THE WOMEN FORESTERS OF AMBOYA

“Yes, its hard……” asserts Kamla Devi when nudged about the balancing act she performs everyday along with nine other women of her village. And the balancing act consists of unending domestic chores on one side and nurturing a patch of dense sal forest on the other side. “…..but we do it!” The ten women of Amboya village have been performing a sacred act since more than two decades – protecting a forest patch that was once degraded due to heavy lopping, illicit felling and uncontrolled grazing.

Women marching towards forest for patrolling

Amboya village is located 16 kms away towards North Eastern direction from the town of Paonta Sahib of Sirmour district in Himachal Pradesh. The area falls under the Bhagani Range of Paonta Sahib Forest Division. Characterized by the dominance of Shorea robusta (sal) trees, the forests are situated on gentle to steep slopes, vulnerable to heavy top soil erosion and severe anthropogenic factors like ruthless lopping, intensive grazing, wanton firewood collection and mindless illicit felling of trees. The area represents a haphazard mosaic of lopped forests, mined out streams and nalas, terraced agricultural fields and tiny hamlets. But for the 80 or more hectares of lush green forest patch, zealously protected by Kamla Devi and her team, the area shows a grim face as far as conservation of natural resources is concerned.

It all started with silvicultural felling that was carried out in Compartment number 7 of the Danda - Amboya Reserve Forest over an area of about 36 hectares in 1984 – 85 after which the forest was left with very few mature sal trees and some poles. In no time degradation set in as the Forest Department had failed to protect the area from uncontrolled grazing of domestic cattle, illicit felling and lopping of trees for firewood and fodder.  Under such constrained circumstances for over a decade, the forest had failed to regenerate, thus threatening its own existence. However, threat to survival of the forest was perceived as a threat to their own survival by a few women lead by Maina Devi and Sumitra Devi prompting a discussion on the matter in the Gram Panchayat meeting. Scarcity of firewood and fodder had already set in as a fall out of the continued degradation of the forest patch that shared boundary with Amboya village. Subsequently Maina Devi and Sumitra Devi succeeded in convincing other women folk of the village to join hands in protecting the degraded forest. Soon, an army of ten women stood firm against all odds pledging not only their support but time and efforts for regenerating the forests. Stiff opposition from rest of the villagers did not hinder the ten women as they stepped up protection activities in the year 2000. Compartments 8 and 9 were also brought under protective cover by the women.

Young and dense sal trees

The first strategy adopted by them was to protect the area from grazing of domestic animals and keep away those men and women who would destroy the young regeneration and lop the trees. The task was not easy being an uphill one with no support from the village. The ladies declared an embargo on grass cutting, lopping of trees and removal of firewood from the forest. Field officials of the Forest Department also offered generous support to this endeavor. Armed with a sickle, a stick and a bottle of water the ten women patrol the area even today in shifts carving out time from their daily chores looking after the family, home, agriculture and cattle. Its only their zeal that has increased over a period of two decades. The extremely hot and dry summer spells are misused by miscreants to set forest fire in an attempt to destroy fruits of the decades old protection. Night or day, the ten women are ever alert and prepared to meet any such devastating forest fires by not only informing the forest officials but also actively dousing the raging forest fires. Several hundreds of sickles and axes have been ‘seized’ by these women from people who enter ‘their’ forest. Its not an easy task protecting the forests from hundreds of cattle and twice the number of human beings surrounding the forest. They deliberate upon their achievements, activities and efforts required for protection of the forest in frequent meetings that they hold at least once in a month. The minutes of the meeting are recorded in a register in simple yet lucid writing signed by all the members.

Joint patrolling with Forest Guard

The impact of protection spread over 80 hectares of degraded forest. Soon, new coppice shoots and seedlings emerged out of the happy earth under the umbrella of protection offered by the committed and brave women of Amboya. Not only did the sal trees regenerate, but also several other plants like Asparagus adscendens, Bauhinia vahlii, Curculigo orchiodes, Plumbago ceylanica to mention a few started thriving in this newly found abode. The young sal forest has become so dense that it is nearly impenetrable on foot. Wild animals like barking deer, sambhar deer, spotted deer, ghoral, mongoose, snakes, leopards and numerous birds made this forest as their home. The ecosystem services offered by this patch of forest is invaluable especially the huge biomass that acts as a sink for carbon sequestration.

Profound sal regeneration

Recognizing the selfless efforts of these poor and illiterate women, the Paonta Sahib Forest Division stepped in to co-ordinate in a better way with them by getting them registered in 2008 as a Society under the Societies Registration Act 1860. Thus, the Self - Initiated Forest Protection Group got a formal identity as “Mahila Van evam Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti, Amboya.” An area that was blank and being engulfed by a widening seasonal gully was taken up for afforestation by the women with funding and guidance from the forest officials. The successful plantation consisting of Syzygium cumini (jamun), Dalbergia sissoo (shisham), Terminalia bellerica (bahera), T. chebula (harar), Phyllanthus emblica (amla) among others stand as a testimony to the conservation efforts put in by the women. As the planted trees have started yielding fruits today, the once fast-widening gully is no more to be seen! The women have already taken areas in and around the forest patch for eradication of Lantana camara – an invasive alien species. The unhindered conservation efforts of these ladies deserve more than just support in protection activities. Being from poor rural families, there is a need to reward them with better income generation opportunities, better agricultural productivity and increased returns from animal husbandry which they have been doing traditionally. Aligning them with microfinancing activities and entrepreneurship should also be explored. The exemplary dedication of these women in protecting and nurturing the forest has been recognized far and wide, even being appreciated and rewarded by the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh in the year 2016

Fruits of conservation: 
Kamla Devi and her team in the plantation

Beyond being home-makers, these women also exemplify women empowerment vis-à-vis natural resource conservation in scarcity hit rural landscapes. Fervent in their determination to protect their forest, the women have designed their own uniform – green salwar, sickle, stick and a water bottle! As usual, the women have their sickles, stick, bottle of water and more importantly determination and courage carried with pride and honour as they walk into the dense vegetation of Danda – Amboya Reserve Forest.

I have been visiting the village and interacting with the women group since last nine years. Kamla Devi, Maina Devi, Sumitra Devi, Satya Devi, Santro Devi, Gangi Devi, Champa Devi, Leela Devi, Kamla Devi, Shanti Devi are not just ten rustic, illiterate women, but the face of conservation in this part of the country. As I watch them march into the forest, clad in green, for the day’s patrolling, I would ask, “You don’t even remove anything from the forest. What benefit do you get out of your sincere efforts?” The reply would mostly be a smile on their wrinkled yet shy face. At the most, they would say, “We don’t want anything except for satisfaction. Our forests are safe, we are safe!”