Working with Village Groups

This article is the third part of a Working Paper concerned with management of the Shivalik Hill system (which extends from Nepal to Pakistan at the base of the Himalayas). This article describes collaboration between the Government Forest Department and the Hill Resource Management Societies (HRMS). A case study is made of a Joint Management Agreement in Godam village. Five days of village meetings were conducted during which the Bhanjida households were identified as the main users of the forests for material to make bamboo baskets. The discussions took the form of conflict resolution between the Bhajidas and other members of the village. It was recognised that special attention needed to be paid to the participation of women in forest management. A second case study is given describing the forging of a Joint Management Agreement in Prempura where conflict existed between users of bhabbar and fodder grasses.