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Assisted Natural Regeneration, Biodiversity & Livelihoods
Assisted Natural Regeneration, Biodiversity & Livelihoods
Abstract
Assisted/Aided Natural Regeneration (ANR) forms the major strategy under the National Afforestation
Plan (NAP) and externally aided forestry projects to enrich degraded forest land. However, unlike as its
name suggests and the way it is practiced in South-east Asia, ANR is often interpreted as a plantation
model in India. Review of ANR practices undertaken in Maharashtra from secondary sources and in
Orissa from primary sources reveals considerable gaps between ANR prescriptions and practices.
Ongoing ANR approaches are also not in line with the policy shifts in the forestry sector towards
participation, local livelihoods and biodiversity conservation. To bridge these gaps and to aid the process
of Joint Forest Management (JFM), a refined process to ANR planning has been developed in the Orissa
Forestry Sector Development Project (OFSDP). The step-by-step process developed through stakeholder
interactions follows a diagnostic and design approach with the involvement of the community, the Forest
Department and the non governmental organization (NGO) partner. The process relies upon use of grid-
demarcated Geographic Information System (GIS), maps, local ecological knowledge and silvicultural
prescriptions. Through different steps, eco-livelihoods characterization of the grids, collaborative logical
species prioritization matrix and grid-wise treatment plans are developed with stakeholder participation.
Concerns of livelihoods and biodiversity conservation are addressed through promotion of non timber
forest products (NTFPs) along with shrubs, tubers, herbs and climbers, and shifting focus from what-to
cut to what not to cut. This process also provides scope to formalize role of communities and NGOs in
forest planning and management.
Introduction
Degradation of forests continues to cause serious problems worldwide and deforestation
now is the second largest anthropogenic source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,
according to the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) (2009). A variety
of measures have been tried to address these problems at different levels, with varying
degrees of success, the more recent being the options around Reduced Deforestation
and Degradation (REDD). Communities around the world have also shown their
ingenuity in manipulating forests and ecological succession to reverse the process of
deforestation, evidence of which includes the ‘Slash and Char’ (Biochar/Tera preta)
system practiced by the pre-Columbian Amazonian community to recent community
forestry movements in Orissa, India (Singh, et al., 2005). Assisted or Aided Natural
Regeneration (ANR), based on principles of secondary succession and supplemented
with traditional knowledge and involvement of the local community, is an important
option employed in India and South-east Asia to rehabilitate the degraded tropical
forests through augmenting natural regeneration and enrichment plantations.
ANR technologies in South-east Asia comprise site selection, site assessment, site-
species matching, site modification such as shade opening, supplemental or enrichment
planting of appropriate species, protection and maintenance, and monitoring (Sajise,
2003).
Aspects Advantages
Economic Faster and cheaper; not necessary to establish nursery
Ecological Promotes and conserves biodiversity; maintains the
(biodiversity and local original vegetation stand and corresponding ecosystem
ecological knowledge functions; maintains the integrity of the soil and involves
perspectives) minimum soil disturbance; promotes hydrologic integrity
and biotic functions; promotes use of indigenous
knowledge (IK); helps blending of traditional knowledge
with modern scientific forestry
Unlike in the Philippines, ANR in India is treated as a tool for afforestation. It forms the
dominant component of the National Afforestation Plan (NAP), the flagship
afforestation program of the Government of India (GOI). NAP aims to support and
accelerate the ongoing process of devolving forest protection, management and
development functions to decentralized institutions of Joint Forest Management
Committee (JFMC) at the village level, and Forest Development Agency (FDA) at the
forest division level. It has covered a total area of 1.58 million ha during 2001-09 spread
over 795 FDAs at a cost of Rs. 2,675.26 crore (GOI, 2009a). ANR also forms the major
strategy for rehabilitation of forest land under externally aided forestry projects being
operated in 11 states of India at an investment of Rs. 5,577 crore (GOI, 2009b). Under
NAP and externally aided projects, ANR is primarily viewed as a plantation model with
focus on planting of a fewer number of trees (e.g., 200 plants per ha in NAP and 300
plants per ha in Orissa Forestry Sector Development Project (OFSDP)) in comparison to
other block plantation models (for example, bamboo and mixed plantations, etc., with
625-1,100 plants/ha). Provisions for soil moisture conservation works and ensuring
community participation through awareness raising and micro planning, etc., also exist
under ANR and other plantation models in NAP (GOI, 2002).
