Ensuring Sustainability - Afforestation, Reforestation and Forest Restoration in Arid and Semi-arid Tropics - page 237

10.2.1 Need-Based and Resource-Based Microplanning

Sustainability of the resource depends to some extent upon the adequacy of the
resource to meet the economic, social, and environmental needs of the user commu-
nities. While establishing an afforestation programme, microplans should be created
to match the land resources that the communities have at their disposal and their needs
and aspirations. These microplans can be aggregated into a project which would, in
practice, cover several communities.
An example of a village-level microplan is shown in Fig. 10.1 . It provides a
snapshot of the edaphoclimatic and socioeconomic context in which the afforestation
works are to be undertaken while laying down a blueprint of the resources to be
created and the benefits to be gained and shared by the local communities. The
microplan builds into itself, financial sustainability by requiring the user communities
to pay fees in respect of certain produce while allowing fee-free distribution of other
types of produce.

10.2.2 Sustainable Plantation Utilisation and Management

Like any other renewable natural resource, a forestry plantation has a limit to which
it can recuperate from exploitation. Removal of biomass from a plantation should be
well timed and in such a quantity that can be efficiently replaced by the natural process
of plant growth. Therefore, plant productivity and the characteristic recovery patterns
should form the basis of a sustainable utilisation plan. It is necessary to identify and
examine each living component of a plantation for understanding this (Fig. 10.2 ).
Grasses are an important produce in a forestry plantation. Whether by artificially
reseeding or as a result of natural seedbank, any closed area, particularly in semiarid
climate, will have a profuse growth of grasses. Harvesting or utilising grasses has two
considerations: manner of removal (by allowing grazing or by cut-and-carry method),
and the time of removal. Whether to allow grazing of livestock or to restrict to cut-
and-carry method will depend upon factors such as the prevalent practice among
the local people, the kind of grasses growing, and the risk of damage to the plants
by livestock. In most of the arid and semiarid areas, where livestock rearing is
often the main economic activity of the people, the practice of stall-feeding will
probably not be the norm. The quality of livestock is poor and their numbers are
large, thus, shortage of manpower as well as cultural practice make it uneconomical
and unacceptable to stall-feed the cattle. Where livestock mainly consists of sheep
and goat, it is unsuitable for stall-feeding. Also, it will be uneconomical for people
to cut and carry the grass if it is not thick, luxuriant, and of special nutritive value.
Cut-and-carry will be the best choice when the grass is exclusively grown for the
purpose, when it is to be utilised green, and when the area is intensively managed.
Dry grass is not only difficult to cut and carry but also has reduced palatability and
digestibility which will discourage people from resorting to this practice.