosystem has species like tiger, leopard, golden langur, leopard cat, gaur, crab-eating mongoose, Indian porcupine, pangolin, flying squirrel, and civet cat.

The tribes that inhabit the fringe villages of Chakrashila are the Rabha and Bodo. Besides them there are some Garo and the Rajbanshi tribals, along with some Muslim families as new entrants to the villages. Agriculture is the main occupation of the villagers, with paddy as the main crop. In addition to paddy, potatoes and green vegetables are grown for home consumption and a few livestock are kept. Most families own their own looms and weave their own cloth. The income levels of the villagers are low, and they depend upon the surrounding forest resources in order to meet most of their daily requirements, such as raw material for houses, agricultural and musical implements; and for food, fuel and fodder. Most of the protein in their diet comes from the forest areas in the form of fish, snails and insects. There is a heavy dependence on the perennial springs of the forest for irrigation and potable water.

Legally the forests of Chakrashila are categorized as USF (Unclassed State Forests).1 The denudation of forests began here due to the extreme poverty of the local villagers. In order to earn a daily living, the villagers worked for the affluent merchants who hailed from different districts of Assam. They used the local villagers’ services as labourers for extraction of firewood and valuable timber from these forests. Indiscriminate smuggling of sal and other valuable trees left this more than 5 sq km stretch of once-thick forest completely denuded. The degradation led to a scarcity of biomass for the local villagers. The major shortfall in the resources that could be used by the villagers led to the migration of youth to other places to seek employment. Most of them started working as labourers in the coalfields in Meghalaya, while the others came under the influence of political ideologies and took up arms. The rise in forest denudation led the villagers into encroaching deeper and deeper into the forest. This in turn caused further drastic shrinkage of the forests extending up to 20 sq km.

Towards community conservationThe conservation efforts were initiated by an NGO called Nature’s Beckon,

which has been visiting the area since the 1980s. They realized that the conservation of Chakrashila would not be possible unless the local villagers prevented outsiders from exploiting their forest resources. They felt a need to educate the local people on the importance of conservation for their own welfare. Towards this objective, in 1985 they set up a temporary settlement at Jornagra village on the periphery of Chakrashila. Various activities such as active bird-watching trips and trekking through the forest were taken up. Complimenting the work of Nature’s Beckon, some of the village youth showed a keen interest and eventually became members of the group. Gradually, the local tribes developed trust towards the group and held active discussions on the various aspects of the environment. This group started convincing the people that the local people were the only ones who could work towards saving and restoring the natural resources of Chakrashila. Although some of the villagers were receptive to this suggestion, they expressed their inability and helplessness to take pro-active efforts to prevent the powerful merchants and poachers from invading the forests. The people were made to realize that these actions were a punishable offence and the benefit of the doubt would rest with the people who are working towards conservation.

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The members of Nature’s Beckon subsequently began visiting every house in Chakrashila and tried to understand the problems faced by them, like poverty, lack of education and poor health. The emphasis on women participation in environmental management was realized. It took a year for this NGO to gather the total support of the entire village, and hence November 1988 was selected for direct action against the poachers and smugglers.

Initially the villagers faced several violent clashes, which led to injuries to some youth, yet help from the forest department was not sought. They did not want to be dependent on any external agency for their needs. The youth repeatedly confronted the poachers and smugglers, often resulting in injury and death. On one such occasion a truck, which had entered the forest to smuggle trees, was burnt and a huge quantity of saws, axes, other tree-felling equipment and a few arms were seized. All the seized material was handed over to the forest department. In appreciation of their dedicated work, the state government rewarded them with an amount of Rs 5,000 from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, which further boosted the villager’s morale.

Since the periphery is mainly a sal-dominated forest, the green canopy was restored in no time, especially with round-the-clock vigilance of the villagers.

Constructive work also began simultaneously in the village itself. Due to paucity of funds, initial support was provided from the sale of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) such as thatch, bamboo and grass. Villagers were encouraged to cultivate their traditional foods like wildflowers, edible roots such as tapioca, and to raise edible insects. They were also encouraged to eat their traditional foods like snails, field rats and crabs.

