Meenakshi Singh, Research Assistant, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata (MA Environment and Development, School Of Human Ecology, Ambedkar University Delhi, 2012-14) Exploring Inclusive Ecological Restoration: A Case Study in Mining Restoration at Bolani, Odisha Abstract : Extensive mining in Saranda Forest Range (Jharkhand and Odisha) has led to a decline in the forest cover of the area. Along with ecology, this has also disturbed the human societies living in the vicinity and has affected their cultural and economic relations with the forests. Ecological Restoration being undertaken in the area has paved the way for recovering lost forest ecosystems. Though, the science of ecological restoration has been thorough in defining scientific or ecological parameters for restoration, much has been left unexplored regarding the involvement of people in it. The present study aims at exploring how local communities can be incorporated in the process of ecological restoration so as to make it more sustainable and locally beneficial. The study concerns itself with the practice of ecological restoration within the realms of mining, tribes and forests. The research is conducted in Tatiba, a village in Jharkhand with a predominantly tribal population. The village is situated next to a restoration plot (Odisha), amidst Saranda Forest Range and various mining sites. The study site harbours huge deposits of iron and manganese which are being mined, and is also home to dense forests dominated by Sal, Shorea robusta. Objectives of the study are (1) to understand the present natural resource use of the people of Tatiba Village and (2) to explore inclusion of local needs and ethno-biology of these people in an ongoing restoration project. Methods employed to do the research included survey of literature and secondary data collection to establish the general social and ecological history of the area; transect walks with key informants, focussed group discussions and semi-structured questionnaire to establish present natural resource use and social structure of the village; and choice experiments to identify local communities’ expectations from restoration project. Through choice experiments village people were asked their preference from the given choices for restoration outcomes. Choice sets consisted of six different options such as native forests, timber plantation, and parks, based on different levels of utility for the village people. Majority of the sampled population preferred the option of native forests as the restoration product, though choice preferences varied significantly among people with different quantum of forest dependence, and, between men and women. It was also found that the sampled households have moderate to high usage of forests, for daily purposes like fuel-wood and livestock grazing, and forest products are a major source of income. The study infers that ecological restoration builds on many ecological theories such as succession and community ecology, leading to complexity and difficulty in defining achievable goals for restoration; and, human needs and desires emanating from economic and cultural spheres increase this complexity. However, including local populations who have high usage of forest (as in the present case) and suffer from resource curse, has ethical and practical significance. To conclude, Inclusive Restoration is difficult but possible, with a restoration plan that adequately addresses the demands and limitations of ecology as well as society.

• published: 06 Nov 2015
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