Forest management through community participation in Sri Lanka (with reference to Kurunegala district)

Abstract

A forest is an area with a high density of trees (or, historically, an area set aside for hunting). Plantcommunities covering large areas of the globe provide carbon-sink, oxygen-release, habitat, and soilretentionfunctions. Therefore, Earth's forests constitute one of the most important aspects of ourbiosphere.

In response to escalating concerns about the degradation of State-managed forests, developing countriesaround the world are increasingly promoting decentral ization of natural resource management. Fromthe State-centric policies that were promoted in different parts of the world in the mid-Zf)" century,the trend has shifted toward encouraging participatory systems of management by local communities.This shift has been prompted by recognition of the numerous problems associated with consolidatingall power in the hands of the State, and of the crucial, hitherto unrecognized, positive role played bylocal communities-albeit nudged by international shifts in policy.

Isolated islands of forests in Sri Lanka have received the attention of both the state and the peoplebecause of their economic importance. Responsibility for forest management has been placed ontechnically trained officers in the public sector, the objective being to promote state regulation in theefficient management of forest resources. Sri Lanka's natural forest cover is now around 31% of theisland's 65,610 sq km, and natural closed canopy forests have dwindled to 22.5 % of the total landarea from 44 % in 1956. It is significant that tropical humid forests, which form the natural vegetationtype of the island's ever-wet southwestern quarter, have shrunk to about 9.5% of this region. Theseforests are also heavily fragmented and few are more than 10,000 ha in extent. Although much of theendemic species among both fauna and flora are concentrated in the wet zone, lowland rain forests ofthis region comprise about 1.9% of the island's land area.

This research follows the manner in which State-driven, upwardly accountable, forest decentralizationprograms play out on the ground, and evaluates their impact on forests and local institutions, a topic ofmuch current concern and debate. In-depth field interviews with the communities provide us withinformation about the impact of these initiatives on local institutions. Non-wood forest products areimportant to people for a number of reasons. First, NWFPs are integral to the lifestyle of forestdependentcommunities. They fulfill basic requirements, provide gainful employment during lean periodsand supplement incomes from agriculture and wage labor. Medicinal plants have an important role inrural health.

The objective of this paper is to explores forest management through community participation toprotect the forest in Sri Lanka. Up to now there is no local communities currently function under asituation of constraint, where they have not been delegated responsibilities. It has been collectedopinion from hundred families who lives around forest cover in Kurunegala district and 95% of peoplesaid that community participation is the best way to manage the forest in Sri Lanka. It can be takenexperience from India and Nepal for this program.