Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has distributed titles for community forest resource rights to 10 villages in core and buffer areas of two tiger reserves under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.
- Community forest resources include traditional grazing grounds; areas for collection of roots, tubers, fodder, wild edible fruits and minor forest produce, sources of water for human or livestock use; medicinal plant collection territories of herbal practitioners.
- Mr. Baghel gave the titles to five gram sabhas each of Achanakmar Tiger Reserve and Sitanadi-Udanti Tiger Reserve respectively. The gram sabhas whose rights have been recognised in Achanakmar Tiger Reserve fall under Mungeli district.
- Of these, 4 villages are situated in the core area, while 1 falls under the buffer area.
- Similarly, community forest resource rights have been jointly recognised in three gram sabhas of Sitanadi Tiger Reserve, along with two in the buffer area of the Udanti part of the Sitanadi-Udanti Tiger Reserve, in Gariaband district.
- The recognition of rights in tiger reserves was a long-time demand of villagers residing in the core zone.
What is community forest resource area?
- The community forest resource area is the common forest land that has been traditionally protected and conserved for sustainable use by a particular community.
- It may include forest of any category – revenue forest, classified & unclassified forest, deemed forest, DLC land, reserve forest, protected forest, sanctuary and national parks etc.
CFR rights under FRA 2006
- CFR rights under section 3(1)(i) of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006 — commonly known as Forest Rights Act or FRA — provides for the recognition of the rights to “protect, regenerate or conserve or manage” the community forest resource.
- The FRA provides for Community Rights (CRs) and CFR rights recognition in all forest lands, including wildlife sanctuaries, tiger reserves and national parks.
- This right allows the community to formulate rules for forest use by itself and others, and thereby discharge its responsibilities under section 5 of the FRA.
- CFR rights, along with Community Rights (CRs) under sections 3(1)(b) and 3(1)(c) are aimed at ensuring sustainable livelihoods of the community.
Undoing Historic Injustice
- The FRA, which came into force in 2008, aimed at undoing the “historic injustice” meted out to forest-dependent communities due to curtailment of their customary rights over forests.
