Activities - Social Forestry

Forest & Environment Department
Government of Meghalaya

Social Forestry in Meghalaya

Genesis of Social Forestry & Environment Wing

The post of Conservator of Forests, Social Forestry Circle was created in the year 1981-82 whose jurisdiction encompasses the whole State of Meghalaya. The Govt of Meghalaya renamed Forest Dept as the Forest & Environment Department in the year 1991 and transferred Environment Planning Cell from Urban Affairs Department on 15^th March, 1991. The post of Conservator of Forests Social forestry Circle was redesignated as the Conservator of Forests Social Forestry and Environment Meghalaya. The post of Chief Conservator of Forests Social Forestry and Environment was created in the year 1993. The creation of the post of Officer on Special Duty Conservator of Forests level for Garo Hills in the year 2002 led to bifurcation of Social Forestry Circle into 2(two) i.e. Khasi and Jaintia Hills Social Forestry Divisions and Garo Hills Social Forestry Divisions.

Objective of Social Forestry & Environment Wing

Afforestation outside the conventional forest area for the benefit of rural and urban communities. The main objective is to :-

(i) Improve the environment for protecting agriculture from adverse climatic factors,

(ii) Increase the supply of fuel wood for domestic use, small timber for rural housing, fodder for livestock, and minor forest produce for local industries,

(iii) Increase the natural beauty of the landscape; create recreational forests for the benefit of rural and urban population,

(iv) Provide jobs for unskilled workers and

(v) Reclaim wastelands. Finally, its object is to raise the standard of living and quality of life of the rural and urban people.

Mission

To carry out a need based and time bound programme of afforestation with special emphasis on fuel wood and fodder development on all degraded and denuded lands/forests.
Afforestation of abandoned jhum lands and mined areas.
Linear strip plantation of fast growing species on sides of public roads, rivers, streams and irrigation canals.
Afforestation on unutilized lands under State/Corporate, institutional or private ownership.
Green belts in urban/industrial areas.
Shelter belt (generally more extensive than the wind breaks) for the purpose of shelter from wind and sun covering areas larger than a single farm on a planned pattern.
Farm forestry in the form of raising rows of trees on bund or boundaries of fields and individual trees in private agricultural land as well as creation of wind breaks round a farm or orchard by raising one or two lines of trees.
Raise flowering trees and shrubs mainly to serve as recreation forests for the urban and rural population.
Elicit people’s participation involving women and young people in conservation of forests, wildlife and environment.
Environmental awareness generation and celebration of vanamahotsava, environment day, wildlife week etc.

The Social Forestry & Environment Wing looks after the plantations raised on lands which are outside Government Reserved Forest, National Parks and Sanctuaries. Since 1980, the circle has been engaging in afforestation works in clan and community owned lands throughout the State under the State Plan schemes and the Centrally Sponsored schemes. The lands are temporarily taken over by the Forest Department for a period of 10(ten) years under an agreement with the land owners and the Department is expected to hand over the land back to the land owners along with a working scheme which would indicate the felling regime to be mutually executed by the State Forest Department and the land owners.

The Social Forestry & Environment Wing have raised plantations as follows :

Year	Area in hectares
1980-81	785
1981-82	1036
1982-83	1481
1983-84	1155
1984-85	1197
1985-86	2768
1986-87	4603
1987-88	7311
1988-89	13,168
1989-90	10,173
1990-91	6650
1991-92	8871
1992-93	4585
1993-94	9999
1994-95	6825
1995-96	2375
1996-97	1993
1997-98	75
1998-99	461
1999-2000	338
2000-2001	2080
2001-2002	810
2002-2003	1629
2003-2004	-
2004-2005	-
2005-2006	-
Total	90,368

