KUMTA: If you dare disturb a leaf or a blade of grass or take a small twig from this forest, you will face the wrath of the villagers guarding it.Halkar, a small village near Kumta town of Uttara Kannada district, is surrounded by the forest. The villagers manage the forest. The community generates income from the designated forest from its products like timber and non-timber. At the same time they conserve the ecosystem, soil, stream and other things in the forest. After realising the importance of locals in protecting the forest, the forest department supported it.
Interestingly, when compared to other forest patches which are protected by the forest department, Halkar forest is very thick and green. There are varieties of trees from firewood to precious wood to fruits in the forest. The Village Forest Panchayat (VFP) of Halkar, comprising nine elected members from different castes apart from four nominated women members, fiercely guards the forest.
Though the revenue land of the village comes under Holanagadde Gram Panchayat limits, the 219 acres of forest comes under VFP.Shantaram B Harikantra, VFP secretary, says, “In 1924, the British Government made the VFP and gave power to the villagers to manage and conserve the forest. A British colonel visited Uttara Kannada and he saw the villagers fetching fodder for their livestock and collecting firewood. At the same time, he also saw that the villagers had taken the responsibility of protecting the same forest. He recommended an act to invest powers in the VFP. Under the Indian Forest Act, 165 VFPs were formed in Uttara Kannada district. Of these, 13 are in Kumta taluk. They have been following the Bombay Forest Act till date.”
But in the 1980s the forest department overruled it and closed all VFPs. Questioning the government decision, Halkar and Murur VFPs went to court, and after a 10-year-legal battle, villagers were successful in getting back their powers over the forests. In the recent years, Murur VFP failed to operate successfully and the forest department is taking care of their forest. But Halkar VFP has been successfully managing, maintaining and conserving the forest.
Only authenticated villagers can access the forest to get fodder. The VFP will provide firewood to the villagers annually by charging a minimum amount. Old trees, cashew, mango and other fruits are auctioned every year. There is a rule that only persons from that village can participate in the tender. The one who bags the contract can supply to other village and towns. To access the forest, villagers have to obtain a pass from the panchayat by paying Rs 30 annual fee.The annual fee and the auction of forest byproducts are the main revenue source to the panchayat and the money is deposited in a bank.
The villagers have made big trenches around the 219 acres of forest so that thieves cannot cut and carry trees. The trenches also act as rainwater conservation units. Water can be seen in the trenches till February.
Nagappa Harikantra, a villager, said, “Compared to other villages who live on the fringes of the forest, we are happy to be part of the forest.” To study Halkar’s success story, researchers and scholars from various states in the country and also from Denmark and Japan visited the village.
Keeping the trees safe
The villagers have made big trenches around the 219 acres of forest so that thieves cannot cut and carry trees. The trenches also act as rainwater conservation units. Water can be seen in the trenches till February