Gethsemane Man-made Forest

Gethsemane Man-made Forest is a community led forest conservation initiative by the JFMC comprising six nearby villages under the Dhansiri Reserve Forest division.[1] It is a Plantation Centre consisting of more than 14 lakh plants of over 35 species, spread across 5500 bigha.[1] The initiative of regeneration of forest began in 2005 to transform the barren forest land impacted by illegal afforestation during the 1980s.

Gethsemane Man-made Forest
Reserve Forest
Bhairabkunda JFMC
Location of Gethsemane Man-made Forest
Area
 • Total735 ha (1,816 acres)

Impact

The man-made forest now has over 14 lakh plants such as khoir, gomari, simul, shisham etc. Many wild animals have returned to the forest.[2] Animals such as elephant, leopard, wild boar, tiger, deer, etc. and reptiles such as paradise flying snake and python are found in the forest.[3][4] The Lepidiota Mansueta beetle specie is also commonly found in the forest along with various species of butterflies and dragonflies. It is also home to various himalayan, native and migratory birds.[5] The emergence of forest has also contributed towards the reduction of man-elephant conflict in the area.[6]

Aerial view of Gethsemane man-made forest

Eco-Tourism

The forest is growing as an eco-tourism destination in the region. Thus helping local communities in the process. It has many trekking trails as well as cycling strips for adventure sports enthusiasts.

Geography

The man-made forest is spread across 5500 bighas beside the river Dhansiri on the foothills of Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh. There are also various brooks inside the forest which are dug to satiate the trees during drought seasons.

History
Barren land prior to plantation

The 35 members of the JFMC began working the barren land under the name “Sonaigaon Multipurpose farm” for cultivation as well as farming purposes in 2003. Their effort gained support through the initiative of the then Forest Range Officer Naba Kumar Bordoloi of Bhairabkunda RF. He inducted the group into six JFMC and in 2005 a proposal was submitted to Ministry of Environment and Forest India. It was approved and the plantation under the Ministerial support extended from 2007 to 2011.[7]

Awards and recognition
KWS Award Ceremony

The JFMC has been awarded the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by the Kaziranga Wildlife Society (KWS) in 2016 and ‘Eastern Himalayan Conservation Award’ by Balipara Foundation in 2017.[8]

See also

References
  1. "J.F.M.C. Plantation Centre, Bhairabkunda, R.F. | Udalguri District | Government Of Assam, India". udalguri.assam.gov.in. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  2. "Barren forest land regenerated at Bhairabkunda". The Assam Tribune Online. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  3. "Man-made forest at Bhairabkunda". Assam Times. 2016-07-20. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  4. "Flying snake found at Bhairabkunda". Assam Times. 2016-04-03. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  5. "Afforestation changes life and landscape: How a district in Assam lost a forest, gained a future". The Indian Express. 2017-12-25. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  6. "Regenerated Bhairabkunda forest easing human-elephant conflict". The Assam Tribune Online. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  7. "Once fighting for Bodoland, 35 men divert their efforts to grow a forest". Mongabay-India. 2020-01-28. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  8. "Lifetime Achievement Award to JFMC Bhairabkunda". Assam Times. 2016-08-14. Retrieved 2020-12-04.

Further reading

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