Capacity Strengthening of India’s Forest Sector

Project Summary:

The forests and tree cover in India correspond to 25% of the total geographical area and are a major source of livelihood and subsistence needs for more than 300 million vulnerable and tribal people of India. India has a wide range of policies serving as instruments of action for managing its forest and land resources. The country is also a signatory to many of the global conventions addressing forests, biodiversity conservations, freshwater ecosystems, and many more. At the central level, there is a multitude of supportive institutions and there is an interplay of interactions between the policy instruments and the institutions at various levels. However, despite the existence of sound policies and institutions, the sector lacks in capacity and application of appropriate technology for achieving forestry, ecosystem, and carbon stock management outcomes. Against this backdrop, the proposed project proposes to assess the capacity and technology needs and draw a sector roadmap with an overarching objective to strengthen the capacity of forest sector institutions to apply an integrated landscape approach in forest management planning and implementation

List of Activities:

• Gap Assessment of current practices of forest management against integrated landscape approach
• Development of a Capacity Strengthening Strategy and a Roadmap for Implementation
• Other Stakeholders and Expert Consultations
• Knowledge Exchange

Outcomes:

Output 1:

• Formation of Expert panel with national and international sector expert
• Current status and Gap Assessment Reports – National and State levels (2 reports)

Output 2:

• White Paper on Capacity Strengthening Strategy and a Roadmap for Implementation
• Countries for Knowledge Exchange Visit

Output 3:

• Workshops and Presentation for Validation of the Findings and Recommendation
• Expert Panel Discussions with Korea Forest Services
• Final Report on Capacity Strengthening of India’s Forest Sector on Integrated Landscape Planning

Output 4:

• Knowledge Exchange Tours
• Report on Shared-learning

Collaboration with K-Partners and Others:

• South Korea via Korean Forest Services - Korea’s experiences in the forest rehabilitation program can provide valuable lessons for India. For this, the India WB team will engage with Korean Forest Services, applying the existing Statement of Intent and explore the following topics of interest – Governance and Monitoring of Large Forest Restoration Programs, Commercial Forest Plantations, Nature-Based-Ecotourism, and Landscape Approaches
• Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) India – through their past and current engagements under the community of practice on Forest (sustainable) Landscapes, learn more about State level capacity gaps and possible convergence with other sectors for enhancement of capacity