Public Forestry Institutions (MFD, FDCM & DSF) implemented the World Bank Funded Maharashtra Forestry Project from 1992-2000. One of the major achievements of the project has been the joint management of forest resources by the Forest Department and the Forest Dependent Communities. Forest Protection Committee's were formed in 602 villages, which protected about 2 lakh ha. of forest land and raised plantations over an area of 25671 ha. While implementing this programme, capacity building of FPC members and forest personnel was achieved through training, workshops, study tours etc. On the same lines, Social Forestry Directorate implemented the village Eco-development programme on non-forest degraded community / revenue and private lands. In addition, an institutional reform in the form of a separate wildlife wing was created and strengthened with staff and other infrastructure providing a focus for bio-diversity conservation. Technology upgradation through use of MIS and GIS packages, modern nurseries, seed units etc. was achieved. To consolidate the gains of Maharashtra Forestry Project Phase-I, a Phase-II project has been prepared.

The recorded forest area of the state is 63,874 Sq. km. constituting 20.75 percent of its geographical area. A forest area of 56248.63 Sq. Km. is under the management and control of the Forest Department, 5249.13 sq. km. being in charge of the Revenue Department, about 4970 sq. km forest area is with the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra Ltd., and 495 sq. km. being private forests brought under the possession of the Forest Department. The forest cover of the state indicated increasing trend in both the 1997 and 1999 assessments of satellite data conducted by Forest Survey of India.

1.2 The broad forest types occurring in Maharashtra are Southern Tropical Semi-Evergreen Forests (5%) Southern Tropical Moist Deciduous Forests (17%), Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests (62%) and Southern Tropical Thorn Forests (16%). From functional classification point of view, there are 6 categories of forests viz. Tree Forests (36%) Minor Forests (37%) Pasture Forests (10%) Protection Forests (11%) and Miscellaneous (6%) while all forests under the Revenue Department are under Minor Forests and Pasture Category.

1.3 Forests in Maharashtra state, as also in many parts of India, are among the most important natural resources, which have played a fundamental role in supporting the livelihood of her people, mainly the poor rural masses. Historically, the forests provided the basic resources for survival and economic development. However, in recent years factors such as population increase, incidence of poverty and industrial growth, suggest that demand trends are far outstripping the forest’s natural ability to sustain these frequently conflicting needs. Even with the increased pace of plantations, the forest resource supply is not likely to meet demand. This will result into accelerated degradation of the state’s forest resource.

1.4 Forests are particularly important to the tribals. The most extensive forests of Maharashtra are located in the Central India, where the tribals constitute approximately 50 per cent of the total population of indigenous people in the country. Most of these tribal communities are poor agriculturists with small and marginal land holdings. However, due to low productive agriculture, the tribal communities mostly continue to depend on forests for their subsistence. Degradation and deforestation are, therefore, sensitive issues in the forested parts of Maharashtra as they negatively affect not only the environmental functions of forests for the society at large but also substantially affects the functions of providing fuel-wood, food and cash income.

In the traditional perspective, the forestry-poverty relationship was defined negatively through a vicious circle of low income people exploited forests for their survival and in return brought in increasing poverty for themselves and their children. The first project showed that participatory forests management represents an effective way to target and improve the livelihood and reduce poverty of the forest dependent communities through creating incentives for them to protect forests.

1.5 There is a need to organise the forest dependent communities into village level institutions recognising their own interest in protection and development of the forests. These institutions should be ideally made empowered, self-reliant and self-financing by enabling the forest dependent communities to eventually assume the responsibilities of protection and management of forests and also build up revolving funds in the process. The MFD, would then be able to act and move like a facilitator and public forestry institutions discharging strategic and regulatory functions in the State.

The overall goal of the project is Rehabilitation, maintenance & utilization of forests on sustainable basis for the community.

The development objective for the Maharashtra Natural Resource Management Project (MNRMP) is to enhance livelihood means of forest fringe communities on sustained basis through participatory natural resource management.

It is envisaged that the forest should be managed for conservation and productivity enhancement through active participation of the forest fringe poor communities in micro planning, implementation and monitoring processes aimed at forest conservation and natural resource management. The PFIs, with ever increasing realisation of the efficacy of participative forest management, would act more as facilitators than regulators, and providers of technical support.