List of species for social forestry plantations

Timber	Khasi pine, Birch, Titachap, Gamari, Poma, Sal, Makri sal, Kokon etc.
Fuelwood	Khasi pine, Alder, Oak, Wattle etc.
Fruit	Jackfruit, Mango, Baelfruit, Amla, Guava, Myrica, Prunus, Moringa, Tamarind, etc.
Fodder	Jackfruit, Gamari, Bauhinia, Broomstick grass, bamboo
Avenue/roadside	Silver oak, Gulmohar, Amalthus, Cassia spp., Cryptomeria, Acacias
Medicinal	Bohera, Rauwolfia, Amla, Tamarind, Dalchini, Tezpatta, Black pepper, Neem, Taxus, Tulsi, Hollarhena, Solanum, Vinca rosea, Adhatoda vasica, Clerodendron, etc.

Schemes

The Social Forestry & Environment Wing have been implementing the following schemes under the State Plan during the year 2002-03 to 2005-06.

2002-03

Sl. No	Budget Head	Amount Allocation	Amount Utilized
1	2406-01-Forestry & Wildlife-003-Mass Education General Plan	1,00,000.00	1,00,000.00
2	102-04-Social Forestry Forest Nurseries General Plan	9,00,000.00	7,64,401.00
3	800-Other Expenditure (02) Ecology & Environmental General Plan	10,00,000.00	5,76,344.00
4	102-Social Forestry & Farm Forestry(01) Sixth Schedule	8,00,000.00	4,90,745.00
5	102-(02)-Environmental Forestry (24) MW Sixth Schedule	8,00,000.00	8,29,325.00
6	03-Recreation Forestry (02) Wages Sixth Schedule	6,00,000.00	5,07,168.00
7	102-(04)-Social Forestry	1,20,00,000.00	1,68,74,257.00
8	Ecological Restoration of Cherrapunjee	5,00,000.00	4,99,920.00
9	800-Other Expenditure (02) Ecology & Environment Sixth Schedule	45,00,000.00	27,89,713.00

2003-04

Sl. No	Budget Head	Amount Allocation	Amount Utilized
1	Forestry Nursery	3,57,710.00	3,42,900.00
2	Environmental Forestry	12,80,575.00	12,79,815.00
3	Recreation Forestry	5,38,600.00	5,52,100.00
4	Social Forestry	1,61,41,540.00	1,58,18,607.00
5	Ecological Restoration of Cherrapunjee	4,99,728.00	4,99,643.00
6	Environment and ecology	25,25,925.00	25,10,193.00
7	Ward’s Lake	4,00,000.00	4,00,000.00
8	Environmental and Ecology G.P.	6,63,072.00	5,46,117.00
9	Social Forestry General Plan	10,50,000.00	10,14,962.00
10	Mass Education General Plan	50,000.00	50,020.00

2004-05

Sl. No	Budget Head	Amount Allocation	Amount Utilized
1	2406-01-102-Forest Nurseries	4,00,000.00	Rs.20,000/- transfer from 102(01)Forest Nurseries to 102(02) Environmental Forestry
2	2406-01-102(020 Environmental Forestry	8,00,000.00	11,52,870.00
3	Recreation Forestry	3,00,000.00	8,57,371.00
4	Social Forestry	1,10,22,000.00	1,81,91,914.00
5	Ecological Sohra Restoration Project	5,00,000.00	5,99,000.00
6	Environment & Ecology Sixth Schedule	44,00,000.00	29,25,845.00
7	Ward’s Lake Establishment	4,00,000.00	5,00,000.00
8	Mass Education	50,000.00	50,000.00

2005-06

Sl. No	Budget Head	Amount Allocation	Amount Utilized Upto 31^st March 2006
1	2406-102(01) Forest Nurseries	10,00,000.00	4,99,863.00
2	2406-02-102(02) Environmental Forestry	13,00,000.00	12,06,200.00
3	2406-02-(02)(030 Recreational Forestry	8,50,000.00	8,50,000.00
4	2406 – 02 -102 - (04) – Social Forestry – General Plan	15 ,00,000.00