Kitchen gardens were raised with help from Nature’s Beckon, who supplied the villagers with the various vegetable seeds. Poultry and pigs were raised which helped them to sustain themselves and were an added source of income. Weaving, which is a vital source of income for the tribal families, was started anew in many poor families.

Impacts of conservationThere was a remarkable effect after conservation efforts by the villagers providing them a

sense of self-respect by way of improvement in their economic condition. They set an example to adjacent villages like Abhyakuti, Bandarpara, Kaljani, Damodarpur, Banshbari and many others. These villages approached Nature’s Beckon to provide assistance. When the other villages around the Chakrashila Hills Reserve joined the effort, the need for an office and a training centre for the youth and women was felt. A campus, Tapoban, was developed for this purpose at no extra cost, as most of the work and resources necessary came spontaneously from the villagers. It is now a vital centre of learning and offers hospitality to naturalists and enlightened tourists from faraway places. Villagers are taught to plant trees, shrubs, medicinal plants, edible roots, fast-growing fuelwood trees, fruits and flowers, thatch and bamboo so that they could be spared the drudgery of collecting these from deep inside the forest. A small project of digging furrows to connect cultivable land and a perennial source of water has resulted in doubling of production of crops.

A forest area survey was taken up by Nature’s Beckon. A checklist of birds, mammals, reptiles, plants and other species was prepared. It was discovered that not only was Chakrashila home to the endangered golden langur but was also a habitat of many other endangered mammals like Chinese pangolin, crab-eating mongoose, clouded leopard, leopard, gaur, tiger; endangered reptiles like monitor lizard, water monitor, king cobra, Asian leaf turtle; and endangered birds like great hornbill, oriental pied hornbill, Eurasian eagle owl, osprey, black baza, etc. On the basis of this information, the NGO along with the people decided to approach the forest department to declare the area a wildlife sanctuary. It was thought that this would provide more scope for the social development of the villages living on the periphery through eco-development projects. When the state government remained silent on this issue, public pressure was created through repeated appeals and media coverage. During this period, from 1988 to 1994 plantations were taken up in the denuded areas on the periphery of Chakrashila in the villages of Jornagra, Abhyakuti, Kaljani, Damadarpur, Bandarpara and Chakrashila. The different

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species that were planted were sal, poma, Sida spp., phulgamari, oxi, kum, bhelu, koroi, sonaru, jam and simul. Most of them were planted for the golden langur and other wild animals. Artificial salt licks2 were also created for the animals inside the forest. The villagers volunteered to clear weeds like lajukilata, jarmony bon, etc., which inhibit growth in the forest. Through all these activities the villagers continued to zealously guard the forests. Signboards of various kinds were also installed.

On 14 July 1994, the Governor of Assam notified the area a Wildlife Sanctuary. After the notification, Chakrashila started receiving funds for the socio-economic development of the fringe villages. However, the forest department did not discuss the planning or implementation of the scheme and utilization of funds therein with the villagers or local NGOs. The people feel that the funds have been misused. Chakrashila is still being protected by the village communities. Nature’s Beckon has taken the initiative of developing infrastructure inside the fringe villages of Chakrashila. With the cooperation of B.R. Samal, Deputy Commissioner of Dhubri District, village roads, wells for drinking water, sanitary latrines for every household and brick houses with corrugated iron sheet roofing for every family were constructed. The brick houses were constructed for 160 families, making Jornagra perhaps the only tribal village in Assam with all these facilities for all the households.

Constraints and opportunitiesSome of the constraints of community-based conservation in Chakrashila are:

1. Total lack of infrastructure for the management of the biodiversity (such as specialized field equipment) for this protected area.

2. Uncertain tenurial rights of the villagers over the forest resources.

3. Lack of knowledge among local people regarding government policies and laws relating to protected areas.

ConclusionThis case study reflects on the combined efforts towards forest protection by an NGO as well as

the villagers. The main motive of forest protection has been realized by the villagers by way of understanding its importance and has led to forest regeneration. However there still is a need for transparent operations between the villagers and the government, as also for regulated resource use and for changes in the infrastructure.

