Forest fires in India: policy initiatives for community participation

This paper presents the prevalent causes and extent of forest fires in India. It examines the status of the Joint Forest Management (JFM) programme, introduction of modern methods to combat forest fires, the recognition of the need for community involvement and initiatives taken by the Government of India to encourage participation by communities. The paper is based on policies of the Government of India and on the personal experience of the authors, who are responsible for managing forest fires in India for the Government at National level.