Mapping the Efforts of Communities in the Conservation and Protection of Commons A case study in Sadhukonda RF in Chitoor district, AP, India Findings A comparison of satellite imageries of December 1996 and December 2002 indicates considerable improvement in vegetative cover during this period on Reserve forestland in spite of six consecutive years of drought. The improvement in tree cover can be singularly attributed to natural regeneration from the available rootstock. The increased green cover is mainly due to efforts of the communities at protection and self-regulation, as they have not undertaken any physical measures in most of the area
 A field study conducted simultaneously to assess the phytomass in Sadhukonda found 121 species of trees, 58 species of Shrubs and 73 species of Herbs and grasses. The bio-diversity indices such as Simpson’s and Shannon-Weiner’s reveal that although there is a rich diversity of species, a few such as Anogeissus Latifolia, Acacia Sundra, Dolichandrone Atrovirens, and Chloroxylon Swietenia are dominant in numbers. Apart from the diversity element, the quantity of aboveground phytomass of the entire Sadhukonda Reserve Forest has also been estimated as 4,72,315 MT using GIS. This yields an average tree biomass of 80 MT/ha for the Reserve Forest.  The chart depicting the amount of tree biomass of the Reserve Forest shows that the dense category of the forest has a very high quantity of tree biomass (at least 50 MT per ha and above), with more than 75% of the dense category forest land having a biomass of 80 MT per ha and above, thereby corroborating the remote sensing analysis. The extraction per annum is 8,185 MT, which is 1.73% of standing tree biomass. Literature suggests that in a regenerating forest, the maximum permissible limit is ‘one-third to half’ of the mean annual increment (MAI = 2.84% of standing tree biomass). Thus, the current level of extraction seems to be well above the permissible limit. 75% of the total phytomass is extracted for fuelwood either for local use or as a means of livelihood where they sell the wood in the nearby towns. Issues: The study posits a need for bringing more revenue wastelands under vegetative cover such that it meets the local needs as well as offsets the pressure on the Reserve Forests. Considering that the bulk of biomass extraction is for fuelwood, for use as well as selling, protecting Reserve Forests alone without making efforts to increase the fuelwood availability may not yield the desired results. Efforts would have to be made to conserve the use of fuelwood as well as to create opportunities for alternative livelihoods for the poor. The findings of the remote sensing analysis and the field survey are now forming the inputs for discussions with communities on provision to and appropriation from the forests and common lands.
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