In the process of forest management,...
A patch of national degraded forests handed over to individual, organization or the poor people on lease of forty years with the aim of forest development and poverty reduction. Leasehold may be two kinds; one is for pro-poor and next one is for individual or organization. The first is to uplift the livelihoods of the poor who is under the poverty line of the country and another is to meet the demand of the forest based industries along with the development of forests. It is also a part of Master Plan for Forestry Sector, 1988.
Vision
To meet the demand of forest based industries through the management and development of national forests participating local poor people and organizations so as to reduce poverty and unemployment.
Objectives
- To meet the demand of forest based industries
- To utilize and sale the forest produce after maximizing the forest produce by plantation
- To conduct the eco-tourism
- To produce beneficial insects, flora and fauna
- To conserve the environment through forest conservation
- To uplift the livelihoods of the poor people
Steps of Leasehold Forest
- Degraded land identified for potential lease handover
- People below poverty line identified
- 35 days notice issued to claim for community forests
- Area demarcated and lease agreements made with LHF members
- Group formation and OP preparation
- Lease land formally handed over
- OP implemented
Major Differences between Leasehold Forest and Community Forest
| Community Forest | Leasehold Forest |
|---|---|
| Bigger and richer forest land being managed by larger communities irrespective of the wealth status | Small and often degraded forest patches being managed by relatively poor people |
| The group normally manages forests in totality. Group might sometimes decide to allocate forest areas to smaller hamlets located close to a certain section of the forest. However, land division between the individuals is not a normal feature. | Forests, irrespective of what the guidelines suggest, are normally divided amongst the participating individuals who control the land virtually in a private way. |
| Income generating activities have been considered more recently. However, this takes a second place | Emphasis has been given to income generating activities through pasture/livestock related developments |
| Major thrust is forest management | Thrust is on livelihoods/Income Generation Activities |
| The group owns the funds in common. Those may be used for the community development works (schools, track building, etc) but may not at all be used for private purpose. | The generated funds are purely private and s/he may decide how s/he wants to use his/her money. This excludes community works. |
| Group membership is dynamic. Those who move from the locality lose their membership and those who migrate into the territory may negotiate for a membership. By the same token, the offspring of the members automatically inherit the membership after the family split or after the death of the person having the membership | Membership dynamism is severely limited due to the fact that lease contract gets signed with particular individuals. Inheritance issue thus is outstanding in LHF. It is also not clear what will happen if the person having the lease contract decides to migrate elsewhere. Cases can be found of additional membership in the group. However, the arrangements are of an ad hoc nature and do not have legal backing. |
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