A Capacity-building programme for sustainable management of CFR areas

Gram Swaraj, one of the partners of the NTFP-Exchange Programme India, organized a capacity building programme for the tribal communities in the Similipal Biosphere Reserve in Mayurbhanj, Odisha. On 6th of October 2015, 96 participants from 52 villages participated in the discussion about the recognition of the CFR process. The following day another 76 participants from 20 villages discussed activities that can be taken up post CFR-recognition, especially those that for the sustainable management of such areas. At present, in 44 villages within the Similipal Tiger Reserve, the rights over 250 sq km CFR area were recognized by DLC of Mayurbhanj district. In both these sessions Devaji Tofa of Mendha gram sabha and Mohanbhai Hiralal of Vrikshamitra, both from Gadchiroli in Maharashtra, shared their experiences of Mendha village where they have claimed their Community Forest Rights over their ancestral forest lands. The focus of the discussions was consensual decision making in the village and prudent management of biodiversity based on traditional knowledge and culture.