Estimating and Mapping CFR Potential

Report : October 2020
Community Forest Resource (CFR) potential mapping focuses on identifying forest areas that could be claimed for collective management by forest-dwelling communities under India’s Forest Rights Act (FRA) of 2006. CFR rights empower local Gram Sabhas to protect, manage, and use these resources, supporting community-led forest governance. However, CFR rights implementation has faced challenges due to limited data on eligible forest lands and their respective communities, limiting pressure on state agencies to achieve targets. Mapping CFR potential addresses this gap by estimating areas eligible for CFR claims, enabling better implementation focus and accountability. This study estimates the area and location of villages that have the potential to come under CFR rights in four important central Indian states: Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Maharashtra, using a combination of Census of India data and maps, and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques.