Verdant green meadows and wide valleys set against imposing snow-clad mountains; limpid lakes, torrential rivers and gushing streams; fruit laden orchards and gentle terraces of corn and tea all characterize this state.

The Forests of Himachal Pradesh known for their grandeur and majesty are like a green pearl in the Himalayan crown. This life supporting systems are presently under great stress due to impact of modern civilization, economic development and growth in human and cattle population. According to national Forest Policy, 1988, atleast two third i. e 66% of the geographical area should be under forest in the hilly states like Himachal Pradesh. However, keeping in view that about 20 % of the area is inaccessible and beyond the tree limit, the State Government aims to bring 50% of the geographical area under forest cover.

The forests of Himachal Pradesh are rich in vascular flora, which forms the conspicuous vegetation cover. Out of total 45,000 species of plants found in the country as many as 3,295 species (7.32%) are reported in the State. More than 95% of species are endemic to Himachal and characteristic of Western Himalayan flora, while about 5% (150 species) are exotic introduced over the last 150 years.

GOVERNMENT POLICIES & CONCERNS

According to the Govt. policies, at present the forests are not being looked as a source of revenue and sustained supply of raw material. Rather, the emphasis now is on protection and conservation of forests, environment and wild life. The removals from forests are, therefore, limited to removal of dead, diseased, decaying trees and salvage lots and removals for meeting the bonafide requirements of the local people.

The Environment Policy formulated by the Govt. of HImachal Pradesh states: H.P. Govt. shall help to promote the development of an economically and environmentally sound eco-system while endeavouring to improve the living standards of the people of the State.

The Govt. is concious of the intrinsic value of the environment and of the ecological, genetic, social, economic, scientific, educational, cultural, recreational and aesthetic values thereof. Further, it realises the importance of environment for evolution and for maintaining life sustaining systems.

The Govt. of H.P. expresses its resolve to conserve and enhance the environment and follow a policy of sustainable development. Being aware of its central role in forging and directing the development on a sustainable matrix, it calls upon people, Panchayati Raj and local bodies, institutions and organs of the State for extending their full co-operation in this effort.

Main areas of environmental concern:
i. Inaccessibility
ii. Fragility
iii. Marginality iv. Diversity
v. Hostile climate and
vi. Scattered population and small agricultural holdings



CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS

HP is a comparatively wealthy state, yet 25 per cent of its people live below the poverty line and there are big disparities in wealth within and between rural communities. Whilst figures for livelihood dependence on forest goods and services are weak, there is little doubt that dependence is very high amongst poor people in many areas.

Researching this issue further, we find that the poor people often rely heavily on forest goods and services. This research explores how policy has influenced, and not influenced, the relationship between poor people and the environment, and how in future policy might increase its influence for the better, in Himachal Pradesh. The focus is on five major policy arenas: Panchayati Raj institutions, timber distribution rights, joint forest management, nomadic graziers and medicinal plants. It highlights that though these arenas are messy, evidence from changes over time

suggest that there are ways of linking sound information and experience to well-wielded policy argument and key political moments to hasten change in the right direction for forest-linked livelihoods.

Despite this apparently despotic control by the Forest Department of two thirds of Himachal’s land, villagers’ present access to forest lands and development of forest goods and services is mediated by a complex web of rights, notifications, legislation, management arrangements, institutional influences and markets. Local government is becoming an increasingly important influence on forest-linked livelihoods. Himachal has been ahead of many other states in promoting Panchayati Raj Institutions, but the Forest Department has been a laggard department in transferring powers to them.

An enduring issue for forests and livelihoods in HP is nomadic grazing on forest land. Large numbers of herders and livestock move across particular routes covering quite a large proportion of the state. Contrary to the notion of unregulated herder use of grazing resources, access may be regulated by kin networks, labour, wealth and grazing systems recognised since the mid 19th century. Furthermore, researchers have pointed to the multiple causality and resulting uncertainty with regard to ecological phenomena in the Himalaya, which is rarely acknowledged within the Forest Department’s policy documents.

Himachal hosts a rich resource of medicinal plants: more than 900 of its species of higher plants are thought to be of medicinal benefit, of which about 34 are traded. In the past few years demand for herbal
medicine has increased tremendously, putting great pressure on natural sources and leading to unsustainable extraction. Lack of infrastructure, market information, poverty, indebtedness and poor
bargaining power of unorganised, and often very poor, collectors has led to their exploitation by middlemen.

There is clearly a need to move towards sustainable use of medicinal plants, but there is a tension between two approaches: cultivation and in situ conservation. The belief that ex situ cultivation would lessen pressure on the wild ignores the fact that wild collections are a livelihood activity and a significant source of cash income, and will remain so until alternative livelihood opportunities are provided to poor people who depend on such extraction. It is not clear whether or how commercial cultivation would provide benefits to the traditional, skilled, knowledgeable collectors of wild plants. Furthermore, the efficacy of the raw drugs and the survival of the plants depend on very specific ecological conditions.

The Forest Department’s extensive formal territorial control is both a curse and an opportunity for policy which can improve forest-linked livelihoods. A curse – the legacy of command and control policy geared to environmental protection which can barely be sustained and results in impoverishment for many. An opportunity – for those who can push through new approaches. Policy stories and rumour in the corridors of power are fundamental to the current policy process.

Stories are wielded by individuals – although they may require years of re-telling. Some fast-tracking is possible through: catalytic field projects with political kudos attached; targeted use of literature; and experience exchanges (and the channelling of the resentments of those not involved into something constructive!).

There are no easy answers in intractable policy arguments. But the actions of those using the forests, and the opinions and stories of district and state level protagonists in policies and institutions, help us to see the nature of their strengths and problems, and to see how these problems might be amenable to change.