“When we [members of the Bettakurumba tribal community in the Nilgiri Biosphere] have to cut trees, we won’t cut all the trees; we will cut only what we need.” – Wildlife conservationist Ramesh in “Bomman thatha and his forest”, a conversation with his grandfather on “bonding between adivasi people and the forest” (At the Edge of Existence, 29 October 2014)
https://cultureandconservation.wordpress.com/2014/10/29/bomman-thatha-and-his-forest/
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=8262
Indu Netam, an Adivasi leader from Chhattisgarh, on Monday, slammed the plantation of eucalyptus and other commercial varieties of trees in tribal forest areas under Green India Mission (GIM), saying this was impacting their livelihoods. Addressing the media here on Monday, she said in the name of protecting the environment, fruit-bearing trees, medicinal and other … Read more
Also read “To know, is to protect” by Madhav Gadgil (excerpt) | Full text in The Hindu Opinion (13 June 2012) >>
The ITWWS is a women’s community-based development organization established in 1986. It was founded with the aim of protecting natural resources, empowering Irula women and using the Irula tribal knowledge of forest resources for economic prosperity. The organization started with five villages and now covers an area of over 100 villages in 4 districts. Because … Read more
We met adivasis who had been persecuted by the Naxalites, and other adivasis who had been tormented by the Salwa Judum vigilantes [i.e. “a strange, not to say bizarre, example of bipartisan co-operation“]. The situation of the community was poignantly captured by one tribal, who said […] “placed between the Maoists and the vigilantes, we … Read more