This case study is based on S. Datta, ‘An NGO Initiated Sanctuary: Chakrashila, India’. In A. Kothari, N. Pathak, R.V. Anuradha, and B. Taneja, Communities and Conservation: Natural Resource management in South and Central Asia (New Delhi, Sage Publications and UNESCO, 1998). We are thankful to the author for updating the information in August 2002.

For more information contact:Somyadeep DuttaNature’s Beckon‘Dutta Bari’, Ward No. 1Dubri 783301Assam

Endnotes

1 These kinds of forests are considered to be acquired by the government but have not been assigned any specific categories so far. Local communities do not consider these as government owned forests and often continue to use and manage these as community forests.

2 Salt licks are natural deposits or blocks of rock salt which animals particularly mammals lick. Artificial salt licks are created in the forest for the benefit of animals by burying 15-20 kilograms of salt into the earth in suitable locations inside the forest (generally created near waterholes of the forest), which are frequented by wild animals.

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CCA/Assam/CS3/Karbi-Anglong/Khawrakrai/Forest protection

Khawrakrai, Karbi-Anglang District

BackgroundKhawrakrai village is located near the town of Hamren. This is a small village inhabited by the

karbi tribe. Since 2003 the village is protecting an area of 6.70sq km. Prior to this the entire forest land was used for jhum (shifting cultivation) by the villagers.

In the 1990s the area was also extensively harvested for a local species of bamboo for paper mills. Illegal extraction of timber was also common. These activities resulted in severe degradation of local forest resources. Subsequently, the communities started experiencing scarcity of water, firewood, grazing land, construction material, wild edible plants, and wild animals in the forests.

Because of an earlier intervention from the forest department (FD), where they had helped villagers plant some forest species, the communities were already aware of the importance of forests. With the entry of the NERCORMP-IFAD1 project, the communities decided to revive protection of their village reserved forests as a community conserved area.

Towards community conservationThe community decided to conserve the area for various reasons, mainly for protecting their

water source. Additionally, their traditional sacred forest was located very close to this area.

NERCORMP-IFAD came to this village in 2001. The communities were organized into Natural Resource Management Group (NaRMG) and a series of orientations and trainings on livelihoods and natural resource management were conducted for the communities, including both the NaRMG and traditional village institutions. All the trainings and discussions were held with the permission of the village gaon bura (village headman), who is traditionally the sole authority for management of village reserved forests. NaRMG members were trained and sensitized to assist the village council in protection, management and governance of the village reserved forests.

Rules and regulations were framed by the villagers with the help and facilitation by the project team and partner NGO. The rules are quite rigid mostly relating to prohibition and payment of penalties for violations. But at the same time some rules are quite flexible for poor villagers, especially for harvesting of non-timber forest produce (NTFP). However, no such relaxations are provided for the higher income households. For any amendment of the rules a majority of the villagers have to be present along with the village goan bura. Generally in such meetings the goan bura would preside.

Impacts of community effortAs per the villagers, after the conservation of this area there has been better water availability.

There is an overall improvement on forest cover and forest regeneration. Some wild animals are also reported to have returned to the forest area. The conservation efforts have particularly benefited the poorer households as they can get enough forest resources within their village proximity.

Opportunities and constraintsThere is an opportunity for increasing the area under CCA provided the NaRMG and village

council (VC) agree. There are also opportunities for the communities to enhance their income from the village reserve forests if major NTFP, which is bamboo, can be better protected, regenerated and collectively harvested. However, the constraints are that the area is poorly connected and remote so economic opportunities are restricted. Investment opportunities, particularly credit from local sources are also limited which otherwise would have helped the communities improve their livelihoods through alternative means. Shifting cultivation continues to be one of the major land uses as available suitable lands for terrace development are limited. Further training and

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convergence of activities are needed to benefit the communities from such conservation efforts or initiatives.

ConclusionThe rejuvenation of village reserves through a mobilized community is a fairly recent initiative.

The reserve in this village is yet to be fully regenerated, and also yet to reach the level of governance that is completely equitable, transparent and accountable. However, the idea of conservation as initiated in this village is spreading in the surrounding villages. If only there could have been greater efforts from the government, the project ideas could have been replicated in many more villages through the communities themselves with minimal external investment of effort and resources.

