Forest Fire Management Training for Van Mitras: Building Grassroots Capacity in Hamirpur Forest Division

30 Apr, 2026

Forest fire is a major human-induced disturbance affecting forest ecosystems and a significant cause of forest degradation in India. Repeated incidents of forest fire alter vegetation structure and composition, regeneration of plants within the forest, and consequent impact on faunal species which are dependent on them leading to overall loss in biodiversity. High frequency of forest fires in an area affects the availability of important forest ecosystem services such as water availability by decreasing soil moisture as well as leaf litter cover in an area. Over time, it leads to degradation of forest productivity and forest ecosystem services that local communities depend on.

Forest fires are both accidental and intentional and are often regulated by the social context of the local community of an area. Therefore, it is important to know and understand the social drivers behind setting the forest fire to manage it with the help of the local community and forest department.

With this background, Strengthening Gender Responsive Forest Ecosystems Management and Agroforestry (G-VAN) project in collaboration with Hamirpur Forest Division of Himachal Pradesh Forest Department organised a four-day training programme for two batches of Van Mitras on Forest Fire Management at Himachal Pradesh Forest Academy (HPFA), Sundernagar, Himachal Pradesh. A total of 68 Van Mitras from Hamirpur forest division participated in the training including 37 women participants.

The objective of the training was to strengthen the capacity of Van Mitras to understand the ecological and social dimensions of forest fire in India, including fire behaviour and its impact on forest ecosystems. It also focused on strengthening their knowledge of fire prevention strategies and methods for managing and controlling forest fires at the community level. The training included classroom sessions, group discussions and field-based learning to strengthen the capacity of Van Mitras to act as a bridge between scientific forest fire management practices and traditional community knowledge, thereby enabling more effective and participatory forest management.

The Van Mitra Scheme was launched by the Government of Himachal Pradesh in 2023 to create a formal institutional interface between the Forest Department and local communities, with the objective of strengthening community participation in the protection, conservation, and sustainable management of forest resources and ecosystem services. Under the scheme, one Van Mitra (“friend of the forest”) is engaged for each forest beat across the state to support the Forest Department in a range of forestry operations, including plantation activities, forest fire prevention and management, nursery operations, resin tapping, salvage work, forest protection, and other field-level conservation tasks. The scheme envisaged engagement of one Van Mitra for each forest beat in Himachal Pradesh to institutionalise grassroots participation in forest management. They are engaged for approximately six hours per day and receive an honorarium/incentive-based payment as per the provisions of the scheme, while also undergoing orientation and capacity-building in forestry operations and forest protection measures.

Such initiatives not only strengthen the preparedness at the grassroots level but also promote community-led management of forest resources and contribute towards increased climate resilience in the region.

Group work on presenting information collected during field visit 

Group Work Presentation 

Group Work Presentation 

Certificate Distribution 

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About the project

The Strengthening Gender Responsive Forest Ecosystems Management and Agroforestry (G-VAN) project promotes gender- and climate-resilient forest and agroforestry management to sustain natural resources and improve livelihoods in the states of Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh
Commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union, the project is led by India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) as the executing agency. It is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. A separate component supported by the European Union is being implemented in Rajasthan.Read More

For more information contact: biodiv.india@giz.de