Tip | Understanding India’s legislation known as Forest Rights Act and its relevance for tribal communities

The FRA was enacted in 2006 with the aim of protecting the claims of tribal communities over tracts of land or forests they have inhabited and cultivated for generations. It has the potential to democratise forest governance by recognising community forest resource rights over an estimated 85.6 million acres, thereby empowering over 200 million forest dwellers in over 1,70,000 villages. However, the FRA’s future is precariously balanced between the democratic control and protection of forests on the one hand and rapacious corporations backed by an unscrupulous political class on the other. It has become the site of a deep conflict. That is why it becomes important to understand what is at stake with the FRA. […]
[Farmer Duble Singh Patel]: “We have many benefits from the forest. We get medicinal herbs, fruits and tendu leaves. This clean environment is also because of the forest.” […]

Source: “Why forest rights matter: The demand is a call for upholding local practices of belonging” by Rajshree Chandra, The Indian Express, 17 March 2018
Address: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/maharashtra-farmers-protest-why-forest-rights-matter-5100519/
Date Visited: 22 October 2022

Myths and Facts About the Forest Rights Act
[The Act] makes conservation stronger by giving a power to communities to protect forests as well. This power is in addition to, not instead of the power that the Forest Department and other government agencies have. | Learn more >>
Campaign for Survival and Dignity [is] a national platform of tribal and forest dwellers’ organisations in ten States. The State federations affiliated to the Campaign are | Learn more >>
“There has to be an immediate end to conversion of forest land for non-forest purposes like industrialization and urbanization. All the rejected individual forest rights claims of tribals and other traditional forest dwellers in the state must be reviewed,” said forest rights campaigner Manohar Chouhan. The campaigners also feel that there is a need to identify habitats of 13 primitive tribal groups/ particularly vulnerable tribal groups living in our state and recognize their rights. – Times Of India, Sep 22, 2013
Adivasis are always at the receiving end as they were being prevented from collecting minor forest produce from forests and cases slapped against them. – The Hindu, Mysore, 27 October 2013

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