The Forest Rights Act (FRA) is a landmark legislation in the history of independent India that recognises the multiple historical injustices imposed on forest dwellers in central India since the colonial period. To redress these injustices, the FRA provides for recognising the rights of individuals (viz. Individual Forest Rights or IFRs), communities (Community Rights or CRs and Community Forest Resource or CFR), as well as the habitat rights of particularly vulnerable tribal groups. This study focuses on the potential area that could be incorporated under CFR rights and the locations of the villages with this CFR potential in central India. One of the biggest problems in the implementation of CFR provisions is that policymakers and the public have no idea of the target – the extent of CFR claims that must be granted. We use information from the Census of India with maps in a Geographic Information System (GIS) for this effort. Through the WebGIS project, we are developing and making village-wise maps of CFR potential in central India accessible to the public. Though approximate, these maps will ensure that policymakers become aware graphically of the extent of CFR potential, the gap between the potential and CFR claims actually granted and the regions in which attention needs to be focused.

Additionally, our aim is to assess and map CFR claims using mobile-based GIS applications. We have also developed a mobile app named ‘Aamcho CFR Mapping’ for mapping purposes.

Click here to view about the app