This case study has been contributed by Vincent Darlong and Tutumoni Lyngdoh of North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Project for Upland Areas, and Putul Bhuyan of Karbi Anglong Community Resource Management Society in June 2007.

For more details contact:Vincent DarlongNorth Eastern Region Community Resource Management Project for Upland Areas [NERCORMP-IFAD], “Sympli Building”, Dhankheti, Shillong 793 001, MeghalayaPhone: 0364-2503531, 2500495Email: drvtdarlong2002@yahoo.co.in

Tutumoni Lyngdoh(As above)

Putul BhuyanKarbi Anglong Community Resource Management Society [NERCORMP-IFAD] P.O. Hamrem, Karbi Anglong, Assam. Phone: 03677-230123

Endnotes

1 North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Project for Upland Areas (NERCORMP) is a Joint Project of International Fund for Agriculture (IFAD) and the Government of India, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, North East Council, Shillong, Meghalaya. For more details on the programme, see www.necorps.org

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CCA/Assam/CS4/North Cachar/New Kubing/Forest protection

New Kubing village, North Cachar Hills district

BackgroundNew Kubing village is located in the North Cachar Hills District of Assam. The nearest town is

Haflong. The village like others in the district had a traditional practice of protecting a patch of

forest as village reserves. This practice was revived under the NERCORMP-IFAD1 programme in 2001.

As per the District Council Act in North Cachar Hills, Assam, when a new village is created or established, it is mandatory to have village reserve forest of at least 20ha. The village reserve of New Kubing was first declared in 1950 when the village was established. The reserve covers an area of 6sq km or 600ha. However, over the years with an increase in the population, pressure on land began to mount and the villagers began to jhum (shifting cultivation) randomly. In many cases this even meant encroaching upon the village reserved forest. The traditional institutions, expected to manage or protect these forests also became somewhat ineffective over years due to various reasons and influences. Like most other villages, New Kubing, which is inhabited by the zeme nagas, also experienced similar problems. As a result the traditional village reserved forest was severely degraded.

Prior to the NERCORMP-IFAD project intervention, the villagers faced water scarcity and change in local climatic conditions due to encroachment in the reserve forest and degradation of water catchments areas. After the project intervention and various awareness programmes, the community felt the need to conserve and protect village reserve forest and water catchment area.

Towards community conservationThe NERCORMP-IFAD programme was initiated in 2001 by organising the local community into

a natural resource management group (NaRMG). A series of orientation and training sessions on livelihoods and natural resource management were conducted. The members of the village council (VC) were brought in as members of NaRMG. They were also requested to strengthen the functioning of the VC, particularly in the areas of forest protection and management. A comprehensive forest management training was conducted in collaboration with the forest department (FD) on effective community forest management and revival of community conserved areas.

The community through the NaRMG and VC decided to maintain and protect the old traditional village reserved forest in addition to a nearby critical water catchment area. They also made rules and regulations for maintaining this reserved forest, including:

i. Illegal felling of trees will attract a penalty of Rs.500/- per tree, in addition to planting and maintenance of the equivalent numbers of trees as felled.

ii. Jhuming in the reserved area is prohibited and violation would attract a payment of fine such as a salem (a buffalo head).

iii. Illegal timbering and killing of wild animals is prohibited. Willful violation of these rules will result in the eviction of the person/family from the village.

iv. Making proper firelines while slashing and burning for jhum will be mandatory for every household. Any accidental forest fire has to be collectively attended by all the villagers as a fundamental duty.

Before drafting of rules and regulations, the NaRMGs were advised to be more sensitive to the needs of the poor and the women such that their livelihoods are not negatively affected. In the initial period the rules were more strict. With the improvement of the forest regeneration and improved governance, the communities have in recent times revisited their rules and regulations. Revised rules allow collection of wild vegetables, firewood (only dry branches), mushroom and medicinal plants to the women and the poorest households as identified by them. In case of an emergency situation, trees can also be cut for house construction and collection of firewood (such as marriage of poor households). This is not with the aim to relax prohibitions for the poor, women

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and underprivileged, but to improve their livelihood opportunities and income condition through improved conservation practices. The village is also encouraging every household to carry out plantations in their respective vacant plots.

