Recognition of community forest resource (CFR) rights inside Kanger Ghati National Park

May 30, 2022

The Chhattisgarh government recognized the community forest resource (CFR) rights of the Gudiyapadar hamlet located inside the Kanger Ghati National Park.

What is the significance?

Recognition of CFR rights gives the community power to formulate rules for forest use. This is the first time that Chhattisgarh recognized the CFR rights inside a national park. Also, Chhattisgarh became the second state to recognize CFR rights inside a national park. CFR rights were first recognized in Simlipal national park, Odisha.

Gudiyapadar hamlet, located inside the Kanger Ghati National Park comprises 403 ha of forest area and consists of four reserved forest compartments. The hamlet consists of 29 houses and is in the Bastar district. In this process, the field Director of Kanger Ghati National Park took the help of Ashoka Trust for Research in Environment and Ecology (ATREE), a research institute based in Bengaluru. ATREE representatives who are fluent in the Gondi language generate awareness among tribals regarding the process of recognition of CFR rights in the village. The mapping of the boundaries of the village was done with GPS monitoring devices and the certificate with rights was handed to the residents of the village.

What is a community forest resource?

It is the common forest land that has been traditionally protected and conserved by the community. Each CFR area has a customary boundary with identifiable landmarks. CFR rights under Forest Rights Act (FRA) provides for the recognition of the rights to protect, regenerate or conserve or manage the community forest resource (CFR). The Forest Rights Act provides for CFR rights recognition in all forest lands, including wildlife sanctuaries, tiger reserves, and national parks. More than 4,000 CFR titles were recognized till now.

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