Ensuring Sustainability - Afforestation, Reforestation and Forest Restoration in Arid and Semi-arid Tropics - page 232

Chapter 10
Ensuring Sustainability

Abstract Long-term sustainability of the resource and of the institutions for man-
agement of that resource is of crucial importance in afforestation and reforestation
programmes. All natural resource conservation programmes will come to a nought
if they are not sustainable. The foundation of sustainability lies in the beliefs of the
resource user groups and their participation, willingness, and understanding of the
programme. Community participation, therefore, can be said to be the cornerstone
of sustainability of an afforestation programme. It is not enough just to let people
know what is going on; it is necessary to empower the people and give them control
over things so that they may assume ownership of the programme. In order to enable
participation, people in the user communities sometimes need to be organised into
an institution. Basics of institution building include creating stakes, forming bod-
ies with aims and objectives consistent with the programme, and capacity-building
activities including training in organisational procedures and technical know-how.

10.1 Institutional Sustainability

Managing afforestation projects requires an approach quite different from that of
the usual for-profit businesses. An afforestation project organisation is more like a
non-profit organisation. The target group of the project—the community—plays a
key role in its success because the group interacts continuously with the organisation
and to a very large extent, shapes the programme. As a result, it is necessary to
involve the beneficiary communities in the programme's design and implementation
right from the beginning—all work must be participative, and all decision-making
in consultation with the community.

10.1.1 Sustainable Institutional Setup

In order to enable the community to participate in the process of management, it is
necessary to organise it into an institutionalised body with a formalised structure.
Time and again, such governance structures may not be present or if present, may not
be suited to the task of an afforestation programme. In such cases, it will be necessary
to organise the user group or the larger community into an institution. A village forest
protection and management society, formed under the Joint Forest Management