Gakarkheda forest derives its name from ‘Gakar’, a plant species, which was extensively cultivated during 1970s. In Ghakarkheda Village, agriculture and agriculture wage labour are the chief sources of livelihood. By 1995 the intrusion of the adjoining Villages in Gakarkheda had reduced dense forest into shrub habitat. The community extracts fuel wood from the forest and also collects medicinal plants for treating local diseases. Because the forest has a significant role in the life of the rural community, the Village unanimously decided to conserve the area and initiated patrolling of the Reserve Forest. In 1999 the Forest Protection Committee was formed by the Forest Department. The committee has devised numnerous bye-laws for the protection and conservation of the forest.