DISTRICT LEVEL FOREST PROJECT

District Level Forest Network:

Forests play a significant role in the life support system of people in the district. They depend on the forests for most of their dwellings and a substantial part of their dietary supplements, and there is potential for cash income from sale of forest produce. But the legislations, rules and regulations pertaining to forests and forest dwellers are not always pro-people. Thus the forest dependent communities have always lived with insecurity. Against this back drop Pragati is promoting community initiatives for forest protection, conservation and management through a network of forest dependent people from village level to district level, in collaboration with 18 local NGOs and  people’s organizations.

Key Achievements:

• Formed 10 block level Federations and a District Forest Federation called Koraput Jilla Banabasi Sangha covering 742 Village forest committees in 110 Panchayats of 14 blocks in Koraput District including 278,513 (Males - 144,570 and Females - 133,943) forest dependant people who are involved in protection of 31,228 ha of village forests and advocating for conferring forest land rights and other common property resources.
• The District and Block Federations have also taken up intensive campaigns on Forest Rights Act through rallies, sensitization workshops and holding Panchayat and Block level meetings.
• Koraput Jilla Banabasi Sangha has actively participated in formation of Forest Rights Committees in the district and with their initiatives 8,085 applicants have submitted claim forms for forest land rights.
• The Federation has also created its own fund i.e. Chulli Chanda for its financial sustainability.

For case studies for this project, please click here.