Themes of the National Conference

Purpose:  To assess the importance of the forest sector in hill states and the potential for shifting towards an ecosystem approach

The event will focus on five themes, to be covered through presentation sessions, discussions and working groups. The themes are as follows:

• State of forest resources in Himachal Pradesh and sustainable forest management for meeting emerging challenges and fulfilling the multi-sectoral role of the forest sector
  
  1. Inter-sectoral forest dependence in mountain areas and increasing importance of the forest sector; Importance of forests for drinking water, irrigation, hydro power, tourism, agriculture, horticulture, industry, and local needs
  2. The critical threats to the state of forest resources (including faunal (wild-life) and floral bio-diversity) in the state and how are these to be addressed?
  3. Forest local biomass dependence & steps taken by the State Government to resolve;
  
  
• Institutional Roles in Forest Governance, relevance of substantive community management and a multi-stakeholder approach for meeting multiple needs
  1. Forest and Common land tenures and settlements  – the basis for a just and sustainable forest management regime;

2. Nested Forest Management – revisiting the Beat as a basic unit of management; 

3. Roles for stakeholders in sustainable forest management and forest governance;

4. Meaningful  participation---Create a more collaborative decision-making process that recognizes the rights of a variety of stakeholders to participate in decision-making, whether it is NGOs, villages, academia, other public agencies or the private sector;

5. Options for balancing need for biomass and multiple environmental services;

6. Tools: a) Land use planning and zoning, b) Tenure, c) Silviculture–oriented for local biomass requirements and environmental service;

7. Gender sensitization;

• Impacts on mountain eco-systems & under forest sector, adaptation and mitigation potential for mountain related eco-systems
  1. Climate change impact on mountain forests /vegetative cover, forest hydrology and other sectors;

2. Role of woody vegetation in sequestering carbon and how to address the same?

3. Role of forests and other landscapes in providing water quality and lean season flows at multiple scales;

4. Adaptation and Mitigation potential for mountain related eco-systems and forests;

5. Adapting to forest disturbance while maintaining the genetic diversity and resilience of forest ecosystems, adjustments in ecological, social, and economic systems—biome shifts;

6. CDM---A & R and bio-mass projects; Green India Mission, REDD—scope and potential for mountain states;

7. De-carbonizing potential, Energy solutions for a low-carbon energy economy,  options to leap-frog to cleaner development paths;

8. Ecotourism—linkage with Climate Change and Global warming;

9.Managing provision of local ecosystem services and biomass along with carbon;

 

• Market Strategies, Voluntary Carbon Markets and Carbon Neutral Strategies; Fiscal mechanisms for forest conservation

1. Pollution taxes and transferable/tradable permits;

2. Develop market mechanisms and incentives that promote future development of eco-services;

3. Payments for environmental services, incentives and institutions, rights for a stable policy environment and as incentives, financial incentives & in-kind incentives;

4. Standards and other tools for a biodiversity friendly, pro-community oriented incentive-based mechanisms;

 

• Research & Monitoring Orientation, Information gaps, International Co-operation and Best Practices

1. Monitoring and research strategies to address climate change;

2. What are the gaps in information? What are the available methods to fill such gaps?

3. What kind of partnerships can help bridge such gaps

4. Best practices

The Conference is

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