Rajasthan’s latest draft forest policy proposes strict control over mining
The Rajasthan government has proposed a new draft forest policy which will drive the management and protection of forest in the largest state of India in the next 10 years.…
Removing forest dwellers from areas to protect biodiversity costs more than involving them: report
The cost of relocating tribal people, forest dwellers and pastoral communities for biodiversity conservation in India, is projected to be over a thousand times more than the cost of community-based…
Is joint community ownership the way forward for mineral governance in India?
“Mining companies come to our villages and our forests to exploit the resources underneath and everyone in the value chain makes money. But it is the tribal community that bears…
Forest officers demand better social security and firearms
Miffed with poor support from the government for their welfare and protection while performing their duties, the association of the Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers has sought a series of…
Uttarakhand’s draft ecotourism policy could threaten biodiversity
About 65 percent of India’s hill state of Uttarakhand is forested. Now, a latest proposed ecotourism policy suggests using vast stretches of these forests for ecotourism activities. While the policy…
Chhattisgarh government’s flip-flop on forest rights
The Chhattisgarh government revised its May 28 order making the state forest department the nodal agency of the CFRR (community forest resource rights), which is under the Forest Rights Act,…
Community conservation strengthens biodiversity in Similipal Tiger Reserve
Protecting natural forests and wildlife has been a way of life for indigenous communities inside Similipal Biosphere in Odisha. Their efforts have been recognised a few years ago under the…
No increase in forestry budgets of states due to ecological fiscal transfers, says study
Even though Indian states budgeted 19 percent more money for forestry in three years after the introduction of ecological fiscal transfers (EFTs) than in the three years prior to its…
Land banks to help economy post lockdown could threaten poor communities
With governments looking to attract investment and jump-start the economy that has taken a beating due to COVID-19, land banks are once again in the limelight, but pursuing the idea…
Relocation of tribal people living around Similipal Tiger Reserve forceful, claim locals
Odisha’s Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR), which spreads across an area of 2,200 square kilometres, is caught between the animals, which have earned it national fame, and the local tribal people…
