Government of Meghalaya
Social Forestry in Meghalaya
Genesis of Social Forestry & Environment
Wing
The post of Conservator of Forests,
Social Forestry Circle was created in the year 1981-82 whose jurisdiction encompasses the whole
State of
Objective of Social Forestry & Environment Wing
Afforestation outside the conventional forest area
for the benefit of rural and urban communities. The main objective is to
:-
(i) Improve the environment for protecting
agriculture from adverse climatic factors,
(ii) Increase the supply of fuel wood for domestic
use, small timber for rural housing, fodder for livestock, and minor
forest produce for local industries,
(iii) Increase the natural beauty of the landscape;
create recreational forests for the benefit of rural and urban population,
(iv) Provide jobs for unskilled workers and
(v) Reclaim wastelands. Finally, its object is to
raise the standard of living and quality of life of the rural and urban
people.
Mission
- To carry out a need based and time bound programme of afforestation
with special emphasis on fuel wood and fodder development on all
degraded and denuded lands/forests.
- Afforestation of abandoned jhum lands and mined areas.
- Linear strip plantation of fast growing species on sides of public
roads, rivers, streams and irrigation canals.
- Afforestation on unutilized lands under State/Corporate,
institutional or private ownership.
- Green belts in urban/industrial areas.
- Shelter belt (generally more extensive than the wind breaks) for the
purpose of shelter from wind and sun covering areas larger than a
single farm on a planned pattern.
- Farm forestry in the form of raising rows of trees on bund or
boundaries of fields and individual trees in private agricultural land
as well as creation of wind breaks round a farm or orchard by raising
one or two lines of trees.
- Raise flowering trees and shrubs mainly to serve as recreation
forests for the urban and rural population.
- Elicit people’s participation involving women and young people in
conservation of forests, wildlife and environment.
- Environmental awareness generation and celebration of
vanamahotsava,
environment day, wildlife week etc.
The Social Forestry & Environment Wing
looks after the plantations raised on lands which are outside
The Social Forestry & Environment Wing have
raised plantations as follows :
| Year | Area in hectares |
| 1980-81 | 785 |
| 1981-82 | 1036 |
| 1982-83 | 1481 |
| 1983-84 | 1155 |
| 1984-85 | 1197 |
| 1985-86 | 2768 |
| 1986-87 | 4603 |
| 1987-88 | 7311 |
| 1988-89 | 13,168 |
| 1989-90 | 10,173 |
| 1990-91 | 6650 |
| 1991-92 | 8871 |
| 1992-93 | 4585 |
| 1993-94 | 9999 |
| 1994-95 | 6825 |
| 1995-96 | 2375 |
| 1996-97 | 1993 |
| 1997-98 | 75 |
| 1998-99 | 461 |
| 1999-2000 | 338 |
| 2000-2001 | 2080 |
| 2001-2002 | 810 |
| 2002-2003 | 1629 |
| 2003-2004 | - |
| 2004-2005 | - |
| 2005-2006 | - |
| Total | 90,368 |
List of species for social forestry
plantations
| Timber |
Khasi pine, Birch, Titachap, Gamari, Poma, Sal, Makri sal, Kokon etc. |
| Fuelwood |
Khasi
pine, Alder, Oak, Wattle etc. |
| Fruit | Jackfruit, Mango, Baelfruit, Amla, Guava, Myrica, Prunus, Moringa, Tamarind, etc. |
| Fodder | Jackfruit, Gamari, Bauhinia, Broomstick grass, bamboo |
| Avenue/roadside | Silver oak, Gulmohar, Amalthus, Cassia spp., Cryptomeria, Acacias |
| Medicinal |
Bohera, Rauwolfia, Amla, Tamarind, Dalchini, Tezpatta, Black pepper, Neem, Taxus, Tulsi, Hollarhena, Solanum, Vinca rosea, Adhatoda vasica, Clerodendron, etc. |
Schemes
The
Social Forestry & Environment Wing have been implementing the
following schemes under the State Plan during the year 2002-03 to 2005-06.
2002-03
|
Sl.
No |
Budget Head |
Amount Allocation |
Amount Utilized |
|
1 |
2406-01-Forestry
& Wildlife-003-Mass Education General Plan |
1,00,000.00 |
1,00,000.00 |
|
2 |
102-04-Social
Forestry Forest
Nurseries General Plan |
9,00,000.00 |
7,64,401.00 |
|
3 |
800-Other
Expenditure (02) Ecology & Environmental General Plan |
10,00,000.00 |
5,76,344.00 |
|
4 |
102-Social
Forestry & Farm Forestry(01) Sixth Schedule |
8,00,000.00 |
4,90,745.00 |
|
5 |
102-(02)-Environmental Forestry (24) MW Sixth Schedule |
8,00,000.00 |
8,29,325.00 |
|
6 |
03-Recreation
Forestry (02) Wages Sixth Schedule |
6,00,000.00 |
5,07,168.00 |
|
7 |
102-(04)-Social
Forestry |
1,20,00,000.00 |
1,68,74,257.00 |
|
8 |
Ecological
Restoration of Cherrapunjee |
5,00,000.00 |
4,99,920.00 |
|
9 |
800-Other Expenditure (02) Ecology & Environment Sixth Schedule |
45,00,000.00 |
27,89,713.00 |
2003-04
|
Sl.
