Joint Forest Management Committee members and other
officials after the consultative meeting in Pfutsero town on Wednesday.
- DIMAPUR — With an
aim to strengthen institutional arrangements, participatory decision-making and
convergence with existing government schemes, a consultative meeting of Joint
Forest Management Committee (JFMC) under the Nagaland Forest Management Project
(NFMP), JICA, was held at the Community Managed Training Center Hall in
Pfutsero on Wednesday.
- An update from NFMP stated that representatives from 19
project villages including village council members, JFMC executive committee,
women leaders, and youth discussed on the operationalisation to enhance
community-led forest management and rural development. The meeting was
organised by the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), in collaboration
with the Divisional Management Unit (DMU) Phek.
- It stated that the participants discussed the importance of
establishing a structured and collective platform for JFMC to ensure greater
impact in community-led forest governance. The discussions focused on the
structure, objectives and decision-making mechanisms for an integrated JFMC
platform.
- The meeting also emphasised the need for clear roles,
responsibilities and capacity-building initiatives to ensure the platform’s
long-term success and also explored strategies for leveraging government
programmes and external partnerships to strengthen JFMC.
- It stated that the JFMC of Meluri and Phek have resolved to
strengthen collaboration between the government and different villages for
sustainable forest management. It also agreed to enhance transparency, foster
coordination among villages and create a common voice for effective
decision-making.
- Through knowledge exchange, cross-learning and shared
information, the members resolved to promote forest and wildlife conservation,
ensuring the protection of natural resources for future generations.
- Besides, a roadmap was drafted to guide collective efforts
in implementing the JFMC platform effectively.
- Speaking on the occasion, Chenibemo Odyuo, NFMP FNGO team
leader of Phek and senior project manager of FES, emphasised the significance
of community-led forest governance, highlighting the need for integration,
participatory decision-making and a structured platform for JFMC.
