Detailed description of project

Himachal Pradesh has a population of 5.1 million, of which 91% live in rural areas and 25% are scheduled castes without equal access to forest land and resources.  Population growth has resulted in increasing pressure on the limited land available for agriculture, hence forests are used as the principal source of grazing, fuelwood and fodder, especially among the poorest, as well as for timber through timber distribution rights. Women and poorer scheduled castes are particularly vulnerable as, with little or no land of their own, the majority depend on forests for their survival. The HPFP, which ran from 1994 to 2001, promoted changed ways of working by forestry departments and the formation and empowerment of village-level institutions. The design and outputs of this second (and exit) phase reflect and have been built upon the lessons learnt and insights gained during the first phase, particularly the lack of sustainable institutional change, lack of sustainable livelihood improvements for beneficiaries and insufficient targeting of the poorest groups. The Forest Sector Review (FSR), a multi-stakeholder, multi-disciplinary review, funded by DFID and conducted in collaboration with the HP Forest Department and with the active participation of all major stakeholder groups, has also had a major influence on the focus on the HPFSRP.

Type of services provided

The purpose of the project is to establish and implement an integrated and cost effective strategy for sustainable forest management and enhanced livelihoods of the poorest forest-dependent communities in Himachal Pradesh. This will be achieved through the following project components:

·     Developing a multi-stakeholder forest sector policy and strategy for Himachal Pradesh;

·     Strengthening government and non-government institutions, especially Himachal Pradesh Forestry Department, to enable them to provide integrated livelihood support mechanism;

·     Developing a cost effective model for empowering and supporting the poorest forest-dependent women and men to strengthen their own livelihoods;

·     The dissemination of project experience and lessons through reports, process documentation, workshops and networks. 

Gallery*