Private funds for Madhya Pradesh forests: Beware of legal concerns, warn experts
MP government plans to hand over 37,420 sq km degraded forest to private companies for afforestation
How to plant trees for development
There is no economic value seen in forests, but there is value seen in the development project for which forestland is required
Jharkhand
Most politicians and activists see the Forest Conservation Act as a hurdle towards empowering the tribal population. They want the act amended
Uttaranchal
The process of alienating people from natural resources has not stopped, even with the attainment of statehood
Chattisgarh
Fighting the drought preoccupies the new government. Charting a mining policy to explore the rich mineral deposits is next on the agenda
Chipping away
Time was, when the Saranda forest cover was so dense that even the sun's rays couldn't penetrate it. Ironically, denudation has driven the region …
Poor little rich states
Rich in natural resources but extremely poor, the three new states are in need of a new strategy for development. But no blueprints have been …
Solo Performances
Besides the communities who have done exemplary work in the field of environment, several individuals are making a difference in the lives of …
Hamlets reborn
Although Bhaonta-Kolyala village walked away with the Down To Earth-Joseph C John Award, the judges came across several such communities worthy …
Awarded : Bhaonta-Kolyala
... for reviving the Arvari river, for showing that a healthy ecology and good water management mean prosperity, for proving that drought is a myth
Chhattisgarh revokes: Forest dept no longer nodal agency for community rights
Chhattisgarh government reinstates the role of the forest department to coordinate claims that are to be filed by communities, …
Another Maharashtra village demands community forest rights
Tribal village Pachgaon to follow Mendha Lekha; to hold bamboo sale as protest to gain community forest rights
Is Maharashtra tendu trade rule amendment a trap for gram sabhas?
Forest department's move may be a ploy to retain control over trade in forest produce, say activists
Forest paradox
To give forest dwellers their due rights, forest governance must go beyond the environment and include the communities at stake
A tale of two interpretations
Aparna Pallavi recounts struggles of residents of a tiny village in the Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra to get ownership of forest resources
Don’t take away Gram Sabha’s powers under FRA: activists petition Modi
‘Central government's attempts to do away with consent of Gram Sabhas for diverting forests unconstitutional’
Ministers mount pressure to dilute Forest Rights Act
Tribal affairs minister asked to withdraw objections to Maharashtra’s Village Forest Rules that allow forest department take control over …
Baigas cheated of community forest rights
Madhya Pradesh village given rights over agricultural and residential land instead of forestland
'Community rights must figure in the Forest Bill'
The raging controversy over the regressive draft Forest Bill has dumped the onus of defending it on minister of state for environment and forests …
On The Warpath
They prefer to be called the 'forest castes'. They are the 2,000,000-odd villagers living in some 10,000 villages across Orissa. After …
A belief in tradition
It was a unique ceremony for a unique award given to a unique rural community of India. In what is perhaps the first ceremony of its kind, …
‘Forest department is the encroacher’
When V Kishore Chandra Deo became the Union Minister for Panchayati Raj and Tribal Affairs three months ago, both the ministries were in inertia.…
Saga of two villages
Sukhomajri was a dirt-poor village in Haryana. It started pulling itself out of its hole in the late 1970s, making a dizzying ascent to …
Wealth of forests withheld
Forest departments across the country owe millions of rupees to communities. For 20 years communities toiled under the Joint Forest Management …