CFR Management Plan Template prepared by ATREE & TISS

The Community Forest Resource (CFR) rights provision of the Forest Rights Act 2006 (FRA), recognizes the communities’ rights to protect, regenerate, conserve and manage forest resources under Section 3 (1) (i). Once communities have received such CFR rights, they are supposed to make a plan for managing the CFR area. This is a requirement as per FRA Rules 2012 u/s 4(1)(e) and (f), which mandate that the Gram Sabha constitute a Community Forest Resource Management Committee among its members, and this committee will prepare a conservation and management plan to sustainably and equitably manage community forest resources. This plan will then be integrated with the micro plans or working plans or management plans of the forest department.

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has rightly given communities the freedom to create plans in their own way. However, many groups have felt the need for some guidance. In 2017, ATREE and TISS helped draft a template for the Government of Maharashtra, which was notified in Marathi. Drawing upon feedback received from those who have used this guideline in the field as well as our own experiences, we are releasing this slightly revised and more elaborate version, that includes guidance on purpose and process.