Background

Uttarakhand Forest Resource Management Project (UFRMP), funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), aims at addressing the problem of forest degradation. The project is being implemented in Society mode. A society by the name Uttarakhand Forest Resource Management Society (UFRMS) has been registered under Society Registration Act 1860 with the Registrar of Societies, Uttarakhand.

The project aims at ecological restoration, improving livelihood of the people, creating income opportunities, and ensuring community development activities.

Under the project, 13 forest divisions and 37 forest ranges have been selected to address forest degradation in 750 Van Panchayats (VPs). The 13 forest divisions are: Alakhnanda Soil conservation, Civil Soyam (Pauri), Tehri Dam I, Narendra Nagar, Lansdowne Soil, Ramnagar Soil, Ranikhet Soil, Civil Soyam (Almora), Nainital Soil, Bageshwar, Champawat, Pithoragarh and Mussoorie Forest Division.

Besides, a component of Disaster Management has been added in the project. The natural catastrophic disaster in Uttarakhand in June 2013 had led to massive slope failures (sediment disaster) and damaged roads in forest areas. Forest department personnel, posted in remote areas of the State, where presence of other departments is less, nay negligible, can play a very crucial role in combatting such natural calamities effectively and in a timely manner.

The component addresses treatment of landslides, reconstruction of damaged forest roads in disaster affected forest areas, developing a good infrastructure and capacity building of forest personnel. The disaster related works have been implemented in adversely affected areas like Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Bageshwar and Pithoragarh districts.

Objective

UFRMP project aims at addressing the problem of forest degradation in the identified forest fringe areas of the State. The project would be implemented by Forest Van Panchayats (VPs), which are community-based organizations in forestry sector, ensuring their capacity development in the process.

The project aims at controlling forest degradation, improvement of livelihood options and income generating activities of the people living in the target area, thereby, reducing their dependence on forests.