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Joint forest management (JFM) in India emerged in the 1980s from community initiatives in forest protection. At that time less than half of the official forest land had good tree cover. Forest protection groups took action based on 'social fencing' of degraded forest land. JFM was adopted by support agencies - NGOs and Government (state forest department) - when its full potential was realised. It is an approach that leads to environmental and production benefits through community co-operation in natural resource management. State supported JFM in Haryana began on a pilot basis in Sukhomajri village in 1976 and has built on the success of that initiative, spreading to a total of nearly 200 km2 , covering 60 villages in Ambala and Yamunagar districts. The National Joint Forest Management Resolution of 1990 supported the rights of forest communities country-wide. In the same year the Haryana State Government signed an agreement with The Energy and Resource Institute (formerly TERI: Tata Energy Research Institute) - underpinned by financial support from the Ford Foundation - to help establish Hill Resource Management Societies (HRMS). These state-sponsered village level societies are key to the success of JFM and their links to the State Forest Department are crucial. The founding principles of HRMS include appropriate social composition, accountability and conflict resolution. They are open to all members of the village communities - regardless of gender or caste who pay membership fees and are then officially registered. Management committees are elected and each must include at least two women. The HRMS oversee forest catchment management activities by villagers, arrange distribution of irrigation water (where applicable) and liase with the State Forest Department and TERI. Hill Resource Management Societies derive income from non-timber forest products - particularly from sales of bhabbar grass (used for rope making) and from water use charges. This income is managed by the HRMS and used for village development and community welfare. The HRMS plan activities together with the State Forest Department. Under the guidance of the HRMS, communities provide labour (for physical work in the catchment etc), which is partly paid , implement social fencing and share the miltiple benefits. Where there is a water harvesting dam all members have the right to claim an equal share of water, irrespective of whether they have land to irrigate or not.
