Roots of Renewal

Many believe our modern lives are more advanced than ever, bringing comfort and discovery. Yet, much of this progress has come at the cost of nature—forests, rivers, air, soil, and biodiversity have all suffered. Despite global promises, we continue drifting from the purity of Mother Earth. Unlike our ancestors, who lived in harmony with nature, today’s food systems pollute it, creating a vicious cycle—chemicals fed into the earth return through our food. Massive deforestation for agriculture has devastated ecosystems. While food production has increased, its benefits remain unequal, deepening poverty, injustice, and inequality—this is the paradox of modern civilisation.

We justify deforestation as inevitable for development, but have we achieved sustainable progress through these actions? The answer, largely, is no.

The story of nature and wildlife conservation in India, particularly in West Bengal, presents a brighter picture compared to many states in India and also so-called "developed" and industrially grown up countries in the world. India’s ancient lifestyle, rooted in harmony with nature, has survived through a long and an extended legacy. Unlike many countries that have left this heritage behind in favor of concrete and silicon-based modernity, India continues to embrace its connection to nature. The country has made concerted efforts to maintain its natural resources through numerous schemes, projects, and models. Nonetheless, the aspirations of the people largely remain unfulfilled.

People are the central force behind all growth-oriented activities. Wherever people are able to actively participate freely and fairly, the chances of sustainable utilisation of resources are much higher. Furthermore, such efforts are typically eco-friendly and pro-environmental. A shining example of this is the conservation initiative that took place in West Bengal in the year 1972 when the state faced an acute challenge to its forest resources. The visionary like Shri Ajit Kumar Banerjee, along with others devoted foresters, initiated the “Arabari Experiment” (at a place in Paschim Midnapur district), which primarily focused on local community involvement in forest conservation. This project has encouraged local forest-dependent people to cooperate with the mission of conserving the forests and wildlife.

In recognition of the success of the Arabari Experiment, the Government of West Bengal had issued its first notification for forest protection through Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) in 1987, followed by a detailed JFMC Resolution in 1990. In the years that followed, additional government resolutions supported the growth of the JFMC model. In the year 1993, the Forest Department of West Bengal received the prestigious Paul Getty Award (commonly known as the Green Nobel Peace Prize) for its unbelievable contributions to forest and wildlife conservation with the active participation of the JFMCs.

The Arabari Experiment was grounded in democratic methods, and ensured equal treatment of both male and female members of the community. In West Bengal, the creation of Joint Forest Management Committees has helped to ensure the communities directly participating in the decision-making processes in the forest protection and resource conservation. Over time, this approach led to the involvement of 4,465 JFMCs, with over 5,35,000 families, including significant numbers belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities. The JFM Committees have improved the degraded forests and created many thousands hectares of new forest cover across challenging terrain. These committees have been successful in conserving over 6,38,589 hectares of forest in West Bengal, with families actively engaged in protecting the forests and wildlife in their localities.

Presently, over 80 per cent of the forest cover in West Bengal has been under the domain of JFMCs’ participatory management. If we compare this with the Indian scenario, it is much higher than the national average. The JFMC Coverage in India, according to the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2021, is about 8,09,537 sq. km, which is approximately 24.62 per cent of the country’s geographical area. As per recent estimates, there are over 1.35 lakh JFMCs in India. These JFMCs are estimated to be managing around 3.0 crore hectares of forest area (i.e., 30 million hectares). Given that 1 sq. km = 100 hectares, this translates to 3, 00,000 sq. km under JFMC management. Therefore, it is estimated that JFMCs manage about 37 per cent of India’s forest area along with forest department.

In the JFMC, each family was given a joint membership, ensuring equal participation. The formation of these committees involved consultations with local panchayats, and executive committees were established, including elected representatives and forest officials. The representation of SC, ST, and women was ensured in these committees, with at least one-third of the members being women and a minimum of one of the top three positions (President, Vice President, Treasurer) being held by a woman. This model has been found to be more democratic in its functioning.

The Joint Forest Management model has eased the burden on forest managers, reduced legal disputes, and lessened the need for police and intervention of other law enforcement agencies. By shifting from punitive enforcement to community participation, many regions have seen lasting peace and prosperity. States like West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh have adopted revenue-sharing models from forestry operations, and effectively curbed deforestation, grazing, fires and other forests offences. This has helped restore degraded forests and revive wildlife populations. JFMCs also play a key role in soil moisture conservation, improving soil health, reducing forest offences, managing human-wildlife conflicts, and supporting grassroots forest patrolling along with forest personnel.

Between 2011 and 2023, the government of West Bengal distributed an approximate of Rs 447.4 crore as revenue share through forestry operation to the JFMC beneficiaries. Additionally, the department also shares numerous forest resources such as Sal leaves (for Sal leaf plate making) tree barks, bamboo, medicinal plants, mushrooms, and other non-timber forest products with them. The local communities were granted access to firewood and other forest resources free of charge. The government also shared up to 40 per cent of its revenue from ecotourism with the JFMCs. In this process, the Forest Department, Government of West Bengal, played a huge role in resource sharing, employment generation, and poverty alleviation in forest fringe villages.

The forest-dependent communities have also benefited from a cleaner, greener environment, which many urban areas, plagued by pollution, can only dream of. In addition to the tangible benefits of forest resources, there were numerous environmental improvements, such as groundwater enrichment, improved crop protection, and soil fertility—all of which contributed to an increased agricultural income in the years to come.

However, like all innovations, the JFMC model has reached a point of stagnation. While, over the past five decades, the initiative has produced remarkable results, it is clear that further strengthening and scaling of the JFMCs is imperative to continue the progress. Expanding this model to implement it on a larger scale will ensure that efforts toward forest and wildlife conservation are sustained and that more people are involved in this crucial conservation mission.

Conclusively, the journey of Joint Forest Management Committees reflects the power of people when united with purpose. Rooted in India’s age-old wisdom and sustained by democratic values, the JFMC model has revived forests, empowered communities, and safeguarded biodiversity. But the path ahead demands fresh energy and innovation. To preserve our fragile ecosystems, we must scale up this participatory approach, making it more inclusive, dynamic, and future-ready. True conservation lies not just in protecting forests, but in nurturing the bond between people and nature. Strengthening this bond is not just ecological action—it is a step toward a fairer, greener society for all.

The writer is Chief Conservator of Forests, Government of West Bengal. Views expressed are personal. Views expressed are personal