No |
Budget Head |
Amount Allocation |
Amount Utilized |
|
1 |
Forestry
Nursery |
3,57,710.00 |
3,42,900.00 |
|
2 |
Environmental
Forestry |
12,80,575.00 |
12,79,815.00 |
|
3 |
Recreation
Forestry |
5,38,600.00 |
5,52,100.00 |
|
4 |
Social
Forestry |
1,61,41,540.00 |
1,58,18,607.00 |
|
5 |
Ecological
Restoration of Cherrapunjee |
4,99,728.00 |
4,99,643.00 |
|
6 |
Environment
and ecology |
25,25,925.00 |
25,10,193.00 |
|
7 |
Ward’s
|
4,00,000.00 |
4,00,000.00 |
|
8 |
Environmental
and Ecology G.P |
6,63,072.00 |
5,46,117.00 |
|
9 |
Social
Forestry General Plan |
10,50,000.00 |
10,14,962.00 |
|
10 |
Mass
Education General Plan |
50,000.00 |
50,020.00 |
2004-05
|
Sl.
No |
Budget Head |
Amount Allocation |
Amount Utilized |
|
1 |
2406-01-102-Forest
Nurseries |
4,00,000.00 |
Rs.20,000/- transfer from
102(01)Forest Nurseries to 102(02) Environmental Forestry |
|
2 |
2406-01-102(020
Environmental |
8,00,000.00 |
11,52,870.00 |
|
3 |
Recreation
Forestry |
3,00,000.00 |
8,57,371.00 |
|
4 |
Social
Forestry |
1,10,22,000.00 |
1,81,91,914.00 |
|
5 |
Ecological
Sohra Restoration Project |
5,00,000.00 |
5,99,000.00 |
|
6 |
Environment
& Ecology Sixth Schedule |
44,00,000.00 |
29,25,845.00 |
|
7 |
Ward’s
|
4,00,000.00 |
5,00,000.00 |
|
8 |
Mass
Education |
50,000.00 |
50,000.00 |
2005-06
|
Sl.
No |
Budget Head |
Amount Allocation |
Amount Utilized |
|
1 |
2406-102(01) |
10,00,000.00 |
4,99,863.00 |
|
2 |
2406-02-102(02)
Environmental |
13,00,000.00 |
12,06,200.00 |
|
3 |
2406-02-(02)(030
Recreational Forestry |
8,50,000.00 |
8,50,000.00 |
|
4 |
2406 – 02 -102 - (04) – Social Forestry – General Plan |
15
,00,000.00 |
15,63,380.00 |
|
5 |
2406 – 02 -102 - (04) – Social Forestry – VI – Schedule (Part.II) Areas |
1,98,70,000.00 |
1,63,67,784.00 |
|
6 |
2406-02-102(27)Ecological
Restoration of Cherrapunjee Project |
80,00,000.00 |
6,99,600.00 |
|
7 |
2406-02-800(02) Environment & Ecology – General Plan |
10,00,000.00 |
7,52,400.00 |
|
8 |
2406-02-800(02) Environment & Ecology – VI – Schedule (Part.II) Areas |
60,00,000.00 |
55,43,058.00 |
|
9 |
2406-02-112(04)
Ward’s |
8,00,000.00 |
8,00,000.00 |
|
10 |
003-03-Mass
Education |
80,000.00 |
40,000.00 |
National
Commission on Agriculture (1976) coined the phrase ‘Social Forestry’
which attracted the attention, sympathy and patronage of the Government,
politicians and administrators alike.
The
main thrust of the NCA in this programme was to develop tree resources
largely outside the recognized forest boundaries in the neighbourhood of
rural areas irrespective of whether the lands earmarked for producing such
resources are community, private or Government, thus, conceptually it has
a broad base.
The
NCA defined the scope of social forestry as follows:
A)
Farm forestry
a) Raising rows of trees on bundhs or boundaries of the fields and individual trees in private agricultural lands
b) Wind breaks
B)
Extension Forestry
a) Mixed forestry, comprising raising of grass and leaf fodder fruit trees and fuelwood trees on suitable wastelands, panchayat lands and village commons
b) Shelter belts
c) Raising of plantations of different quick growing species on sides of roads, canal banks and railway lines
d) Reafforestation in degraded forests
e) Recreation forestry