Communal forests of India

Wildlife of India
Biodiversity Fauna Flora Lists Amphibians Ants Birds Butterflies Endangered animals Fish Mammals Molluscs Moths Odonates Reptiles Spiders Tiger beetles
Protected areas Biosphere reserves Communal forests Conservation areas Conservation and community reserves Elephant reserves National parks Private protected areas Ramsar Sites Reserved and protected forests Tiger reserves Wildlife sanctuaries
Conservation Projects Cheetah Dolphin Elephant Tiger Acts of Parliament Indian Forest Act 1927 Wildlife Protection Act 1972 Wildlife Protection Act 2002
Organisations National Ministry of Environment and Forests National Biodiversity Authority Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding Council of Forestry Research Indian Forest Service / Survey Institute of Forest Management Wildlife Institute Tiger Conservation Authority Zoo Authority International Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) South Asian Zoo Association (SAZARC) World Animal Protection World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
Related topics Environmental issues Fossil parks Forestry Natural history Tourism Lists Botanical gardens Ecoregions Zoological gardens Wildlife population Elephant Tiger Wildlife
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A "Common Important Forest" in India is a forest governed by local communities in a way compatible with sustainable development. Such forests are typically called village forests or panchayat forests, reflecting the fact that the administration and resource use of the forest occurs at the village and panchayat (an elected rural body) levels. Hamlets, villages and communities of villages may actually administer such a forest.^[1] Such community forests are usually administered by a locally elected body, usually called the Forest Protection Committee, Village Forest Committee or the Village Forest Institution. Such committees are known as Van Panchayats in the Kumaon Division of Uttarakhand, Forest Co-operative Societies in Himachal Pradesh and Van Samrakshan Samitis in Andhra Pradesh. Legislation pertaining to communal forests varies from state to state, but typically the state government retains some administrative control over matters like staff appointment, and penalization of offenders. Such forests typically conform to the IUCN Category VI Protected Areas, but protection may be enforced by the local communities or the government depending on local legislation. Maharashtra is the state with the most forest land while Haryana has the least.