Browsing by Author "Gupta, Hemant Kumar"

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Cultural Significance of Indigenous Institutions and Forest Management Practices in the Indian Himalayas: Implications for Policy and Sustainable Livelihoods
(2006) Gupta, Hemant Kumar
"Sustainable management of the rich forest resources of ecologically sensitive Himalayan State - Himachal Pradesh contributes significantly towards ecological stability and economical development of the state, region and the country. Forests are key to livelihoods to majority of people being dependent on forests for fuel wood, fodder, grazing, construction timber and NTFPs. Traditional customary rights of the people living in and around the forests allowed them to use the produce of the forests for their livelihood. The conservation and management of its forest resources have been possible with the active participation of local people. There are numerous traditionally in vogue successful cases of people active participation in forest resource management especially in the regulated collection and distribution of forest products in the villages of inner Himalayas. Examples of traditional systems of management by indigenous local institutions of commercially important forest products yielding edible pine nuts, cumin, the morels, medicinal plants and grasses from the villages and forests located in the inner Himalayas are discussed. These forest product use systems demonstrate combination of private, state and common property use and management regimes. These traditional systems are very appropriate community institutions under which rights are consistent with capacity of forests to yield income and livelihoods that can be sustained thus leading to sustainable forest management. There exist institutions of co-operative labour, sacred groves, informal village councils, and village deity system in Himalayas, present a strong evidence of survival of commons in Himalayan cultural landscape. The committees of local deities nominated and/ or elected members plan and organize their functioning without written procedures. Thus, each village in Himachal Himalayas is regarded as a village republic. Although the procedures vary from village to village but people have great faith in the decision-making and conflict resolution mechanisms of these committees that are neither political nor administrative bodies. These cultural (Deity) institutions perform multiple functions in the society and have diversity in belief, functions and organization activities across the Himachal Himalayas. This paper focuses on the management of commercially important forest products by indigenous institutions and conservation practices followed for maintenance of sacred/ temple groves in case study villages. The analysis of indigenous systems of management through local institutions reveals strong positive relationship between social capital and natural resource management at grass root levels. Traditional initiatives and systems in the participatory and regulated forest products by indigenous communities have implications for policy support and sustainable livelihoods through income generating activities due to increased pressure on forest resources. The policy of creating village level institutions through JFM introduced should be assessed vis-à-vis these traditionally in vogue participatory approaches in the Himachal Himalayas for sustainable resource management. The latter have great merit of promoting equitable distribution of the produce of neighbouring forests. The democratic and decentralized management by small village communities themselves and their having evolved over a long period of time are a satisfactory system of exploitation as well as preservation of this common property resource in perfect harmony with each other."
Deforestation and Forest Cover Changes in the Himachal Himalaya, India
(2007) Gupta, Hemant Kumar
"The extent of forest cover resources on land surface governs many important earth system ecological processes and is the foremost requirement characterizing sustainable forest management. The extent of forest area and decline in forest resources due to deforestation and changes in forest cover have been estimated by conventional and remote sensing techniques by various agencies for India and state of Himachal Pradesh (HP) located in the Western Himalayas. The various forest cover assessments by National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) and Forest Survey of India (FSI) shows that deforestation has been halted since 1980s onwards and forest cover has been stabilized in HP. During the nine biennial forest cover assessment conducted by FSI since 1987 onwards the estimated forest and tree cover have shown an increase, until 2001 assessment and minor decline of 7 km2 during 2003 assessment in HP. The changes with in forest cover between dense forest to open forest however indicates decline in the productivity of forests. State of Forest Report (SFR) 2003 estimates 778,229 km2 (23.65%) of total geographical area of India under forest and tree cover, whereas, in HP recorded forest area constituted 66.52% of its geographical area and only 26.66% area is under forest and tree cover. National Forest Policy 1988 needs to be modified since analysis shows that in HP only 35.5% geographical area is capable of sustaining forest and tree cover against 66% envisaged by policy to be brought under forest and tree cover in mountainous and hill states of India."
Implications of Indian Foresters' Perspectives of Joint Forest Management
(2007) Sood, Kamal Kishor; Gupta, Hemant Kumar
"A study was conducted in Kullu district in the province of Himachal Pradesh in Indian Western Himalaya, to investigate the perceptions of Indian foresters about aspects of forest management relevant for effective Joint Forest Management (JFM). A lack of uniform understanding was found amongst forestry staff about almost all the studied issues pertaining to JFM. A need is identified to emphasise social aspects in the training of the foresters (including in-service training), along with the existing silvi-technical aspects. For JFM success, measures need to be devised to reduce the political interference in JFM, reduce hierarchical rigidity, and increase interaction between field staff and the administrative hierarchy. Strategies should be devised to make JFM participants as well as forestry staff equally responsible to honour their commitments with respect to JFM."
Traditional Forest Knowledge (TFK), Commons and Forest Landscape Management: An Indian Perspective
(2008) Gupta, Hemant Kumar; Gupta, Anil K.
"Forests in the mountain societies is a part of a cultural landscape linked to livelihood concerns for those living close to nature and natural resources, whilst for Forest Department it means management for timber extraction. In the present day context, where forest resources are rapidly being degraded, the issues involved are about sustainable forestry for economic benefits (timber and non timber forest products (NTFPs) to the society, and conservation of biodiversity in the given landscape. Traditional Forest Knowledge (TFK) operating at the ecological/social process levels is a more recent development, and is a powerful tool for sustainable forestry at a cultural landscape level, with tangible and intangible being derived through what is sculptured by traditional societies around them .Very often, intangible elements have tangible implications at all scalar dimensions species, and ecosystem, and landscape levels. The emerging view point that socio-culturally valued species often are ecologically valuable keystone species and that community centered sacred groves and sacred landscapes which are held as commons too have implications for sustainable forest management, conservation and rehabilitation. Economic evaluation of NTFPs, their sustainable harvest and management, linked with sustainable timber extraction are linked with TFK available with forest communities. The way traditional societies manipulate and in the process also conserve biodiversity linked with sustainable use determine ecological processes at the biophysical level, with implication for participatory sustainable management of natural resources with development concerns of traditional societies. The case studies in Indian Himalayas provide that how the altitude zones and dependent communities utilize plant diversity by utilizing different spaces at given landscape, selective collection and preserving NTFPs resources. The historical interaction between geography, culture and polity of evolution of deity institutions and managing village and sacred commons has been attempted. Tradition knowledge systems remain deeply influenced by religious-cultural customs and religious commons that continuous to have bearing on the secular processes of decision- making both at the personal and the community level. Development planning and administration must therefore take into account the belief systems and community created commons, traditional management systems and historically created community consciousness that still remain powerful motivators for sustainable forest landscape management."