Methodology
As per the objectives, to analyze the current processes as well as to suggest approaches
for refinement of field practices, a two-fold methodology is adopted. NAP and bilateral
forestry projects being two vehicles of ANR implementation, review of the ongoing
field practices under these two different situations has been carried out. ANR field
practices under NAP have been summarized by drawing upon an unpublished
evaluation report in Maharashtra of a GOI commissioned assignment. The second
author was involved in this study carried out by SEVAK in 2008. The ANR situation in
the bilateral forestry project is summarized from experiences in Orissa with Swedish
International Development Agency (SIDA) and OFSDP. The methodology for the
second objective is participatory development of an implementable refined ANR
process through two years of regular and close interaction and analysis of the field
situations and stakeholders’ (the Forest Department, the non government organization
(NGO) and the community) perception. The authors as the project director and
consultant are instrumental in conceptualizing, designing and demonstrating the
refined approach.
Results
ANR field practices: NAP experiences in Maharashtra (SEVAK, 2008)
The ANR model was proposed to be implemented in 39 Forest Development Agencies
(FDAs), over an area of 21,495 ha, with a canopy density more than 40 percent. Of this,
12,269.50 ha was covered during 2003-06 in 32 FDAs. The study covered a sample of
795 ha of ANR area (7 percent of the total ANR area) spread in 30 villages including 13
tribal villages with an objective to gauge effectiveness of ANR in restoring forests with
cost effectiveness while fulfilling community needs.
Table 2: Status of Different Elements of ANR under NAP in the Field in Maharashtra
The study has outlined conditions for effective ANR implementations. The ideal site for
ANR is forest area with coppice root stocks and/or 300 standing trees (>30 centimeter
(cm) girth at breast height (GBH)) per ha apart from having a minimum crown density
of 40 percent. Treatment maps are to be prepared by Forest Department officials with
0.5 ha blocks laid on ground and serially numbered. The map should highlight areas
needing soil moisture conservation treatment, blocks for seed sowing and the place for
live hedge fencing. No planting is suggested in blocks having 150 or more standing
trees. Alignment of pits is to be done at 7 x 7 meter (m) for blocks having 100-149
standing trees over 30 cm GBH and at 5 x 5 m for blocks with less than 100 standing
trees having GBH above 30 cm. Silvicultural operations like cleaning of brush wood,
dressing of old stools, coppicing of root stock, and singling and alignment for planting
are be done in January-February. Seed sowing in bushes is to be adopted in the blocks
with less than 30 standing trees.
The team and materials: The project has delineated a working group comprising
members of the VSS, the Forest Department, the partner NGO of the project and local
resource persons (OFSDP, 2007b). Eight members of this working group along with
partner NGO team members and Member Secretary (Forester) will form two teams of
five members each to develop ANR treatment. They will take about two days to survey
the forest area of an average 80 ha (divided into 20 four-ha grids) allotted to each VSS
under JFM. The materials required include grid-demarcated GIS (land use and forest)
maps of the site, forest-PRA outputs of the micro plan of the VSS, 30 m tape and/or
Günter chain and a simple compass.
