NATURAL REGENERATION OF COMMON LANDS - Mass Education, Anantapur, A.P.

1. NATURAL REGENERATION OF COMMON LANDS- Mass Education, Anantapur, A.P.

2. THE MAIN COMMON PROPERTY RESOURCES (CPRs) ARE… Revenue Poramboke Lands Reserved Forest Areas Tanks- Irrigation and Percolation Tanks Gram Panchayat lands

3. LAND UTILISATION DISTRICT-WISE (Area in Hectares) –1987 THE TABLE SHOWS THE AVAILABILITY OF CPRs… Source: Andhra Pradesh Statistical Abstract 1987.

4. STATEMENT SHOWING DISTRICT-WISE LIVE- STOCK CENSUS – 1983 THE TABLE SHOWS THAT MOR THAN A CRORE OF LIVE STOCKS ARE DEPENDING ON THE SO CALLED WASTE LANDS Source: Andhra Pradesh Statistical Abstract 1987.

5. DISTRICT WISE NUMBER AND AREA IRRIGATED BY TANKS IN ANDHRA PRADESH (1998-99) Source: Crops and Season report 1998-1999, Directorate of Economics and statistics, Hyderabad.

6. Source: Crops and Season report 1998-1999, Directorate of Economics and statistics, Hyderabad.

7. SOME IMPORTANT MINOR FOREST PRODUCES (MFPs) NORMALLY COLLECTED BY THE VILLGES COMMUNITIES PARTICULARLY THE RESOURCE POOR

8. THE USER / DEPENDANT GROUPS ON MFPs AVAILABLE IN THE COMMON PROPERTY RESOURCES. • SHEEP REARERS • CATTLE REARERS • ARTISANS LIKE ROPE MAKERS, • BASKET MAKERS, MAT MAKERS Etc. • POOR WOMEN • LAND LESS LABOURERS • FARMERS • MFP COLLECTORS • FISHING COMMUNITY • FISHERMEN • HEAD LODERS

9. CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES TO STRENTHEN THE LIVELIHOODS OF THE RURAL POOR 1. CONSEVATION OF CPRs: Motivation, Sensitization and Organisation of the dependant communities to conserve the CPRs so that the availability of the CPRs is enhanced. 2. ENSURING STAKES (USUFRUCT RIGHTS) AND BENEFITS FOR THE VULNERABLE GROUPS: Assisting the resource poor to avail Usufruct Rights over custard apple and other MFPs 3. TREE PATTAS: Assisting the resource less poor women and the laborers to available tree pattas on the tree existing in the CPRs 4. TANK FARMERS / USERS ASSOCIATIONS. Organisation of the Tank Farmers / Users Associations for the sustainable and effective management of the Panchayat Raj tanks.

10. 5. FISHING RIGHTS: Fishing Rights for the poor women and landless poor 6. TANK BEDCULTIVATION Take advantage of the residual moisture in the tank bed and promote tank bed cultivation by the vulnerable groups. 7. TO DEVELOP LEGAL FRME WORK ONe CPRs To ensure the rights of the vulnerable groups over CPRs there is a need to develop a legal frame work on the line so JFM or CFM 8. LOBBYING AND ADVOCACY There is a need to lobby with the government on many issues related to the usufruct rights for the vulnerable groups.

11. NATURAL REGENERATION COMMON LANDS AREAS SUITABLE TO PROMOTE NATURAL REGENERATION: • HILLY REGIONS PREFERABLY WITH ROOT STALK. • LOW LAYING AREAS PARTICULARLY THE BANKS OF STREAMS, RIVERS AND VALLIES. DATE PALM, PALMYRA ETC., TREES GROW NATURALLY IN THESE LOCATIONS. • FORE SHORES AND CATCHMENT AREAS OF TANKS. NALLA THUMMA GROWS WELL IN TANK FORE SHORE AREAS.

12. CRITERIA FOR THE SELECTION OF VILLAGES TO PROMOTE NATURAL REGENERATION: • The villages adjacent to and around the big chunk of revenue poramboke common lands particularly (hilly regions). • The villages having homogeneous community. • Small and remote villages. • The villages without factional conflicts. • Tribal villages. • Watershed and JFM villages.

13. CONSTRAINTS IN PROMOTING NATURAL REGENERATION: • FOREST FIRES. • UNCONTROLLED GRAZING. • UNREGULATED HACKING OF TREES. • DELAY IN OBTAINING RIGHTS OVER PROTECTED AREAS. • LONG GESTATION PERIOD. • CONTRADICTORY INTERESTS OF DIFFERENT USER GROUPS.

