Forest Commons Use in India: A Case Study of Van Panchayat in the Himalayas Reveals People's Perception and Characteristics of Management Committee

Abstract

Van (forest) Panchayat (hereafter VP) is one of the largest and most diverse experiments in common property resource management in the Himalayan ranges of the state of Uttarakhand, India. The idea of establishing VP originated in conflicts between people and the British authorities for controlling resources. The people of this region are dependent on the utilization of forest products, such as firewood and non-timber forest products for their livelihood. In this study, a field survey was carried out on VP in the village, named "D" village of Tehri-Garhwal district in the state of Uttarakhand, in order to investigate VPs impact on people's livelihood with a focus on the participation of the people in forest management. Two study objectives were examined as follows: first, to clarify the people's perception under the VP, and second, to reveal the characteristics of the VP management committee (MC), which is directly responsible for managing the community forests. We used the semi-structured interview approach to determine the villagers' perception for the VP activities and condition of the community forest. Results revealed people's satisfaction with the condition of the VP and common utilization of the forest resources. In case of the MC, people did not appear to show an overall interest such as not joining the meetings and activities. The reason for this can be related to the organization of the MC that was functioning for more than 20 years with the same leadership and almost unchanged MC members. To summarize, people's participation in the forest utilization was not only dependent on their own personal contribution towards VP activities, but also more importantly, on their involvement in the forest management via the MC.

Population structure, soil characteristics and carbon stock of the regenerating banj oak forests in Almora, Central Himalaya

“…These forests are managed and protected by unique village forest council known as 'Van Panchayat'. This council allows villagers for lopping, wood collection and cattle grazing after certain intervals to control and minimize the human and cattle pressure on forests (Nagahama et al 2016). As the study sites are located in the Lesser Himalaya, the lithology is mainly Metamorphic.…”

Critical Aspects of People’s Participation in Community-Based Forest Management from the Case of Van Panchayat in Indian Himalaya

“…In India (federal system), state governments have been implementing their own forest and forestry-related policies [33]. In some states, PFM, different from JFM, has been implemented [34], like the VPs in Uttarakhand [35]. In first half of the nineteenth century, forest land was enclosed, and demarcated forests were established on a large scale in Uttarakhand under the state government rules.…”