Step 1 (area diagnosis): The first step is about comprehensive diagnosis of the forest area
to be treated through the use of grid-marked (4 ha grids of 200 m X 200 m size) GIS
maps, multi-stakeholder grid transact walks and use of silvicultural and community
knowledge. Each grid is allocated with a unique identity (rows are numbered
alphabetically and columns with Arabic numbers) as per its location in the matrix. In
this step, the teams take transact walks along the marked grid lines (Figure 1) to assess
and characterize each grid in terms of its canopy density, ecological status, livelihoods
potential, important species in different storeys and dominant age group. The team also
suggests tending and soil conservation measures for each grid as per its observation. All
this information is recorded in a tabular format. (Format 1).
Format 1: Eco-livelihood Description of the Grids
Sl Densi Ecologic Livelih Importa Domina Suggest Status SMC
No ty (> al Status ood nt nt age ed of measur
of 70%, or Type Potenti species group Tendin Soil es
the 40-70 of al (menti (Young g Erosi suggest
Grid %, Forest/ (rich, on at –below Operati on ed
s 10-40 Plantati mediu least 2 pole or ons (shee (trench
(Mar %, on m, import bearing includi t, ing,
k <10% poor, ant stage or ng rills, gully
this ) very species old) Specific gullie plug
sl no poor) under Treatm s, etc.)
in each ent for ravin
the categor Bambo es
copy y of o etc.)
of tree,
the climber
GIS , shrub,
map) herb
and
tuber,
etc.)
5
D5
A5 B5 C5 E5 F5 G5
G4
B4
A4 C4 D4 E4 F4
A3 B3 C3 D3 E3 F3
Step 2 (species choice): The next step involves deciding about species (trees, liana,
shrubs, herbs, climbers, tubers) to be augmented in different grids G3
as per rational
D2 E2 G2
A2 B2 C2
F2
B1
A B C D E F G
stakeholder choice (weighted scoring matrix) made through use of local ecological
knowledge and species silviculture. In the species matrix (Format 2), the first column
for species is filled up by writing down the important species recorded for grids in step
1 under appropriate sub-heads like trees, shrubs and climbers, etc., and avoiding
repetition. Any other species suggested by the community, NGO or the Forest
Department representative is also added. Then the team members consult among
themselves to list out key desirable characteristics (for example, fast growing, food,
medicine, easy to sell, etc.) they expect of these species in the first row and then
attribute weights (0-5 scale) to these characters in the next row as per their perceived
importance in the team. Subsequently, they debate among themselves regarding the
score (0-5 or 0-10) to be allotted to each species for each characteristic and continue
filling the table. The column under total weighted score is filled by summing up the
weighted scores (score of one species for a particular character is multiplied with the
weight of that character). Accordingly, species are ranked under each sub-head and
stakeholders jointly agree upon the cut-off rank up to which species will be selected.
This table forms the basis of species selection and helps avoiding biases and impositions.
The listing of candidate species helps the working group to plan its seed collection in
advance and silvicultural information about the species, if required.
SHRUBS
CLIMBERS
Step 3 (Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) of species): In this step, the selected species
are described in terms of their livelihood uses, regeneration potential and LEK (Format
3). This information helps to compliment/supplement the available/silvicultural
knowledge about the selected species and therefore facilitates nursery/tending
operations.
Step 4 (treatment plan): In the fourth and last step, the treatment plan (Format 4) for all
grids is finalized as per the requirement of species retention/augmentation (through
seeding/transplanting of seedling/wildlings), tending operations (cleaning, weeding,
singling, thinning, stool cleaning, etc., specific treatment measures for bamboo stock
augmentation as per requirement) and soil moisture conservation (SMC) measures
(trenching/bunding/gully control as per the erosion types). This format is filled up by
the team with reference to the information already tabulated in previous formats.
While deciding about the treatments, retaining given importance over planting, seed
sowing/wilding are preferred over planting of seedlings; herbs, shrubs, tubers and
climbers are accorded equal importance as tree species; NTFPs preferred over timbers
and what not to cut over what to cut. Under soil conservation measures, principles of
ridge to valley treatments are followed along with preference for biological or bio-
mechanical measures.
Conclusion
References