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Preserving the forest ecosystem in Jeneberang watershed is important for sustainability of the Jeneberang River and to ensure water supply for downstream activities. In order to ensure sustainability, forest conservation in the upstream area is significant and this involves participation of local community. However, their participation is not formal; rather it is voluntary effort to protect the area from further damage. Therefore, this paper examined the benefits received by local communities living in Manimbahoi village through forest conservation efforts. It has two objectives, mainly to describe the benefits for local communities' participation in preserving their forest and to analyse the purpose of local communities' voluntarily engagement in forest conservation. Field research was carried out from May to June 2021. Data collection was carried out by in-depth interviews with several key informants, observation, and through literature review. The results of the study show that local communities are encouraged to maintain forest areas for water conservation for rice fields and plantations. In addition, part of the conserved area has become a local community garden. Hence, forest conservation ensures sustainable livelihood of the local community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article helps to reconcile developmental and conservation goals in community forest management. Through a case study design, using the conceptual lenses of governmentality, it unpacks how the regional networks of developmental aspirations in the Hazaribagh region of eastern India shaped people’s perception of their forests and their engagement with India’s Joint Forest Management programme. The outcome of such an engagement was a hybrid community forest management, comprising elements of both the rationalities of the state and the local community. Thus, the article suggests that the recognition of regionally grounded networks of developmental aspirations becomes a key to achieving socio-ecological justice in regionally meaningful ways in many countries of the Global South.

This article helps to reconcile developmental and conservation goals in community forest management. Through a case study design, using the conceptual lenses of governmentality, it unpacks how the regional networks of developmental aspirations in the Hazaribagh region of eastern India shaped people's perception of their forests and their engagement with India's Joint Forest Management programme. The outcome of such an engagement was a hybrid community forest management, comprising elements of both the rationalities of the state and the local community. Thus, the article suggests that the recognition of regionally grounded networks of developmental aspirations becomes a key to achieving socio-ecological justice in regionally meaningful ways in many countries of the Global South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on forest conservation lacks comparative analyses of decentralisation across different sectors to understand their relative advantages and limitations. This article adopts an ethnographic approach to compare the functioning of two decentralised village-level institutions in the state of West Bengal, India: the forest protection committees created under joint forest management and the gram panchayat, th! e lowest tier of the panchayati raj institution. The comparative analysis shows that despite their decentralised structure, the village forest protection committees have very little discretionary power relative to the powers exercised by gram panchayats. Gram panchayats have been effective in developing an inclusive and transparent decentralised governance system which retains the support of diverse interest groups within communities and other layers of the state. The study shows that style of decentralisation under joint forest management in West Bengal has been alienating forest-based communities from conservation because their voices remain symbolic in local, state, and national-level policy decisions. The study provides new theoretical and methodological insights for analysing decentralisation by underscoring the importance of criteria such as discretionary power for local decision-making and accountability; local bureaucratic and infrastructure support; and designated physical space in the everyday working of decentralised governance at the village level.

The literature on forest conservation lacks comparative analyses of decentralisation across different sectors to understand their relative advantages and limitations. This article adopts an ethnographic approach to compare the functioning of two decentralised village-level institutions in the state of West Bengal, India: the forest protection committees created under joint forest management and the gram panchayat, the lowest tier of the panchayati raj institution. The comparative analysis shows that despite their decentralised structure, the village forest protection committees have very little discretionary power relative to the powers exercised by gram panchayats. Gram panchayats have been effective in developing an inclusive and transparent decentralised governance system which retains the support of diverse interest groups within communities and other layers of the state. The study shows that style of decentralisation under joint forest management in West Bengal has been alienating forest-based communities from conservation because their voices remain symbolic in local, state, and national-level policy decisions. The study provides new theoretical and methodological insights for analysing decentralisation by underscoring the importance of criteria such as discretionary power for local decision-making and accountability; local bureaucratic and infrastructure support; and designated physical space in the everyday working of decentralised governance at the village level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study measured the effects of Joint Forest Management (JFM) on livelihood of local communities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Purposively three forest divisions had been selected namely Swat, Kalam and Siran of Malakand and Hazara forest regions. The study based on cross sectional data. Data were collected from 321 randomly selected households in three JFM (experimental group) and nearby three non-JFM (control group) villages, located in the same forest-ecological and socio-economic settings. The study analyzed the effects of JFM on local livelihood by using binary logistic regression. Odds ratio analysis of the social and natural assets data showed that the Joint Forest Management approach had significantly increased the social and natural assets of the participants. In terms of financial asset, odds ratio in favor of 'NTFPs income' and 'employment opportunities' for JFM sample households were 2.289, 2.501 times respectively more than non-JFM sample households. Trainings imparted by forest department significantly improved the skills, knowledge and leadership abilities of the JFM participants (human asset) as compared to non-participants but JFM did not contributed to resolve the health and educational problems of the participants. Regarding the physical asset indicators, data results of two groups showed no significant variation. It was concluded that overall livelihood assets condition of JFM participants was better as compared to non-participants. This study therefore suggested that physical and human assets of the JFM participants should be enhanced for further strengthening of JFM approach in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically assesses the institutional structure of the Benefit Sharing Mechanism (BSM) under the Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in the global south, managing forest sustainably to conserve carbon (REDD+) in India. Moreover, this paper examines the problems and prospects of livelihood enhancement of the local community. The findings of the study indicate that the intervention of the carbon market promotes the neoliberal capitalist agenda which can adversely impact the livelihood of local communities through forest grabbing. The proposed top-down centralized model of BSM can hinder its effectiveness and increase leakage. At the local level, the existing institution of Joint Forest Management (JFM) in India failed to achieve sustainability and decentralized right-based forest management systems. Our work has led us to conclude without safeguarding the rights of local communities and securing basic necessities for local forest-dependent communities, livelihood enhancement would not be possible.

