WEST BENGAL FORESTRY

closed

The West Bengal Forestry Project finances a 5-year program to comprise : (a) forestry works on about 290,000 ha, regenerating or afforesting degraded forest areas over 160,000 ha with multi-tier coverage under joint management arrangements with local populations; strip plantations on 5,000 ha; and expanding farm forest coverage by about 109,000 ha.; (b) supporting works including survey and demarcation of forest land, roads, small earthern dams, ponds, and wells; (c) special action programs geared to improve forestry research and plant propagation, train all forestry staff, support the joint management process through training and funding to NGOs, improve wildlife and protected areas management, afforest or rehabilitate about 28,000 ha of mangrove areas; (d) construction of buildings, purchase of vehicles and equipment, hiring of incremental staff and coverage of operating costs for the Forest Department (FD); and lastly, (e) fodder development in forest and non-forest areas with the FD and the Animal Resources Development Department (ARDD).