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

Revitalization of Rivers In India
Draft Policy Recommendation
CASE STUDIES OF REJUVENATION OF COMMONS:
Common land development in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh 4
The work of two organizations, Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) and
BAIF Development Foundation, on supporting rejuvenation of common lands in
Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, show positive results in vegetation regeneration
and fodder availability.
In the study locations, the commons constitute an average of 56 percent of the
total geographical area in Rajasthan and 38 percent in Madhya Pradesh. The
initiation of common land development across these villages involved two distinct
processes. In the first, a stretch of common land was demarcated and tenurial
rights given to the village institution. The facilitating organisation provided
monetary support to the institution to regenerate the plot through fencing,
seeding, plantation and soil and moisture conservation. The second process
built on the evolving institutional arrangements and traditional practices so as
to frame rules and regulations which restrict encroachments, tree felling and
harmful lopping and also provide support to natural regeneration and protection
of trees on other common lands in the village. In Rajasthan, three different land
categories, viz. forestland, grazing land and revenue wasteland, were brought
under institutional arrangements for commons development. In Madhya Pradesh,
it was largely revenue wastelands.
The results of the interventions by FES and BAIF showed healthier vegetative
composition on the regenerated commons as compared to the unprotected areas.
The increase was visible across tree, shrub and grass coverage. The increase in
the number of trees per ha on protected patches ranged from 100 to 350 trees
per ha in Rajasthan as against 28 to 80 trees per ha where there had been no
similar work. In case of Madhya Pradesh, the increase in number of trees per ha
ranged between 100 and 120 trees in comparison to around 19 trees per ha on the
ungoverned/ unprotected commons. The governed areas provided protection to
natural rootstocks for regeneration, as also support to the natural process of seed
germination – the success of these measures showing in the growing numbers of
regenerating trees.
4 Based on FES et al., 2009
Annexures
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