PROJECT FORMULATION ON SOCIAL FORESTRY : A CASE STUDY ON JAINTIA HILLS OF MEGHALAYA, INDIA

摘要

In most of the tribal areas of the north-eastern states control of forest resources mostly lies with the indigenous communities, In the past these communities have been able to manage the forest resources sustainably. However, with the increase in population and the multiplied demands for fuel timber and other forest products the forest cover has been dwindling down at a fast pace. In Meghalaya, only 3% of the forest cover is under the control of the forest department, the rest is under community control. There has been a rapid deterioration of the community forests in the state in the recent past, The over exploitation and the unregulated felling of trees has rendered vast areas, which were once under tree cover, as barren. This paper based on thestudy of a village in the Jaintia hills tries to highlight the system of land and forest management by the local communities. Based on the results relevant suggestions have also been drawn.