Overview
We are engaged in pilot-level action in two Adivasi-dominated high forest sites — Bastar district in Chhattisgarh and Baiga Chak region of Dindori & Mandla districts in Madhya Pradesh. We aim to build capacities of local communities to generate positive outcomes for democratic rights, livelihoods and forests, and also to learn from these initiatives in order to inform our training and policy outreach.
Our teams in both sites consist primarily of Adivasi youth from those regions, and they work with Gram Sabhas on claim-making, conflict resolution, CFR management planning, implementation of livelihood enhancement and forest regeneration activities, and liaising with the state administration on community-based forest governance.
In Bastar, we have enabled 56 villages in Bastar to gain CFR rights over 40,000 ha, enabled another 22 villages to submit CFRR claims, supported 20 villages in creating CFR management plans, and are now working with 15 of these villages for implementation of these plans.
In Baiga Chak, we have piloted a new approach to the problems faced by Forest Villages, and enabled 2 Forest Villages to submit comprehensive Individual Forest Rights claims. We have also enabled 8 Forest Villages to submit CFRR claims and are working with another 6 villages on claim-submission. Villages have also begun to plan post-claims forest management.
Potential mapping
Claim Making
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Video: Building capacities for recognising CFR rights in Bastar Date: Oct 16, 2023 -
Video: CFR Rights in Bastar District, Chhattisgarh (Hindi) Date: Dec 18, 2023 -
Video: Comprehensive Forest Rights Recognition in Forest Villages Date: Aug 15, 2024 -
Training and Support for Community Forest Rights in Bastar, Chhattisgarh ATREE’s CFR team is training a team of 18 FRA Coordinators chosen from Bastar District to work with Gram Sabhas for claim-making and for developing CFR management plans. -
Workshops for PESA coordinators and mobilizers from four districts of MP Date: 25th to 28th November, 2024 -
FRA workshop at Azim Premji University, Bhopal Date: 20th to 22nd November, 2024 -
Training of women leaders on PESA and Forest Rights Act Date: 6th to 9th June, 2024 -
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Training for Elected Representatives Date: 15th December, 2023
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Training for the Staff of the Forest Department Date: 23rd November, 2023
Management Planning
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Two-Day Community Forest Resource Management Workshop in Bodla, Kabirdham Date: 8th to 9th May, 2025 -
Community Forest Resource (CFR) Rights Training Workshop for CFRMC members in Umarkhed, Yavatmal (MH) Date: 22nd February, 2025 -
Ecotourism Workshop (Bastar) (CG) Date: 15th February, 2025 -
Carrying forward learnings on CFRR implementation and management to greater Bastar region In any action research project, how does one balance the need to improve the quality of on-ground interventions with the need to scale-up these interventions to wider geographies? -
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Perspectives Building Workshop for FRA Coordinators, held at Tilda-Newra (CG) Date: 17th to 22nd October, 2024 -
Training Workshop in CFR Management Planning, Pithora (CG) Date: 25th to 26th July, 2024 -
Training for Elected Representatives Date: 15th December, 2023
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Training for the Staff of the Forest Department Date: 23rd November, 2023
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Community Forest Rights Recognition in Chhattisgarh State: Progress and Challenges Community Rights (CR) and Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRR) provisions of the FRA, when taken together, have the potential to decentralize and deepen democratic forest governance and bring about a transformative change in the economic and social conditions of the local people, and improve the management of the forests.