Impacts of community effortNERCORMP-IFAD project interventions, such as training programmes, workshops on

comprehensive forest management, biodiversity conservation and jhum, fallow management, introduction of participatory land use planning through the use of 3D models of their area, and others have enabled the communities to visualize the total village area, natural resources within and around the village, land use system, and so on. This has made the community realize the importance and values of bringing more forest areas (including fallow land) under community conservation and also the need to increase the jhum cycle.

As per the community’s views the following reflect the importance of biodiversity conservation:

i) Availability of water throughout the season, for kitchen garden, terrace development, minor irrigation and drinking water.

ii) Availability of wild vegetables and other NTFP for self-consumption and sale.

iii) Availability of firewood in time of need and requirement.

iv) A healthy environment and improvement in local climatic condition around the village area due to increased forest cover.

v) Increased income from kitchen garden and terrace development.

vi) Less dependence on jhum, thus making time available for additional off-farm activities such as piggery, petty business, and so on.

vii) Elimination of hajira (daily wage labour) outside the village, particularly for women.

viii) Gains in human, social, physical and natural assets of the individuals and the community as a whole.

Opportunities and constraintsThe government sponsored Joint Forest Management (JFM) has been introduced by the FD in the

village due to the regenerated community reserved forest. There is a promise for higher investment under JFM for forest protection and management, and also for non-forest/non-land based livelihood activities. The community is however still not too clear in what way they would benefit by being part of the JFM. Their tribe members from other villages are noticing their progress and are also very keen to replicate their success story, which the village community is sharing with pride and conviction. Within the village the NaRMG and VC members are deliberating on whether or not to increase areas under conservation and what benefit that might bring to them both economically and ecologically.

The greatest constraint is that the people are generally economically weak, but their need for cash income is growing due to increasing expenditure for education, health care and general household expenses. Many households are looking at the current conservation effort as the possible source of economic returns. However, this may not be achieved as much as expected due to various other constraints such as absence of working scheme for harvesting of timber, among others.

ConclusionThe community has revived village reserved forest with the assistance of NERCORMP-IFAD

project. They are now also deriving benefits from such conservation efforts. However, efforts need to be strengthened in certain areas which include:

• Linkages with the FD and other concerned government departments.

• Policy sustainability i.e. the efforts of the community to promote conservation through appropriate incentives and recognition by the government.

• Institutional sustainability, i.e. the continuity of the NaRMG and strengthening of the VC particularly in governance and financial matters.

166 Community Conserved Areas in India - a directory

• Financial sustainability.

• Technological sustainability.

The biodiversity assessment of the area is yet to be done. The village reserved forest has many varieties of plant and wild animals. Some of the important animals seen in the forest and vicinity are wild boar, deer, monkeys, fox, squirrels, wild fowl and bear, among others.

This case study has been contributed by Dr. Vincent Darlong of North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Project for Upland Areas, Mary Hmar of North Cachar Hills Community Resource Management Society, and Tutumoni Lyngdoh of North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Project for Upland Areas in June 2007.

For more details contact:

Vincent Darlong

North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Project for Upland Areas [NERCORMP-IFAD], “Sympli Building”, Dhankheti, Shillong 793 001, MeghalayaPh: 0364-2503531, 2500495Email: drvtdarlong2002@yahoo.co.in

Mary HmarNorth Cachar Hills Community Resource Management Society [NERCORMP-IFAD], P.O. Haflong, N.C. Hills, Assam. Ph: 03673-236937Email: merihmar@yahoo.co.in

Tutumoni Lyngdoh

North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Project for Upland Areas [NERCORMP-IFAD], “Sympli Building”, Dhankheti, Shillong 793 001, MeghalayaPh: 0364-2503531, 2500495

Endnotes

1 North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Project for Upland Areas (NERCORMP) is a Joint Project of International Fund for Agriculture (IFAD) and the Government of India, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, North East Council, Shillong, Meghalaya. For more details on the programme, see www.necorps.org.