Abstract
The forest dependent indigenous communities in India are dependent on forest re-sources for their subsistence. In the present parlance of forest management in post-colonial India, most of these traditional products of the forest have been named non-timber forest produce (NTFP). The implicit dichotomy is between what constitutes timber, which can be sold at high prices in the market and is state property, and what is not timber, of less commercial value, and to which local communities can be allowed access. The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (or FRA) is a welcome piece of legislation to recognise the customary rights of forest dependent scheduled tribe and non-scheduled tribe communities who have been residing in such forests for generations but whose rights could not be recorded. The provisions enshrined in FRA gave special emphasis on the involvement of the traditional forest dwellers in the process of sustainable development, conservation of bio-diversity and maintenance of ecological balance since they have a vast knowledge of traditional knowledge of such practices.
How to cite this paper
The Status of Implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 in India with Special Reference to West Bengal
Atrayee Banerjee
Teaching faculty, Department of Human Rights, Basanti Devi College, Kolkata; Guest faculty in Post Graduation Degree Program in Human Rights, Department of Anthropology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata.
The forest dependent indigenous communities in India are dependent on forest re-sources for their subsistence. In the present parlance of forest management in post-colonial India, most of these traditional products of the forest have been named non-timber forest produce (NTFP). The implicit dichotomy is between what constitutes timber, which can be sold at high prices in the market and is state property, and what is not timber, of less commercial value, and to which local communities can be allowed access. The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (or FRA) is a welcome piece of legislation to recognise the customary rights of forest dependent scheduled tribe and non-scheduled tribe communities who have been residing in such forests for generations but whose rights could not be recorded. The provisions enshrined in FRA gave special emphasis on the involvement of the traditional forest dwellers in the process of sustainable development, conservation of bio-diversity and maintenance of ecological balance since they have a vast knowledge of traditional knowledge of such practices.