14. STEPS SUGGESTED TO PROMOTE NATURAL REGENERATION: • 1. COMMUNITY CONTACT DRIVE THROUGH AWARENESS CAMPS SUCH AS MEETINGS WITH THE DIFFERENT USER GROUPS, PADAYATRAS, CULTURAL PROGRAMMES ETC. • 2. STUDY EXPOSURE VISIT TO THE SUCCESSFUL NATURAL REGENERATION VILLAGES. • 3.  BENCH MARK SURVEY AND LINE RESOURCE INVENTORY. • Trees, Bushes, Shrubs and grass varieties. • Wild animals • Birds 4. . SOCIO ECONOMIC PROFILE OF THE VILLAGE. - Details of population          - Community wise - Occupation wise

15. b. .Land resources • -Govt. waste land • -Private waste land • -Common grazing land • -Forest land • -Agriculture land c. Crop pattern and Agricultural practices • d. Water resources • -Irrigation tanks • -Percolation tanks • -Check dams • -Streams, Springs • -Open wells • - Bore wells • e. Live stock details. • -Small Ruminants • -Cows and Buffaloes • f.. Existing people’s Associations • -Cooperatives • -Unions • -Thrift and Credit groups • -Any other • g. Details regarding natural resource user group communities. • -Small Ruminant rearers • -Cattle rearers • -Head loaders • -Coal, brick, lime and illicit liquor makers • -Hunters • -Forest produce collectors

16. CONFLICT RESOLUTION BETWEEN DIFFERENT USER GROUPS • CLEARCUT DEMARCATION OF THE AREA TO BE PROTECTED, EXTENT AND SURVEY NUMBER ETC. • FORMATION OF PARYAVARANA PARIRAKSHANA SAMITIES WITH REPRESENTATION FOR ALL USER GROUPS. • VOLUNTARY VIGILENCE COMMITTEES. • MEMORANDUM TO THE REVENUE AUTHORITIES TO OBTAIN USUFRUCT RIGHTS OVER THE PROTECTED AREAS. • FORMATION OF ECO-CLUBS IN THE SCHOOLS. • LOCAL SEED BANKS. • FIRE PROTECTION THROUGH COMMUNITY ACTION. • SEED DIBBLING DURING THE RAINY SEASON BY INVOLVING LOCAL STUDENTS, YOUTH AND USER GROUPS. • PERIODICAL GET-TOGETHERS OF DIFFERENT PPSs AT INTER VILLAGE, MANDAL, DISTRICT LEVELS.

17. GUIDING PRINCIPLES TO PROMOTE NATURAL REGENERATION OF COMMON LANDS: • EQUAL REPRESENTATION FOR ALL USER GROUPS. • SOCIAL FENCING • ROTATIONAL GRAZING/CLOSE DOWN THE PROTECTED AREA FOR CERTAIN PERIOD/CUT AND CARRY SYSTEM. • MOTIVATION OF THE NEIBOURING VILLAGES • MOBILISATION OF LOCAL FUNDS IN THE FORM OF CASH, FOOD GRAINS ETC. • PROMOTION OF ALTERNATIVE ENERGY RESOURCES. • EQUITY OF USUFRUCTS

18. ACTIVITIES SUGGESTED TO ACCELERATE THE NATURAL GROWTH IN COMMON LANDS • SOIL AND MOISTURE CONSERVATION • REVIVAL OF WATER HARVESTING STRUCTURES OR CONSTRUCTION OF NEW STRUCTURES. • SEED DIBBLING IN STRATEGIC LOCATIONS LIKE UNDER THE BUSHES AND SHRUBS NEAR BOULDERS, VALLIES. • FIRE CONTROL • BROADCASTING OF GRASS SEEDS

19. AFFORESTATION NATURAL REGENERATION COST INTENSIVE MODEL LOW COST/NO COST MODEL SCOPE FOR PEOPLE’S PARTICIPATION IS LIMITED IT’S A PEOPLE – CENTRED ACTIVITY PROTECTED BY PAID WATCHER VOLUNTARY SOCIAL FENCING CANNOT PRESERVE BIO-DIVERSITY PRESERVES BIO-DIVERSITY EFFECTIVELY DISTURBS WILD LIFE HABITATIONS WILD LIFE - FRIENDLY. WILD LIFE GET ATTRACTED AND DEVELOPED FULFILS THE NEEDS OF OUTSIDERS PARTICULARLY INDUSTRIES. FULFILS THE BASIC NEEDS SUCH AS FODDER, FUEL, FRUITS, RAW MATERIALS ETC. SURVIVAL PERCENTAGE IS VERY LOW. SURVIVAL OF NATURALY GROWN TREES IS VERY HIGH. CANNOT EFFECTIVELY CONSERVE SOIL AND MOISTURE. SOILS AND WATER ARE EFFECTIVELY CONSERVED. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN NATURAL REGENERATION AND AFFORESTATION

20. Activities suggested to promote natural regeneration of the common lands (revenue common lands) and also to accelerate its growth. 1.Soil and moisture conservation activities like contour bunds, gully checks, staggered trenches etc. 2.Pitting work to take up plantation in the low lying areas in the next rain season 3.Seed dibbling. 4.Broadcasting of the grass seeds. 5.Pruning of the existing trees that are naturally growing in the common lands, 6.A trench around the selected common land to control the open grazing. 7

21. District wide Awareness campaign through Padayatra – To Save Anantapur from Desertification Process (Photo: 1990)

25. Discussions on the need to restore the tanks in Kalyam-Hulikallu villages (Photo 1995)

26. NATURAL REGENERATION HILLS

29. Acacia Nilotika (Nalla Thumma) in Kalyam - Hulikallu tank under the protection of village community

31. Natural growth of Nalla Thumma trees in Hulikallu Tank under the protection of the village community

32. Acacia Nilotika (Nalla Thumma) Orchard in Hulikallu tank provides nutritious fodder to sheep and goats

33. Jagganna Cheruvu after restoration in Hulikallu (Photo 2005)