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As repositories of forests, water sources, biodiversity and carbon sinks, mountain states underpin India’s ecological security while supporting millions downstream. Strengthening local environmental governance, community steward-ship and green livelihoods in these regions is therefore essential, not just for conservation but for economic resilience of the country.
The importance of this balancing act is evident in Uttarakhand, which has 45.5 per cent—24,305 sq km—under forest cover, according to the India State of Forest Report 2021. A 2018 government-sponsored study by the Indian Institute of Forest Management pegs the value of ecosystem services offered by its forested landscape at Rs 95,000 crore a year. But this opportunity is now at a growing risk from forest fires, natural disasters and human-wildlife conflicts. This article argues that recent amendments to the Panchayati Van Niyamawali (PVN), 2005, have pushed the state into such a risk zone.
Van panchayats are legally recognised democratic, community-based institutions that manage (protect, conserve and equitably distribute forest resources such as fodder and firewood) local forests. They are unique to Uttarakhand since 1931, and the backbone of participatory forest management. Some 11,217 van panchayats manage 4,526.44 sq km of community forest contiguous with reserve forests, protected areas and revenue forests, supporting over 1 million rural families, according to the Census 2011. Yet instead of being strengthened, van panchayats today face an unprecedented policy regression—one that jeopardises local governance, ecological resilience and emerging green-economy opportunities.
Between 2020 and 2022, Uttarakhand undertook one of the most thorough, evidence-based reform efforts in community forest governance seen anywhere in India. The Revenue Department, with persuasion from the Forest Department, corrected long-standing land record anomalies of van panchayats, revived van panchayat elections—raising compliance of Revenue Department from 6 per cent to 69 per cent—and designed robust electoral reforms to prevent future mismanagement by shifting responsibilities from the Revenue Department to the Forest and Panchayati Raj Departments. It also developed modern composite management plan framework (or CMP for forest division level) and modern micro-plan framework (for village level) aligned with ecosystem services based on emerging green-market mechanisms, so that conservation could become aspirational and remunerative to the public.
After three years of consultation, a comprehensive draft Panchayati Van Niyamawali, 2023, incorporating 58 progressive amendments, was prepared for the state cabinet. This modernised van panchayat governance, enhanced transparency, clarified departmental accountability and laid the groundwork for ecosystem-service-based rural economic upliftment consistent with sustainable growth. This was a moment for Uttarakhand to demonstrate national leadership in aligning local govern-ance with the green economy.
Instead, in March 2024, the state notified a set of token amendments to 15 rules of the PVN 2005, disregarding the broader …
This article was originally published in the March 1-15, 2026 print edition of Down To Earth