Local Community, Forest based Livelihood and Climate Change: Efforts of REDD Plus

1. Local Community, Forest based Livelihood and Climate Change: Efforts of REDD Plus Regional Centre for Development Cooperation A/68, 1st Floor, Sahid Nagar, Bhubaneswar,Odisha Ph: +91 674 2545250, Fax: +91 674 2545252 www.rcdcindia.org, www.banajata.org

2. Structure of the Presentation • Overview of Forest/NTFPs and its livelihood • Strengthening forest based livelihood through cooperative: Intervention of RCDC • Emerging Issues: Climate Change • Impact of REDD plus on Local Community- Debatable???? • Some Possibilities the state and civil society may take up

3. Overview of Forest/NTFP and its Livelihood • Total forest area of the state is 48366.00 sq. km which is 31.06 per cent of the total geographical area. (FSI report 2003) • Odisha has the largest number of forest fringe villages in the country i.e. about 29, 302, which is about 60% of the total number of villages of the state. • About 10 million people in different parts of Odisha are dependent on NTFP for their livelihood. • More than 11000 JFMCs are actively involved in the protection and management. (Forest department, Orissa). • There are about 12,000 self initiated forest protection and management committees (CFM) in the state as per estimations by NGOs.

4. Strengthening forest based livelihood through cooperative: Intervention of RCDC • RCDC facilitating 29 cooperatives in five districts of Odisha • Total number of village covered- 286 • Number of members-5574 • Business Turn over- Rs.177.78081 lakhs ) • Profit margin (Gross)- Rs.8.16392 lakhs (2009-10)

5. Intervention of RCDC in Cooperative Area • Identification of NTFP rich clusters, potential and production survey. • Produces identified for market linkage. • Survey of major markets to identify prospective traders. • Supply and value chain analysis of products and buyers’ identification. • Promotion of institutions and facilitating development of business plan. • Developing sustainable forest and NTFP management plans. • Developing sustainable harvesting protocols with the help of technical experts. • Setting up enterprises of NTFP- sales outlets and CFCs.

6. Some Raw NTFP marketing by Mahalaxmi Cooperative

7. Some value added products

8. Some Value Added Product

9. Banaja-The Chain of Outlet • Bhawanipatna • Koraput • Rayagada

10. Series of Ustav attended by Cooperative

11. Paradigm Shift Raw material trading Economic approach Finished product trading Both Economic and ecology

12. Forest Protection through watch and Ward System • The cooperative members are forest protecting through watch and ward system with the help of village forest protection committee (VFPC). • Everyday men and women members with sticks move around the forests to protect the forests. • No one is allowed to cut any tree from the forest without prior permission. In case of an emergency, the village council can allow such permissions to the individuals. • The person who violates the rules is fined. The fine depends upon the village council. Normally the offender is asked to apologize publicly. • Timber mafias caught have been recorded.

13. Sustainable Harvesting Practices by Cooperative • Presently the cooperative members are using the following practices for harvesting NTFPs. Amla (Emblica officinalis): • Amla fruits are collected by shaking trees and by hooks • They are harvesting the Amla in the morning. • Collecting brownish yellow fruits Harida (Terminalia chebula): • Collecting the fruit by shaking the tree and by hooks • Differentiate the yellow fruits from the green ones • Dry the fruit for 4 days under sun • Dry the broken fruits also for 4 days

14. Forestation through Planting of Native Species The Cooperative members planting the native species like Amla, Bahada, Karanj, etc in their area with the help of RCDC. The species wise details is mentioned in the following table:

15. Experiences of success • Cooperative has helped in raising the price of such produces through competition, bargaining, and exercising a significant share in the stock available locally. • The primary collectors are now able to get better price at least for some produces. • The women leaders are managing the cooperatives more effectively and their economic condition is improving. • Increase in participation of local people in the forest management and protection. • Co-operatives have been able to mobilize investment worth more than 5 lakh rupees from government organizations like DSMS. • The products are marketed in the name of a brand named ‘Banaja’. • Significant enhancement of required skills of members of cooperatives.

16. Emerging Issues on forest based livelihood: Climate Change • The size of the Amla fruit has decreased although the harvesting period for Amla remains the same. • The size of Karanja seeds, which are harvested to extract their oil, has decreased. • Some medicinal plants have disappeared from the forest, including one known locally as Kukudamandi. However, forest fire rather than climate change was the reason given for this.

17. How to overcome Climate Change • Scope lies with REDD PLUS ?????

18. What is REDD plus • REDD+ goes beyond merely checking deforestation and forest degradation, and includes incentives for positive elements of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. • REDD+ conceptualizes flow of positive incentives for demonstrated reduction in deforestation or for enhancing quality and expanse of forest cover.

19. Impact of REDD plus on Local Community- Debatable???? • The impact of REDD will be more negative than positive, says Jebra Ram Muchahary of the Indian Confederation of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples. • If REDD plus is implemented in a more holistic way and integrated with other development programmes, there would be great scope for improvement of livelihoods of the forest dependent communities (TERI 2009).

20. key parameter for REDD Plus readiness- TERI • Effective legal and policy framework- PESA , FRA, BDA Green India Mission, climate change action plan • Institutional arrangement for implementation-MoEF, SFD, JFM committee and FDA • Capacities for MRV (monitoring, review and verification) • Secure training and community rights

21. Initiative undertaken by India • Green India Mission aims to address REDD+ related issues in three broad areas -------- • Enhance carbon sinks in sustainably-managed forests and other ecosystems; • Adapt vulnerable species/ecosystems to the changing climate; • Adapt forest-dependent communities in the face of climate variability.

22. Issues???? • Discussion on REDD Plus- remain within the scientific-technical-bureaucraticdomain

23. Some Possibilities the state and civil society may take up • Information on REDD and related issues need to be shared with the communities by government and Civil society groups • There is a need for productive dialogue among different stakeholders including local/ forest dwelling communities on benefit, risk, impact of REDD plus. • Though, traditional institutions are effective in implementation of REDD Plus in north eastern states but need to comprehensive assessment and experiment for efficacy of CFM to implement REDD plus in Odisha. • Some pilot project may take up in selected pocket of Odisha for assess socio-economic-cultural-ecological risk, impact, etc of REDD plus on CFM for policy and advocate at state and national level

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