Monks battle to save forest

Villagers in Thailand find an unlikely ally in the Buddhist clergy to help their conservation efforts

Fostering change

The socioeconomic scenario of Panch Mahals in Gujarat has improved due to the active participation of tribal women in a forestry programme

Inter-ministerial panel for FRA: A giant step backwards, say experts

Forest experts raise concern over the Union environment ministry assuming central role in matters originally meant for the tribal ministry 

Colonial hangover persists

Forest Act Amendment Bill maintains the forest department as the supreme controlling agency

Halfway through

Tribal affairs ministy attempts to give forest dwellers their due welfare benefits, through a compromise

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

Centre to give Indian Forest Act a facelift

The environment ministry has started comprehensively amending the Act by “weeding out” and updating obsolete provisions

Time to act

The Madhya Pradesh government has recently sent a letter to the Prime Minister seeking changes in the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. The …

THE FOUNTAINHEAD DONGRIPARA, DHAMTARI DISTRICT, CHATTISGARH

Spark came from non-recognition as a village • Integrated management of forest and water • Sees self-governance as a matter of …

THE SECOND INDEPENDENCE

Tiny forgotten villages teach India a firsthand lesson in governance. Down To Earth reporters and photographers fan out to six states to discover …

A memo to the government

To be a truly participatory republic, India must take tutorials from these tiny republics

In Birsa's Land: Horomocho (Hazaribagh, Jharkhand)

A coal mine to own and manage • Sustainability not profit as a principle • Revival of an ancient Santhal system of governance

Unshakable: Nimalapedu (Vishakapatnam, Andhra Pradesh)

Reminded India of its constitutional mandate for village autonomy • Fought bauxite companies for not getting gram sabha consent • Has …

A Republican Paradise: Mendha (Gadchirolli, Maharashtra)

Defied the Forest Act ÔÇó Every resident contributes part of annual income for community works ÔÇó If somebody bribes a …

Disowned 100,000

Taungyas have lived in Uttar Pradesh for decades but law does not recognise them. FRA gives hope

Phasi wood for Jagannath chariot this year entirely from private lands; forest loss, climate change affecting natural supply

Phasi and Dhaura trees take 50-100 years to mature; this poses a challenge to the annual construction of chariots in the Puri Jagannath Yatra

Tribal ministry tells states to stop rejecting FRA claims on invalid grounds

In a letter dated June 27, Leena Nair, the then secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs had written to the chief secretaries of states raising …

Rejection of forest rights claims, poor coverage and missing data; all happening in Odisha

CAG audit makes scathing criticism about the failure of local authorities in creating awareness on FRA provisions amongst forest dwellers

Top committee for diverting forests recommends penalties for violating projects

The Forest Advisory Committee has said the environment ministry imposes “inconsistent and arbitrary" penalties

Two successive fires in Bandipur National Park; officials suspect role of tribals

The residents of a small tribal village are known for setting dried elephant dung on fire which might have caused the flame to spread

State inaction

The traditional forest dweller has had very few entitlements down centuries. Guardian of the forest, he has been regarded as encroacher by the …

Women in Odisha village take charge to fast track community forest rights

This isn’t the first time women have come together to not only protect forests, but also voice their demand for recognition of the Forest …

Kenya’s decision to lift 6-year ban on logging can be disastrous, say environmentalists

Illegal loggers and charcoal burners will take advantage of the directive to ruin forests, say experts

Forest dwellers in Similipal can guide us towards sustainability

Forest protection committees, comprising locals, took up the responsibility of safeguarding Similipal’s natural treasures

A forest title helped these 3 Odisha villages transform their traditional jungle; here is how

The residents can now use the produce of the forest in moderation, without interference from the forest department