In the last few decades, there has been a global consensus to promote and support community stewardship for the sustainable management of ecosystems and natural resources found within.
This was further reinforced with adoption of ‘other effective area-based conservation measures’ (OECMs) as a category to incorporate all conservation efforts of local and indigenous communities in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP14 in 2018.
Considering the current global discourse, the Arunachal Pradesh government’s initiative to publish ‘Guidelines for the Recognition of Community Conserved Areas (CCAs) in the State of Arunachal Pradesh 2024’ for public comments and suggestions is a proactive and visionary step.
Arunachal Pradesh has nearly 62% of its total forest cover, which accounts for nearly 6% of total forest cover of India, under traditional jurisdiction of local tribal communities. Strengthening their active engagement in managing this biodiversity rich area is extremely important.
In the current guideline most of the provisions which were drafted in the year 2013 have been incorporated. However, to achieve the stated objectives of this guidelines, certain follow up steps by the state government are required.
To ensure legal protection of the status of the area recognised as CCA its objectives from any future internal or external pressure, the guidelines need to be backed by suitable legal provisions. One possible way is through amendments in the Arunachal Pradesh Anchal and Village Forest Reserve (Constitution and Maintenance) Act, 1975, as amended in 1984.
In the Clause 6(1) and 6(2)(a) to (e) of the principal act, there is provision for the government to make rules for the management of Village Forest and Anchal Forest which can be used to provide legal obligation to the CCA Guidelines.
However, there will be a need for amendment of Clause 5 of the principal act and Clause 7 of the act amended in 1984 to allow communities to retain the revenue generated, instead of sharing with the government, to incentivise them to adopt and follow the CCA approach for managing natural resources.
To mobilise and support local communities and institutions to demarcate and manage CCA, the availability of the financial resources will be very critical.
According to Finance Accounts certified by the CAG of India, for the financial years 2019-20 to 2023-24, the state has received Rs.2965.81 crore-Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) fund, which includes Rs.254.17 crore interest that has been credited.
Of the total available fund, only around 27% have been utilised and Rs. 2162.40 crore was unspent by end of 2024. As per Section 3 of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Rules 2018, adopted by the state, there is provision for financial support from the CAMPA fund to the Gram Sabha or Village Forest Management Committee for activities related to the conservation of natural resources. This provision can utilise the available CAMPA funds to support CCAs in the state.
In the draft CCA guidelines shared by the state government for public comment, 25 hectares has been mentioned as the minimum area for a CCA to be eligible for recognition. This needs to be revisited as a state with more than 40,00,000 hectares of forest area under customary jurisdiction of nearly 12 lakh rural population, the state government should encourage and facilitate local villagers to manage bigger contiguous space as CCAs.
Small and isolated islands of CCAs will have serious limitations in achieving any long-term conservation and community well-being objectives and are also vulnerable to any kind of pressure and threat originating in the adjoining areas.
In small areas, it is not feasible to adopt any sustainable harvesting protocol for the use of forest resources for both subsistence and commercial purposes which is critical to provide conservation linked economic benefits to the local communities.
In the Thembang village of West Kameng district, villagers have demarcated the first CCA of the state and are managing 632 sq.km village area as Thembang Bapu CCA.
If there are villages that do not have a big enough area of their own, then villages with adjoining areas can come together to secure a bigger contiguous space as CCA.
This has been demonstrated effectively by the villagers of Lumpo and Muchat villages of Tawang district who came together to manage the 98 sq.km area as Pangcnhen Lumpo Muchat CCA since 2007, the second CCA of the state.
A smaller area should qualify to be notified and managed as CCA, only if it is supporting any critical biodiversity or extending important ecological services as has been demonstrated successfully in Egam Basar – Project Nature in Leparada district in which an important water shade has been revived and secured by members from the local community.
A CCA guideline with legal obligation and secured financial resources with clear strategy to ensure ecological and economic security of local communities will also provide an opportunity to the state to contribute towards India’s commitment to the 30X30 Target agreed in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) in CBD COP15 held in 2022.
As a part of this, it is agreed to conserve 30 percent of the planet by 2030 by without compromising rights of local indigenous and local communities. In the year 2021 State Government has notified ‘Pakke Tiger Reserve 2047 Declaration on Climate Change Resilient and Responsive Arunachal Pradesh’ to contribute towards India’s commitment to the CoP-26 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Robust and sustainably managed CCAs in the state will also contribute towards at least five strategies under three themes (Strategy number 10, 11, 14, 52 and 70 under Theme I, IV and V) of the Pakke Declaration.
Necessary steps related to the above-mentioned follow-up by the state government will not only help in attaining the objectives stated in the CCA guidelines and contribute towards India’s commitment to the international community but will also set an example for others to follow.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of author. The author is Faculty at Azim Premji University, Bengaluru.
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