Socio-ecological impact of forest legislations on forest and forest-people of Jhargram District, West Bengal

Abstract

For thousands of years, the first settlers of the sub-continent anchored in the vast inland forest ecosystems. These first settlers are still surviving in different residual forest patches and are known as Aboriginals or tribal people. As a livelihood strategy, forest people used to tame the services of the forest ecosystem according to their needs while maintaining a narrow ecological balance. The traditional social, cultural, and religious practices and beliefs of the forest people were not devoid of the forest ecosystem. Secondary data on the overlapping of forest patches indicates their coexistence. The indigenous forest people of Jhargram district, those dependent on the services of forest ecosystems have been deeply affected by the forest policies implemented before and after India's independence. The expansion of government control over the forest resources for maximization of revenue, particularly in colonial times, paved the way to restrict forest people to access the benefits of forest ecosystem services. The main objective of this study is to analyze the impact of various regulations on forest and forest-dependent tribal people in the Jhargram District of West Bengal. The discussion has revealed some specific impacts of the forest legislation, direct and indirect in nature, on their habitat, occupation, and social and nutritional conditions. These impacts have been assessed on the basis of primary data and information generated from the field and some certain indicators. Statistical and computational techniques have been used to assess various impact. The findings attest that the effects of such legislation are consequent more upon the habitat and livelihood of the tribal groups than the non-tribal human communities.