Protecting Guardians of Forest

Forest dwellers who have roamed the indian subcontinent for hundreds, sometimes thousands of years have a larger story to be narrated.

In India, consolidation of forest laws started during the British period with the inception of the Indian Forest Department in 1864 and scientific management of forests was introduced for planned and systematic management of the forests. Commercial interests of the then British Government motivated it to declare more and more lands as reserved forests, without ascertaining the rights of the tribals and other forest dwellers.

Even after independence in 1947, during the process of amalgamation of princely states, the activity of consolidation of government forests continued. However, no effective steps were taken to simultaneously settle the rights of tribals and other forest dwellers. The absence of records of rights that never existed for these people became the main constraint in resolving this issue. As a result, the rural people, especially tribals and forest dwellers who have been living in the forest since time immemorial, have come to be erroneously looked upon as encroachers of forest lands.

This book will take you through the history of forest laws, international conventions, and various law/ directions which protects these forest dwellers from illegal, arbitrary actions by the executives against them.