Forest Rehabilitation

Summary

Though it may seem very utilitarian a view, forests and other commons need to be maintained for the ecological functions they serve, services they provide, the biodiversity they harbour, and to mitigate the harmful effects of greenhouse gases. In more direct terms, we must sustain our forests to sustain our agriculture and water requirements. Developmental efforts to improve a given area, often administered by different arms of the government, tend to be fragmented or piecemeal and at times even work at cross-purposes, giving rise to further complexities. Regimes of conservation and use of forests, grazing lands, and water bodies therefore call for umbrella institutional arrangements that span across habitation and administrative domains, and are sensitive to customary means of use and access.