Expansion of the programme
Presently the programme is confined to 20 districts of the State involving mostly the tribal population. Nearly 1/3rd of the total degraded forest area has been covered so far. In view of the impacts due to the JFM so far, the programme can be expanded to the other degraded forest areas of the state. More forest areas can be brought under the programme by involving more villages and more people.
Besides the degraded forest areas, the programme has got excellent potential in the grasslands under the control of the department. Grasslands are very important areas for supporting the secondary economic activity. There are two category of grasslands under the control of the department (a) 133 reserve grasslands (b) 575 non-reserve grasslands having an area. of approx. 69610 ha. and 48461 ha. respectively. The reserve grasslands are reserved for meeting the requirement of the Government grass supply during the period of drought. Non-reserve grasslands are allotted or auctioned as per the Government resolution. The productivity of the grasslands is very low and required to be addressed early so as to check further degradation.
In the next phase of expansion the good forest areas adjoining the present JFM areas will be incorporated under the programme. As far as the benefit share and the distribution mechanism in case of grasslands and also in the good forest areas will vary from that of the degraded forest areas.
Besides JFM in the forest areas, the department is developing a plan for the areas for the villages outside the forest up to a limit of 5 km. from the forest fringe. These villages will be covered under special drive for afforestation involving local people, organised in VLO, so as to create a shelter belt to reduce the pressure on the forest. The benefits from such drive shall be shared with the VLO like the sharing mechanism followed in case of the social forestry plantation. This all expansion require legal and policy support.
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