TARGET AREA SELECTION

The primary criteria for selection of VanPanchayats for assigning treatment areas are:

  •    The VP must be in the priority ranges of the project.
  •    The VP should have an elected body.
  •    The VP should have given consent to participate in the project.
  •    There should not be any similar on-going intervention.

VPs qualifying as per above criteria are further evaluated for their past performance, extent of forest degradation in the vicinity, possibility of cluster formation and target group population (socially/economically weaker sections such as BPL, ST and SC population).

GIS technology is adopted for carrying out spatial analysis of forest cover in proximity to each Van Panchayat. The technology also provides unique visualization support to study potential for cluster formation. The VPs are then assigned a score based on different parameters and arranged in descending order. The top scoring 10-20 VPs in each range, totaling 150 VPs were then selected in the 1st recommendation, to be treated, subject to further reconnaissance. A list of additional VPs is selected as stand by to fill the gaps created, by discarding VPs during reconnaissance.

Van Panchayats in the selected ranges with less than 10 years of experience in managing forests (i.e., constituted after year 2005), and having less than 20 ha area under their management (VP area < 20 ha), were flagged. Rest of the VPs were considered to have fairly good experience in managing VP forests both in terms of area as well as years of experience.

Division Range Division Range
AserSimli Range Gagas Range
Alaknanda SC Attagad Range Ranikhet SC Gairsain Range
Tharali Range Chanthria Range
Gananath Range Tehri Dam-1 Dharkot Range
Almora C&S Jageshwar Range Nailchami Range
Kosi Range Kapkot Range
Mukteshwar Range Bageshwar Dharamgarh Range
Nanital SC Okhalkanda Range Bageshwar Range
Ramgarh Range Lohaghat Range
Pabo Range Champawat Bhingrara Range
Pauri C& S Pauri Range Devi Dhura Range
Satpuli Range Narendranagar Maniknath Range
Chalusain Range Saklana Range
Lansdowne Jaiharikhal Range Pithoragarh Range
Matiyali Range Pithoragarh Didihat Range
Ringlana Range Gangolihat Range
Ramnagar SC Nainidanda Range Mussoorie Mussoorie Range
Dhumakot Range Raipur Range