CBSE 2026 · Region 3 · Set 1 · Q17

Read the given source carefully and answer the questions that follow : Joint Forest Management In India the Joint Forest Management (JFM) programme furnishes a good example for involving local communities in the management and restoration of degraded forests. The programme has been in formal existence since $\displaystyle 1988$ when the state of Odisha passed the first resolution for joint forest management. JFM depends on the formation of local (village) institutions that undertake protection activities mostly on degraded forest land managed by the forest department. In return, the members of these communities are entitled to intermediary benefits like non-timber forest produces and share in the timber harvested by 'successful protection'. The clear lesson from the dynamics of both environmental destruction and reconstruction in India is that local communities everywhere have to be involved in some kind of natural resource management. But there is still a long way to go before local communities are at the centre-stage in decision-making. Accept only those economic or developmental activities, that are people centric, environment-friendly and economically rewarding. ($\displaystyle 17.1$) Why is conservation of forests necessary ? ($\displaystyle 17.2$) Which type of forests are protected under the 'Joint Forest Management' programme ? ($\displaystyle 17.3$) Explain the role of local communities in forest conservation.