Community Conserved Areas in South Asia: India
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INDIA COMMUNITY CONSERVED AREAS IN SOUTH ASIA Understanding Conservation with Livelihood Security Values India Authors: Neema Pathak Broome and Persis Taraporevala with Mashqura Fareedi, Sudipto Chatterjee, Sonali Ghosh, Jayanta Sarma, S.K Barik, B.K Tewari and Kulen Chandra Das 1 INDIA AbstrAct his report is based on research and analysis undertaken with the Tobjective of deepening the understanding of CCAs in India, primarily to achieve two goals. Firstly, to bring to light the unknown conservation efforts undertaken in India and secondly, to attempt an action plan that would cater to the individual and overall needs of these areas. This report is based on research in nineteen sites across six Indian states, studied over a year. The wealth of knowledge of CCAs available through a decade of research in India provided the lens through which the data, from the nineteen sites, was analysed. This report attempts to deepen the discussion by (re)defining CCAs and establishing, what appear to be, their core characteristics. The report continues to identify overarching threats and challenges faced by CCAs within the Indian context. The effects that these spaces create within the ecological, cultural and political spheres of the CCAs in question are also documented herein. In recent years, the view that conservation is a purely technocratic activity is changing. This allows for more spaces for community participation in conservation. The report is organised in two parts. It gives a brief analysis of the various laws and policies that have been and can been applied to support and strengthen CCAs. It also takes the reader through some case studies from different parts of India. In conclusion, the report attempts the ambitious task of weaving together the stories of conservation to synthesise the many experiences into a document that can be used to both further the discussion on these spaces and further practice within these such a category pf conservation. Keywords: India, forest, environment, wildlife, tribe, panchayat, sacred, reserve, regulate, law, north east, case study 2 INDIA tAbLE OF cONtENts PART I Community Conserved Areas in India: an Overview ...................................................................8 Introduction ............................................................................................................................8 Methodology ...........................................................................................................................8 Defining CCAs in India .........................................................................................................9 Description – How Extensive are CCAs in India? .............................................................11 Main Characteristics of CCAs in India ................................................................................16 Origin of the initiative..................................................................................................16 Objectives or motivations .............................................................................................18 Practices of governance and management ...................................................................18 Ecosystems and species conserved ...............................................................................19 Institutions and/or systems established for conservation ..............................................19 Regulating CCAs by the Communities ........................................................................20 Impacts of CCAs ...................................................................................................................21 Impacts on the community ..........................................................................................21 Impacts on the wildlife and biodiversity ......................................................................22 Threats and Challenges faced by CCAs ........................................................................................23 Internal threats .....................................................................................................................23 a. Traditional social inequities: ....................................................................................24 b. Demographic changes: ............................................................................................24 c. Reduced availability of resources: ............................................................................24 d. High cost of conservation ........................................................................................24 External threats ......................................................................................................................24 a. Lack of legal backing and tenurial security: ...........................................................24 b. Inappropriate or no government support .................................................................24 3 INDIA c. Smuggling and poaching ..........................................................................................25 d. Attitudes of others: ...................................................................................................25 Other threats .........................................................................................................................26 Breakdown of traditional institutions and knowledge: ...............................................26 The education system: .................................................................................................27 Changing value systems and aspirations: ....................................................................27 Global market forces: ....................................................................................................27 Legal and Policy Spaces for CCAs ................................................................................................28 Key Issues, Lessons and Conclusions ............................................................................................35 Security of tenure ..................................................................................................................35 Site-specific and decentralised management ..........................................................................36 Coordinated action and support ...........................................................................................36 A landscape approach ............................................................................................................36 Governance and decision-making ..........................................................................................37 a. Transparency, Openness and Accountability .............................................................37 b. Constant dialogue and informed decisions ..............................................................38 c. Role of external intervention ...................................................................................38 d. Role of the local leader ............................................................................................40 e. Integration of conservation and livelihoods ..............................................................40 f. Funding .....................................................................................................................41 g. Climate change mitigation and CCAs .....................................................................41 BARIPADA ....................................................................................................................................42 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................42 History ..................................................................................................................................43 Current Status .......................................................................................................................44 Rules – formulation and implementation ...........................................................................45 Relationship with the forest department ...............................................................................45 Ecological Effects .................................................................................................................46 Role of Women .....................................................................................................................46 Sociological Effects ................................................................................................................46 Strengths ................................................................................................................................47 4 INDIA Weaknesses ............................................................................................................................48 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................49 Appendix I: Rules ........................................................................................................................50 Appendix II: Conflicts with offenders of the rules .......................................................................50 Appendix III: Jaggery production ................................................................................................51