Revitalization of Rivers in India Draft Policy - Isha Guru Jaggi Vasudev

Revitalization of Rivers In India
Draft Policy Recommendation
COMMUNITY FORESTRY ON COMMON LANDS
Definition of common lands: Commons or common pool resources are defined
as resources accessible to the whole community of a village and to which no
individual has exclusive property rights. In the dry regions of India, these include
village pastures, community forests, wastelands, common threshing grounds,
waste dumping places, watershed drainages, village ponds, tanks, rivers/rivulets
and riverbeds (Jodha, 1986). Commons or common pool resources form critical
components that supplement and support rural communities dependent on
agriculture, livestock and forests in large parts of India, but especially the dryland
and tribal areas. Access to the commons provides stability and security in an
unpredictable environment, especially critical for landless households, but also
important for large rural landowners (Nagendra et al., 2013).
Estimates of common lands: Estimates of common lands in India are based on
the estimates of total land and land use. There are wide differences not only on the
estimates of common lands but also on the estimates of total land area. The extent
of common lands in India is estimated at 23.97 percent of the total land mass by the
Department of Land Resources, Ministry of Rural Development (SAPPLPP, 2011).
Livelihoods from commons: A recent study documents the dependence of rural
livelihoods on the commons. Conducted in seven states – Rajasthan, Gujarat,
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha – this
comprehensive study spanned 3000 households in 100 villages in arid, semiarid
and sub-humid parts of the country. Dependence on the commons was very
high, with 98% of households accessing the commons for different types of use,
including for grazing, fodder collection, agriculture, food, fuelwood, and nontimber
forest products. Dependence on forests and on community sources of water
was especially high. Resources from the commons contributed to a substantial
proportion of household income, about 31% of net income, for the landless (FES,
2010).
Traditional institutions for commons management: India has a long history of
a variety of traditional and indigenous institutions for commons management,
including van panchayats, gramya jungles and community forestry. Van
panchayats are long-standing village forest institutions in Uttaranchal, with a
Annexures
525