sal leaf cluster of Mayurbhanj

An example where a new organisation had to be created in the eastern part of India is illustrated below:

Box 2.4 A village level committee created to address livelihood issues in sal leaf cluster of Mayurbhanj

The Mayurbhanj district, in the northern region of Odisha, covers an area of 10,400 sq km, of which 44 per cent is forest area. The forest mainly comprises of the sal tree (Shorea Robusta) and the collection of sal leaves is an age-old practice in this area. Sal leaf collection is the major source of income for the local people for only eight months in a year, due to the seasonal availability of sal leaf. Almost 7 lakh people are associated with sal leaf activities in the cluster.

The sal leaf business originated in Betnoti, a village in Mayurbhanj district, and eventually spread to other parts of Odisha. In the initial years, the leaves were mostly collected from the forest within a 20–30 km periphery of Betnoti. Over a period of time, this led to deforestation and during the 1970s almost half of the forest areas adjacent to the nearby villages were depleted. The increase in livestock population and uninterrupted human pressure on forests accentuated the problem. The consequences: huge shortage of availability of raw material and threat to the livelihood of the community. The stakeholders anticipated the closure of the sal leaf business.

The dependency of the villagers on sal leaf forests as their only means of livelihood led to a community initiated and community owned historical movement of forest conservation. A Joint Forest Protection Committee (JFPC), Buddikhamari, was formed by the villagers to undertake the responsibility of forest conservation. The movement, that started in remote villages like Hatikote, Buddikhamari and Dubhia in 1983, spread to almost a hundred villages of Odisha in phases. In five years (1988) the protection activities had spread to 25 villages and by 1992 the movement had spread to 55 villages. By 1999, 95 villages in Odisha had joined the protection activity and each of these 95 villages had formed Village Forest Protection Committees (VFPCs).

JFPC, Buddikhamari, became the federation of the 95 VFPCs. Groups of villagers were assigned the task of guarding their respective forest areas daily, on a rotational basis. At the JFPC level, a patrolling team was formed with the task of monitoring the work at the VFPC level. All these activities were taken up through voluntary contributions by the villagers. About 7,500 households from 95 villages are directly involved in this entire process. This unique effort helped the forest to regenerate and provided the villagers a means for sustenance. It also helped the villagers to strike a balance between conservation and livelihood needs. The forest conservation initiative of the villagers led to reforestation of the protected areas leading to livelihood benefits to the villagers and positive environmental consequences. The sal leaf business that was once under threat revived and the availability of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) increased.

When there are options to choose among alternative partner agencies, they may offer particular advantages and disadvantages. The issue at hand plays a significant role in selecting the right