OUR FORESTS, OUR PEOPLE

– BY MILIND THATTE
Synopsis
The author has been working with tribes or forest-dwelling communities for last ten years. Having worked on education and drinking water issues in the tribal villages, the author is currently working on decentralized governance of forest resources and resource conservation by local communities. He has been actively involved in explaining the forest rights act and its potential in ensuring prosperity of the forests and people to tribal villagers through Padyatra and other initiatives. He has traversed tribal villages in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat for writing this book. The book enriched with the history of forests and forest rights has its main focus on narrating the real time stories of tribal villages as in 2010. He has explored the issues of struggle and resistance between the forest-dwellers and the system as well as the potential of communities to conserve and manage forest resources. He also brings out and recommends certain policy actions and community actions that can ensure peace and prosperity in India’s forests. The title highlights the attitude of the author to this issue: it is not an issue of forests versus people. People and forests can be saved and nourished together.

Excerpts from the Foreword

The book has a foreword by eminent tribal issues expert Prof. Sharad Kulkarni.

“Shri Milind Thatte has surveyed 30 villages in the 3 states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. The object was to find out the awareness and perceptions of forest-dwelling people about the Forest Rights Act and about forest along with some background information on the availability of forest produce and livelihood options… One must go through the book to understand the findings of the survey.

Based on the findings of the survey, Shri Milind Thatte has made some recommendations to improve the implementation of the Act…

The study brings out many interesting facts about agricultural lands to be covered under the Act. This is a very timely study that will help the voluntary organizations and the government functionaries involved in the implementation of the Act. The Act provides a rare opportunity to undo some of the ill effects of historic injustice done centuries ago. Such a historic opportunity must not be lost. This is a unique opportunity and also a challenge.”

Sharad Kulkarni

Following notes throw light on the contents of each chapter of the book.

Beginning

This explains what ignited the author to write this book. Read it now

Historic Injustice

This is about history of India’s forests and of the people who always lived in forests. It is a story of hijacking of natural resources, control of colonial and national bureaucracies, the alienation of the forest-dwellers from their resources, and their century-old struggle for rights to survival.

What forest, what rights?

This gives a glimpse of what India’s forests are and what potential – of conservation and destruction – the forest rights have in store. The book is written after two years of implementation of the FRA (Forest Rights Act)

The land of Shabari

This chapter introduces the tribal belt of Dangs (Gujarat): its forest wealth, its history, and the people living and dependent on these forests. It also hints at the burning issues in this region, elaborated in the later chapters. The author has included three stories from this land of Shabari. Read it now


Bottom bricks of a falling pyramid

This is a story of a village which has a dense forest, but the tiger has disappeared. Villagers tell the author why. The source of the problem is found to be at the bottom of the ecological pyramid, not at the top where tiger has its place.

Surviving is Illegal

This is a story of three tribal villages with the least development of infrastructure and livelihoods. It is their struggle for sustaining traditional livelihood that is met with punitive violence of the state. The story happens in the state with galloping growth rates – Gujarat. Read it now

Path after winning

A village has earned its rights over forest resources and is running a system of forest governance. This article highlights the challenges and opportunities that this village has in store.

Behind the maze of Neem

Here the author introduces readers to his second region of study: the west Nimad region of Madhya Pradesh. This region with its rugged terrains and rich history of Bhil warriors presented another set of challenges before the author.

Participation, what?

Nimad region of MP is said to be a pioneer of people’s participation in forest management. The author met Forest Dept officials and asked them to recommend the best villages in Joint Forest Management. And this chapter is what he found there.

It’s all a fault of your great grandpa!

The forest dwellers other than Scheduled tribes have a discriminatory provision in the forest rights act. This chapter is about their plight and how the government has dealt with their issue in MP.

Morale of Gadhtal

Village Gadhtal put a struggle against ‘encroachment’ by Forest Dept. It is a story of a people ignorant of law and a government department breaking the law. It raises a question: will these people become Naxals? Read it now

To the south of Narmada

This is introduction to the Satpuda mountain region in Nandurbar district of Maharashtra. This is the worst denuded forest area in the area of study. It has also been the hot-bed of displacement by Sardar Sarovar and anti-dam protests. The next two stories present the current reality of this region.

Get something to burn

Village Telkhedi has nude mountains and it is shocking to know what the people are using to cook their food. This is a story of the village that has near nothing to burn in the chulha.

Grass of hope

One village the author found had grass. And that was a big deal. How did this village keep its grass when other villages have nothing but husks to feed the cattle?

A teak every 20 years

The next few chapters are not stories of particular villages or regions. These are some generic issues of managing the resource that is finite but replenishable. Consumption of timber and other forest products by the local community is often blown up as a big cause of deforestation. This chapter tries to explore this issue: how much do the tribal people really consume?

Thinning threads of conservation

The tribal communities have traditions of conservation. This chapter brings out such traditions and also the forces that are weakening the traditions.

Counter point

The environmentalists from urban background, even those with genuine concern for forests and environment often criticise community rights on forests and support centralised bureaucracies managing the forests. This chapter is an argument author puts forth against an email by his environmentalist friend.

The path ahead

Here the author envisions some concrete suggestions that can improve the implementation of policies and Acts in order to save our forests and our people.

March of Ants

The author is not day-dreaming when he speaks of community conserving the forests. This small chapter delineates his experiences of actually working with the tribal communities in the villages where he volunteers with a local organization. The tribal youth are coming together to protect and manage their forests.

Survey findings, Analysis and Recommendations

This is the last chapter of the book. It is the report that the author has shared with the committee of Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Ministry of Environment & Forests that is monitoring the implementation of Forest Rights Act.

Some excerpts from the book can be read at: http://forestsandpeople.wordpress.com