Centre Explores Funding Support for Community Forest Management

The Union government is exploring ways to strengthen community-led forest management by facilitating funding support for Community Forest Resource (CFR) management committees constituted under the Forest Rights Act. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is in discussions with the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change to support gram sabhas that have been vested forest management rights across the country.

Talks to Support Gram Sabha–Led Forest Management

Senior officials from both ministries have recently met to discuss financial support for managing community forest resources. The Tribal Affairs Ministry is also planning to formally write to the Environment Ministry to seek funding assistance. Officials said the move is aimed at correcting the perception that the forest bureaucracy is opposed to community-led conservation, and to reinforce cooperative governance under the Forest Rights framework.

Forest Rights Act and Community Forest Resource Rights

For nearly two decades, the Forest Rights Act has recognised the historical rights of Scheduled Tribe communities and other traditional forest-dwellers over forest land and resources. Under the Act, gram sabhas are entitled to claim Community Forest Resource rights over forest areas they have traditionally protected, regenerated, conserved and managed for sustainable use. These rights are legally vested through FRA titles issued to communities.

Guidelines for CFR Management Committees

In 2023, the Tribal Affairs Ministry issued detailed guidelines for managing forests where CFR rights have already been granted. These guidelines mandate the formation of CFR management committees under the authority of title-holding gram sabhas. Communities are required to prepare their own conservation and management plans before engaging with the Forest Department to align them with working plan codes prescribed by the Environment Ministry.

Imporatnt Facts for Exams

• Forest Rights Act vests Community Forest Resource rights in gram sabhas.
• CFR rights cover forests traditionally protected and managed by communities.
• CFR management committees were formalised through 2023 guidelines.
• Funding support is being explored with the Environment Ministry.

Funding Needs and Safeguards for Community Control

According to officials, CFR management committees require sustained financial resources to function effectively. Funds are needed for hiring staff, preparing management plans and training community members in day-to-day operations. The Centre is considering safeguards to ensure that forest planning and conservation remain community-led, without being taken over by the Forest Department, even if funding support is routed through the Environment Ministry.