Rayagada: A small tribal village in Rayagada district has transformed its degraded forests into a thriving ecosystem, restoring water sources, improving livelihoods and strengthening community resilience through sustainable forest management.
Laktiguda village, home to 38 Scheduled Tribe families, is surrounded by 567 acres of Community Forest Resource (CFR) land.
For generations, the forest has served as the community’s primary source of food, fuel, water and income.
However, years of forest fires, unsustainable extraction and poor management led to severe forest degradation.
As the forest declined, streams dried up, agricultural productivity suffered, and women were forced to walk nearly 2 kilometres each day to collect drinking water.
The village’s turnaround began in 2021- 22 when PRADAN, with support from the Rayagada district administration, helped the community implement the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
Under the initiative, villagers secured Community Forest Rights, mapped their forest resources and prepared a community forest resource management plan, giving them greater authority over the protection and sustainable use of the forest.
The community then introduced a series of conservation measures, including preventing illegal tree felling, conducting regular patrols to curb forest fires, restoring degraded forest patches and encouraging natural regeneration.
Within a few years, the efforts produced visible results. Forest cover improved, wildlife began returning, and seasonal streams became perennial. Groundwater levels also rose, allowing tube wells to supply water throughout the year.
The restoration has not only improved the village’s ecological health but also strengthened water security and enhanced the livelihoods of the tribal community, demonstrating the impact of community-led forest governance.