| Author | Pradhan, Dolagobinda |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no. NR-94-04 |
| Subject(s) | Forest management--India--Orissa--Citizen participation
|
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science, School of Environment, Resources & Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. NR-94-04 |
| Abstract | The ever increasing human population and rapid pace of industrialization have
brought a tremendous pressure on forest resources. This has resulted in turning 175 million
hectares of India's productive land into barren land. This ecological degradation have upset the
socio-economic fibers of the country and have caused serious environmental crisis. Revegetation
of such lands through appropriate mixtures of grasses, legumes and trees after proper soil and
water conservation is the only way to combat this.
Social or community forestry has emerged as one of the principal responses to
the problems caused by the widespread loss of trees and forest cover in the developing world.
It is essentially a strategy encompassing rural development, poverty alleviation and forestry
activities addressed primarily through participating villages.
Towards the beginning of the 1980s, the Government of India realized the
growing pressure on forest resources and based on the recommendations of the National
Commission on Agriculture adopted Social Forestry. The present study is an attempt to explore
local people's participation in Social Forestry Project which was implemented in Hindol Block
of Orissa State in 1985. Moreover, it focuses on how different categories of rural people are
participating in forest protection and management activities in the study area.
In the first part, the study highlights the activities carried out by the Social
Forestry Project in the study area. Then the study examined the present forest resource
utilization practices and prevailing environmental scenario of the study area. The study finds
that there is high scarcity in collection of forest products and the average distance for collection
of forest products is increasing over time. The environmental condition of the study area is
deteriorating over time and deforestation is the number one factor followed by population
growth behind this degradation.
The local people suggest that through various afforestation programs the
environment can be improved. Government is their preferred agency to carry out afforestation
activities. Majority of the villagers prefer multipurpose tree species for plantation and most of
them suggest government or common land for Social Forestry plantation. Moreover, the study
reveals that although the Social Forestry activities in the study area are at an early stage, the
potential for its expansion is very high in near future.
Suitable site selection for plantation is an important step in Social Forestry
Program. In this study, vector based GIS model ARC/INFO has used to find out the areas
suitable for Social Forestry plantation. Five data layers such as landuse map, wasteland map,
forest map, road map and drainage map were integrated in the Factor Combination Model to
identify the proposed plantation sites. |
| Year | 1994 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis : no. NR-94-04 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Development and Sustainability (DDS) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Natural Resources Management (NRM) |
| Chairperson(s) | Hussain, Md. Zakir; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Suselo, Tri Binarko ;Kaew Nualchawee ; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | The Royal Thai Government Scholarship
( H.M. King's Scholarship ); |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1994 |