Sharing arrangements, as per the government’s policy, would enable the communities to reap the benefits of their labour and efforts by allowing them to receive all the intermediate yields besides 50 percent share of the final forest produce from the degraded forest area and 20 % (yet to be decided by the GOM) share in case of well-stocked forest areas in charge of the forest protection committee. In view of the recent guidelines of the GOI, extension of the participative protection and management arrangements to the well-stocked forest areas in the State is under consideration of the State Government.

Out of 43,864 villages in Maharashtra State, 15,516 are forest fringe villages. The project is proposed to be implemented in about 3000 forest fringe villages distributed over 14 districts viz., Nagpur, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Amravati, Yavatmal, Nanded, Nashik, Thane, Jalgaon, Nandurbar, Bhandara, Gondia, Buldhana and Dhule. It will focus on poverty alleviation through forestry in the selected areas. The selection of village-clusters is based on extent of prevailing poverty among the forest fringe dwellers, presence of the socially disadvantageous groups like the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes etc. and existence of reasonably big tracts of forests (150ha per village) requiring management and protection. The project area described above covers both the forest areas in charge of the MFD and the FDCM. The FDCM will implement the programme in 100 to125 villages from among the total 3000 villages proposed to be tackled in the project. Besides the treatment of forestlands, the non-forest community wastelands and small/marginal private lands in the identified villages will also be treated. The help of DSF will be sought in treating these areas.

The project aims at expanding the participatory forest management arrangement in mainly the forested regions of Maharashtra inhabited with majority of the forest dependent communities facing high and growing incidence of poverty due to rapid degradation of the valuable forests.

Ø The project seeks to focus on about 7 lakh households in 3000 forest fringe villages (including hamlets) in the selected districts of Maharashtra.

Ø The project seeks to benefit mainly families living "Below Poverty Line (BPL) ", as the very selection criteria rest on selection of villages having more than 50% BPL population. It is envisaged that about 4 lakh BPL families will be benefited.

Ø As there is a natural overlap between tribal pockets and forest areas in the State of Maharashtra, the project seeks to address the need of the people belonging to Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (indigenous people). The project is expected to address about 3 lakh SC/ST families in the State.

Ø Nearly 50 % of the target population constitutes the women.

The project will be implemented over a total period of five years. The last year i.e. fifth year of the project will be the consolidation phase to enable putting in place the necessary requirements for the anticipated project benefits to flow beyond the project period in consonance with the project development objective.

The major components and activities of the project is given in the table below :

The estimated project (base) cost for the Maharashtra Natural Resource Management Project is Rs 8925.69 million for a project period of 5 years. The summary of project cost is given below:

The overall responsibility of the project will rest with the Revenue and Forest Department, Government of Maharashtra. The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, as head of the MFD, will be responsible for the over all project implementation by the Maharashtra Forest Department and the over all coordination with the Managing Director, FDCM Ltd. and the Director SFD.

5.1 Project management & implementation responsibilities

The roles and responsibilities of the various agencies involved in the project implementation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation are summarised in the table below:

A Project Coordination Unit (PCU) headed by a Conservator of Forests has been established in the office of the PCCF. He is assisted by 2 Deputy Conservator of Forests, 2 Assistant Conservator of Forests, 2 Technical Assistants (Range Forest Officers) and other support staff PCU is functioning under the control, guidance and supervision of the PCCF.

Project Coordination Unit will be responsible for planning, formulation of operational plans, budgeting, monitoring, reimbursements, liaisoning with World Bank and other Public Forestry Institutions (PFIs), supervision related works, overseeing consultancies and studies, documentation of consultancy works and procurement relating matters.

In order to provide necessary support for budgeting, processing and expediting issuance of Government resolutions relating to project works, liaisoning with the GOI etc., a ‘Project Facilitation Cell’ will be created in the Mantralaya’s Revenue and Forest Department under the control of the Principal Secretary (Forests). The cell will be headed by a Joint Secretary assisted by an Under Secretary and support staff (8) with necessary infrastructure.

Mechanisms have been set up for efficient Intersectoral coordination through formation of the following committees:

1. Project Steering Committee, headed by Principal Secretary. (Forests), with secretaries of various departments as members in place since March 2002;

2. Project Coordination Committee, headed by the PCCF, with members from various departments in place since March 2002;

3. Project Task Force, headed by the PCCF, with representatives from various line departments, NGOs, Academicians in place since Feb. 2002

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