Community-based forest management provides an opportunity to build a sustainable link with ecology for meeting future needs. A study was carried out to understand the effect of management strategies on the biodiversity, soil nutrient, and carbon stock of two community forests practiced by Jamatia (JCF) and Halam (HCF) tribes of Tripura, northeast India. The forest managed by Jamatia is community conserved, whereas the Joint Forest Management (JFM) regulation issued by the Government of India was implemented in Halam community-based forest. JCF showed higher tree diversity (2.741) than HCF (2.176), while there was no significant variation in the total number of species in these forests. Anogeissus acuminata, Schima wallichii, and Terminalia bellirica were the most dominant species in JCF and HCF. A relatively higher amount of organic matter, nitrogen, and phosphorus content was found in JCF soils. JCF showed higher carbon stock (342.9 Mg C ha–1) than HCF (158.7 Mg C ha–1). A positive and significant correlation of SOC concentration was observed with soil moisture, SOM, and soil nutrient content. The results show that both stands were at developmental stages; however, regular extraction of biomass from HCF was attributable to lower carbon stock. We found that the Jamatia communities are proactively involved in the conservation of forests and sustainable management of biodiversity under their control. The results reveal that the agent of management can play a vital role in enhancing tree diversity, soil properties, and carbon stock in community forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest area in India. The area of Madhya Pradesh is 30.28 million ha, as the state of Madhya Pradesh is second largest in terms of area in the country. It consists 9.38 % of the geographical area of the country. In Madhya Pradesh more than 20000 villages are in and around forests, they account 42% of the total villages of the state. Madhya Pradesh is receiving worldwide popularity in terms of conservation and protection of natural resources mainly through Joint Forest Management which has a well renowned record over the past three decades. The study was carried out in the Mandla district of the Madhya Pradesh targeting on the tribal areas which are proximate to forests, with an aim to find out the impact of Joint Forest Management in the economic enhancement of the tribal population, to find out the level of participation in Joint Forest Management activities. The participatory rural assessment approaches were used to collect the data from respondents of the study area involved in the forestry sector. Data was collected by using household interview, semi-structured questionnaires, and data were inserted and analyzed in MS Excel and in SPSS (Statistical package for social sciences). Chi square test at 5% level of significant is applied. It is found that the Non-timber forest products in the study area contribute 25% in the total income of the forest users. It is also found that the Joint Forest Management has brought great changes in the area either ecologically and economically.

The present study analyzes PHBM (Pengelolaan Sumberdaya Hutan Bersama Masyarakat), a joint forest management mechanism implemented by the State Forest Corporation (SFC) and village-level committees (LMDHs) in Java, Indonesia, in terms of forest administration systems. SFC had maintained conventional organizational structures and staffing systems, and frontline foresters mostly focused on their conventional tasks, including patrolling and policing, and were not structurally functioning as the interface of or facilitators for PHBM. SFC appears to have separated existing forestry operations and PHBM matters. As a result, PHBM matters such as the use of benefit sharing inside villages were simply entrusted to executive members of LMDHs with room for elite capture. A whole-organizational approach, in which general frontline foresters’ tasks are more integrated into participatory approach, would be recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]