Gujarat government backtracks on granting CFR rights to Maldharis 

Despite granting 47 Community Forest Rights in 2015, the government, through a notification dated September 27, has asked for surveying the land, …

Reforms in India’s forest sector stuck in reverse gear

The proposed amendment to the IFA reveals the mindset of policymakers regarding the forest sector has not changed

‘The IFA amendment is a zero draft; all stakeholders will be involved later’

Director General of Forests, Siddhanta Das tells DTE that the proposed amendment in the Indian Forest Act is a mostly techno-legal exercise and …

Bengal forest department calls Gram Sabha ‘illegal’; files FIR against 11

Villagers from the Gram Sabha gathered near Bamini falls on the eve of Birsa Munda’s birthday 

Shelterless Kashmiri pastoralists denied benefits of Forest Rights Act

The migratory population is unable to repair their damaged huts as the government sits on claim forms   

Himachal Pradesh launches eviction drive, ignores forest rights of tribal farmers

More than 10,000 plots across the state’s forest areas have been identified for eviction

Why this Maharashtra village is fighting for the long forgotten Gramdan Act?

In a society that is moving towards hyper-individualism, the community here takes a collective approach

How accurate are government’s claims on forest rights in Odisha

A review by the Centre recently found Odisha to be the best performing state in forest rights implementation   

Community forest resources: Sustainable use, state norms must

No guidelines for gram sabhas to conserve or manage forest areas so far

Taking ownership: How forest-dwellers in Chhattisgarh, Odisha claimed rights over traditional boundary

The recent focus on CFRR under FRA marks a beginning of the second generation use of FRA.

Ten years of FRA: only 3 per cent of forest dwellers’ rights recognised

Collective rights to undo historic injustice meted out to indigenous people remain completely ignored by the states, says Citizens’ report

Forest Rights Act: From rights on paper to rights in practice

Local civil society organisations play a vital role in helping forest-dwelling communities assert and exercise their collective rights

Fight for forest rights: Why these Dhamtari Adivasis gave up over 100 acres of cropland to plant trees

Forest dwellers of Karipani and Budra villages were put through a trial by fire to prove they care about conservation

'Village forests have been pitted against community rights'

The proposed amendment of IFA is an attempt to keep power in the hands of the forest bureaucracy by playing up village forests against community …

Tribal ministry panels draft fresh guidelines for community forest, habitat rights

Gram Sabhas may get more power in managing community forest, habitat

The Forest Rights Act and self-help transformed this remote Odisha tribal village; here is how

Residents of Loyendia have regenerated forests and made a new dirt road within a decade of getting community forest resource rights

Study urges government to grant community rights to local forest dwellers

In tribal-dominated areas of the country, forests have always been traditionally managed by local communities

Building institutional foundations for community forest management

Forest commons can play a critical role in facilitating the resilience of India’s response to climate change

New CFR guidelines: Experts say regulations can undo India’s progress on forest governance

Rules show governmental unwillingness to embrace tribal diversity and culture, they say   

Changes to Forest Conservation Rules dilute forest rights, say tribal communities

Consent from forest dwellers not mandatory for changing land use under new amendments; Activists demand withdrawal

How can India overcome policy and institutional gaps in forest management

We need to recognise the Gram Sabha as empowered by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment 

State V Dongria Kondhs

Kalahandi Gram Sabhas write to NCST, invoke atrocities act against Jharkhand DFO

DFO illegally seized consignment of kendu leaves being transported from Odisha to West Bengal, federation of Gram Sabhas alleges

Global Eco Watch: Ice Age woolly rhino unearthed in Siberia

Down To Earth brings you the top happenings in the world of global ecology

How FRA helped India’s forest communities during COVID-19

Stories of hope have been reported from across the tribal areas of how communities survived due to FRA even as attempts have been made to dilute it