Adapting Livelihoods and Landscape approach in Shiwalik hill ranges in Haryana, India with a focus on Joint Forest Management Programme

The Livelihoods and Landscapes Strategy (LLS) is a global programme of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) being implemented in 31 landscapes in 23 countries. The aim of LLS is to catalyse the sustainable use and conservation of forest biodiversity and ecosystem services for the benefit of the rural poor. The LLS approach sees forests as part of a landscape and not as an isolated land use. Together forests, agriculture and other land uses form landscape mosaics that can provide income, and goods & services to the rural poor. The goal of LLS for India focuses on improvement of the existing institutional arrangements for community-based forest management, in particular JFM, to improve livelihoods of rural poor through landscape level interventions. TERI as partner to IUCN is implementing this strategy in northern India, in the state of Haryana. In the present context, JFM needs to move from an isolated forest based planning to a more holistic landscape and livelihoods based planning.

- The landscape approach suggested by LLS aims to strengthen the impact of the JFM Programme by conserving and utilizing forest resources in a more equitable manner.

- The LLS Programme provides for an integrated approach to management of forest resource.

- It also provides an opportunity for adaptive management and has potential for up-scaling activities to other JFM areas.

- The pilot site chosen for LLS in the state of Haryana, is situated in the foothills of the Shivalik range, and where TERI has been involved with the JFM programme. The pilot covers four selected villages of Thaska, Salehpur, Jhanda and Pammuwala in the Sadhoura Forest Range of District Yamunanagar.

- The main challenges that LLS seeks to address in the pilot site are:

- Forest landscape restoration: To enhance the ongoing landscape level restoration process by combining with a livelihood perspective.

- Institutional strengthening: Capacity building of the local institutions for enterprise development and better management of finances.

- Poverty reduction: Through enhancement of livelihoods and income and better accessibility to resources.