Vegetation and Non-Timber Forest Products Assessment under JFM in Eastern Ghats of Andrha Pradesh, India

Abstract

"The conventional forest management system in India established by the British and continued till recently has failed to combat forest degradation despite several checks, controls and afforestation activities (Kameswara Rao 1995). The recent National Forest Policy (Govt. of India 1988) envisages development of the degraded forest through peoples' participation and has advocated a major shift from the earlier timber oriented, state control management system to biodiversity oriented people's friendly system. Consequently, 17 Indian states have initiated Joint Forest Management (JFM) programmes permitting partnerships in the forest management with local people to ensure the subsistence needs of the forest dwellers are satisfied through the development and conservation of the forests.

"This paper, after presenting a brief note on JFM in AP, delineates the impacts of JFM activities on the vegetation and development of an Eastern Ghats region of A.P. and presents the case of four villages representing four forest divisions. The forests of the study region mainly include tropical dry and moist deciduous types with few patches of semi-evergreens existing in association with high lands. Various floristic surveys, carried out at district and zonal levels reported nearly 2000 species of flowering plants in the Eastern Ghats region (Rao et al., 1984)."