Forest Governance Strategy Group (FGSG)

The Forest Governance Strategy Group (FGSG) is an earnest attempt to take forward the Forest Governance Learning Group (FGLG), an initiative supported by International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), U.K. It aims to take FGLG to next level where a small group of forest sector experts can strategize innovative forest governance policies, processes, and institutions to eradicate poverty and to improve sustainability in forestry. During the course of the past FGLG discussions, the members had realized that forest administration in India is stuck in a vicious circle where it is the lowest priority in the political spectrum. The group had agreed the lack of national forum on forest governance has serious implications and that having a dedicated group of experts deliberating on feasible forest sector policy reforms would go a long way in supporting the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEFCC). Accordingly, Enviro Legal Defence Firm (ELDF) with a preliminary support of IIED decided to build on the discussions and lessons learnt from FGLG with a newly formulated national level peer group, team to be known as "Forest Governance Strategy Group" (FGSG), on sustainable forestry in India and later, South Asia.