GUJARAT COMM. FOREST

closed

The project would increase supplies of fuelwood in rural areas of each of the State's nineteen districts. It would also provide poles, bamboo, small timber and other minor products from the same plantations. Achievement of these objectives would be facilitated by the gradual shifting of responsibility for the establishment, maintenance, protection and harvesting of village woodlots from the Government of Gujarat (GOG) to village panchayats. The project would also introduce improved stoves and crematoria as fuelwood conservation measures, provide considerable paid employment to the poorest section of the population and help to stabilize the environment. The principal project risks are: (i) that the free distribution of seedlings might lead to excessive waste, (ii) that villages would be reluctant to assume responsibility for their woodlots, and (iii) that the better-off villagers would preempt most of the benefits of village woodlot production.