Community Protected Forest Rules, 1990.

These Rules provide for the handing over of national forest land to users' groups for purposes of conservation of the environment and forest resources. A users' group is a group formed by villagers to establish Community Protected Forests in accordance with these Rules. The Government or gazetted forest land specified in Rule 3 may be designated as Community Protected Forest. A users' group formed of at least five households may apply through the Gup/Mandal to the Dasho Dzongda of their district for the establishment of a Community Protected Forest (Rule 4.1). The Dasho Dzongda shall forward the application made in the form as specified in Schedule 1 to the concerned Divisional Forest Officer for field verification and technical review including the confirmation of the legal status of the area concerned (Rule 4.2). After approval obtained from the Minister of Agriculture the Divisional Forest Officer shall demarcate the forest area and hand it over to the users group by signing a contract as set out in Schedule 2 (Rule 4.3). The same officer shall issue a certificate of ownership in respect of the area made in the form as set out in Schedule 3. The concerned Range Officer shall prepare together with the users' group a management plan for the prosed Community Protected Forest. The plan shall be reviewed by the Divisional Forest Officer. The users' group shall be responsible for the protection and management of the protected area (Rule 4.4.3). Activities prohibited in the Community Protected Area include: use of land in any other manner as prescribed in the management plan; mining and hunting; use of lands as gardens or orchards or for growing permanent crops or shifting cultivation (Rule 6). Forest resources inside the Community Protected Forest are shared property. The proceeds from the sale or supply of forest products shall flow into a revolving fund account of the users' group and shall be used for measures of maintenance and improvement of forest resources (Rules 7.5 and 7.6). Produce may also be exported if it exceeds the local demand (Rule 7.8). Rule 8 provides for the monitoring of the sale of forest products and the keeping of records. Rule 9 obliges the users' group the report annually on the status of the Community Protected Forests. The Rules are completed by 3 Schedules).