SIMILIPAL: A CONCEPT OF FOREST MANAGEMENT

SIMILIPAL: A CONCEPT OF FOREST MANAGEMENT

SAMIR KUMAR SAHU, Executive Director

MAYURBHANJ BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH (MBR), BARIPADA-757002.

Introduction:
Ask people what they consider to be good forest management. In all likehood, one will get almost as many different answers as the number of people asked. This should not be surprising because agreement on what constitutes sustainable forest management is still some distance from being reached. In many ways the question is too simplistic-some would immediately demand details definition for “good”, “forest” and “management”. In practices, meaningful answer usually depends on local condition.Consequentely, the answer of most respondent would start with,” well, that depends on………”
Perhaps even more important then the local condition-the combination of environmental, economic and socio- cultural factor that influence management-is that people have widely differing expectations and perceptions of forest management and, thus ,intuitively use different indicators to measure its quality.Orissa has a geographical area of 1,55,707 sq km, with an actual forest cover of 47,107 sq km (30.3%) including 195 sq km of mangrove forests (Anon. 1996). The forests are unevenly distributed and this is the main reason for the concentration of wild animals in certain areas and their absence in others. The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 was promulagated in the state in August 1974, and a separate wildlife wing within the state forest department was created in June 1976. There are 18 wildlife sanctuaries and two proposed national parks, covering an area of 6677.50 sq km in the state. The percentage of protected areas to geographical and forest areas of the state equals 4.10 and 10.37 respectively, (Anon., 1997). The Similipal Park was established in 1956 with the object of conserving the natural fauna, prevent wanton destruction of wild animals and to provide recreation to tourists who are interested in the scenic beauties and wild animals in their natural habitat. To prevent tiger shooting, the Similipal Tiger Project was started in 1973 with the World Wild Life Fund.
The Similipal hill covers an area of 2848.89 Sq. Kms. in the south-west region of the Mayurbhanj district. The area is extremely wild with deep growth of forests and several ridges and valleys. This land is situated 3,000 feet above the mean sea-level. Several streams and perennial rivers originate from these hills and many of them have rapids of waterfalls while getting out of the hills into the plains. The average rainfall of this area varies from 40" in the north-eastern part to more than 80" in the central and southern parts annually. In the upper area is quite pleasant. The winter is very cold with regular heavy frost at many places indicating temperature nearing freezing point.
Component of Management:
The component include creating new livelihood opportunity forest-dependent people, empowering local people, ensuring representation and equity, and broad-based participation in decision making and management. Strengthening resource security or providing property rights are viewed as necessary conditions. This includes the recognition of traditional ownership patterns and institutions that common in many parts of Similipal and forest of Asia sub continent.Conversely, where achieving silvicultural or favorable returns on investment are considered most important, the core components of forest management are sigficantely different. Generally forest management thus tends to be consultative rather than participatory; that is, stakeholders-and sometime shareholders-are involved in decision making, but not in the actual operations in Similipal forest. Research into best practices, application of science and highly developed technologies, and formal business management philosophies are commonly stress as important element of forest management.

Property rights and strengthening resources security:
In Similipal; the rehabilitating of degraded forest and rehabilitations of human from the core area with the help of local NGO’s , Forest Department ,Similipal Tiger Reserve(STR) and the number of forest management committee,Sabuja Bahini , the joint forest management committee and local community have playing a important role for somewhat rehabilitating the forests and human was the transfer of well-defined property rights and strengthening of resources security, both are achieving a little in sustainable forest management. This infused not only the necessary confidence in local people to act but, more importantly, the legal authority to protect the forest from encroachment by outsider. To strengthen this rehabilitation moment it required involvement of committed and vibrant NGO’s and give special emphasis to the local NGO’s.
The point can be found or to be focus as fellows:-
· Local people recognized forest degradation as a problem and organized themselves into effective community-base management organizations for the purpose of rehabilitating a resource that was viewed of central importance to their livelihoods.· Formal or informal property rights were recognized and resources security was strengthened, which provided the fundamental foundation for protecting the forests resources of Similipal.· The forests were brought under some form of silvicultural management to produce timber and non-timber forest goods and environmental service.Some part of the Similipal, plantation work continued and number of medicinal garden also newly generated towards conservation, management and livelihood option.A practical example: Sulia Reserve Forest Uncontrolled harvesting of fuel wood and poles over the year had left the forest in a dreadful condition. As one villager recalled:” the degraded Sulia forest barely had any trees left.” Fuelwood shortages were so acute that villagers ware walking ten kilometers to another forest to collect fuelwood, just to enable them to prepare their daily meals. The situations become so desperate that the various villages adjoining Sulia Reserve Forest resolved to form a compressive system of forest protection committees. The committees now operate in well defined structure and collect some membership fees that are partially used to fund an elaborate patrol system to protect the forest from encroachers. Under a system of de facto property rights, the community is applying basic silvicultural practice and regulating harvesting in a forest that once again has tree. Such experience in forming effective community-based management organisation is common among the case studies emphasized “participatory approaches.” The communities have decision making, ensuring minority representation, equtable distribution of forest –derived revenues. This can be defined as the strong and positively to empowerment.
Poorly defined property rights were also the underlying cause of forest degradation surrounding Similipal Tiger Reserve. If the local communities have the authority to make decision, to protect the resources from outsider and to bring culprits to book, can they realistically take responsibility for forest management? There is need for an institutional framework capable of enforcing well-defined rights and providing assurance that the benefits from today hard work will still be there tomorrow. This does not necessarily mean providing communities or individuals with transferable land title, increasing tenure security, which can be achieved in various ways, may be sufficient and is often Judge to be most effective contribution to successful forest management.
Maintaining cultural identities:
For a second group of forest-based communities, forest management has become a vehicle for self-determination for ethnic minorities. Among this group, management is highly participatory but most excellence are reflected in the traditional system have developed over centuries-and embraced.The role of culture for their development and continued maintainers is pervasive. In fact, the revival and preservation of traditional management practices does not only go hand-in-hand with maintaining cultural integrity and identity; but they form a symbiosis, the survival of which is as crucial for the people as it is for the forest they manage. A straggle to preserve traditional property rights is also hallmark in these communities. An important point is think twice before tinkering with something’s that has worked for generation. It is most likely outstanding-otherwise it would have long been extinct.
Creating Livelihood for forest Dependent people:
While crating additional income sources for forest-dependent people the following point to be looks and should be interesting and innovative :-· People participation on NRM-Natural Resources Management.· Empowering local communities· Promoting equity· Fairness in decision making· Distribution of benefits derived from the forests· Appreciation of indigenous knowledge.· Creating new means of livelihood· Establish eco-tourism related enterprisesOrganized training programme for alternative agriculture activities and also forest department also carefully consulting with local people on forest management issues and is gradually shifting more management responsibilities to community-base organisation. If this will be focus properly then it will help to alleviate poverty. Helping people to help themselves.
Multiple-use management:
Almost the forest managed with a variety of uses in mind and however, multiple-use management is the principal objective and defines the future of excellence. The state forest agency-is mandated to manage the forest of Similipal with conservation and research, recreation and tourism, and soil and water protection. Also to promote scientific and technical knowledge related to conservation and ecosystem through comprehensive training and education programme.Besides researchers and scientist, however there are much larger number of people demands access to the Similipal.The Reserve attracts a growing number of ecotourists and recreational visitors.
Research-an important requirement:
Scientific research as the basics for developing prescription for silviculture and it required external funding and this is most readily available to Government agencies, NGO’s and although external donor also lend a hand in Similipal, But rather the people who have put into practice the fundamental concept that sound research is need to advance research for proper conservation and utilization of forest resources.
Silviculture:
To produce commercial timber in the forest land, private land, open land or even community land for a profitable way and get the proper certification from the Forest Department. The forest management also required strong educational, research and demonstration component. Now we found that in Mayurbhanj District most of the farmer have planted commercial tree in their home land with proper investor or even own finance. This is good example for reduce pressure on forest of Similipal and a concept of sustainable forest management.It has been realised that the protection of biodiversity save the future of human long run. It is not only the number and spread the species, but the presence of genes or characters for resistance to diseases and pathogens, and a variety of environmental stress reside in the wild plants.
Towards a model forest management (Conclusion):
The forest management practices will be develop in region of the Similipal with the special emphasis to achieve the forest management. These include:-· Well-defined property right and resources security;· Attention to the livelihoods of forest-dependent people, and· Development of appropriate institutional or management structure and frame works.Underlying –or perhaps overlapping-all of these elements is the development of social and community consciousness on how a forest should be managed. To some degree this involves striking a balance on management objective, or at least ensuring that stakeholders understand and respect each other perspectives. Forest management is not only about tree, animal or forest resources, it is also about managing people and their philosophies.

The model stress the importance’s of inter-relationship between and among a range of component –commitment, resources security, attention to improving livelihoods for local people and / or profitability, sound institutional and management framework, attention to silviculture and eco system management, and application of sensible management philosophyies.The level of importance varies among situation and location. What should be borne in mind is that excellence can only be achieved if all of the core components are addressed and in place. Conversely, remove one of the model’s building blocks and the system easily collapses as societal consensus become unstable.
Auther contact address:SAMIR KUMAR SAHUEXECUTIVE DIRECTORMAYURBHANJ BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH(MBR)BHANJPURE,BARIPADA-2,MAYURBANJ,ORISSA.PIN:757002EMAIL:mbrindia@gmail.commobile:91-94372-39929