India, Feb. 24 -- The delay in municipal corporation elections has stalled the formation of Urban Joint Forest Management Committees (UJFMCs) in Pune and other metro cities in Maharashtra, leading in turn to various management challenges such as increased forest fires, unregulated tourism, hindered plantation efforts, and difficulties in wildlife conservation. So much so that residents and environmentalists are now urging a modification in the law to allow members of legislative assembly (MLAs) to take on the responsibilities of UJFMCs in the absence of corporators.

The concept of joint forest management has existed in India since the 1980s, though there is no official record of when UJFMCs were first formed in Maharashtra. However, the ...