Community and the Conservation


 
 
Concept Explanation
 

Community and the Conservation

Community And Conservation: In India, forests are also home to many traditional communities In some areas local communities are struggling to conserve these habitats alongwith government officials. They have recognised that only this will secure their own longterm livelihood. The destruction of natural forests has severely affected many poor rural and tribal communities who depend on forest resources for fuel, fodder, food, medicine, housing etc. Due to this destruction many communities have taken to protests and other struggles.

Example of such protests and struggles are:

(i) In the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, villagers have fought against the mining activities taking place nearby by citing the Wildlife Protection Act.

(ii) The inhabitants of five villages in Alwar district of Rajasthan have declared 1200 acres of forest land as the Bhairodev Dakav Sonchuri (sanctuary). They have declared their own set of rules and regulations which do not allow hunting and are protecting the wildlife against any outside encroachments.

(iii) Many farmers and citizen groups have supported the Beej Bachao Andolan in Tehri district of Uttarakhand. It is a collective initiative on local food system conservation.

(w) Chipko movement launched by the women of district Chamoli in Uttarakhand has saved more than 12000 sq km of forests.

(v) An NGO called Navdanya, a network of seed keepers and organic producers spread across 16 states in India,has 54seed banks spread across the country. It has developed crop fertilisers.

Sacred Groves: A Wealth of Diverse and Rare Species: Nature worship is an age old tribal belief based on the premise that all creations of nature have to be protected. These have preserved several virgin forests and are called Sacred Groves (the forests of God and Goddesses). Any interference with them is banned by the local people.

  • For instance, the Mundas and Santhals of Chota Nagpur region worship mahua (Bassia latifolia) and kadamba (Anthocephalus cadamba) trees. The tribals of Odisha and Bihar worship the n.narind (Tamarindus indica) and mango (Mangifera indica) trees during weddings. 
  • Peepal and banyan trees are also considered sacred. in and around Bishnoi village in Rajasthan. herds of biackbuck, (chinkara), nilgai and peacocks can be seen as an integral part of the community and nobody harms them.
  • Joint Forest Management: Joint Forest Management (JFM) programmes have been launched by various State Governments. Under such programmes, village communities are assigned responsibility to protect and manage nearby forests. The areas concerned are usually degraded or even deforested areas.
  • In return, the members of these communities are entitled to intermediary benefits like non-timber forest produces and share in the timber harvested by successful protection. The first state to start this programme was Odisha in 1988.
  • Conclusion: To protect forest and wildlife resources, the communities are required to organise forest protection committees (Van Sanraksha Samiti or VSS), development societies etc. Each of these bodies has an executive committee that manages its day-to-day affairs. Still there is long way to go before local communities are at the centre-stage in decision-making.The government should adopt only those economic or developmental activities, that are people centric, environment-friendly and economically rewarding.

    Sample Questions
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    Question : 1

    In the Sariska ____________________ in Rajasthan, villagers have fought against the mining activities taking place nearby by citing the Wildlife Protection Act.

    Right Option : B
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    Explanation
    Question : 2

    Biome means :

    Right Option : A
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    Explanation
    Question : 3

    Which of the following are the examples of protest and struggles as a role of community in conservation of forest :

    (a) In the Chipko Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, villagers have fought against the mining activities taking place nearby by citing the Wildlife Protection Act.

    (b) The inhabitants of five villages in Alwar district of Rajasthan have declared some forest land as the Bhairodev Dakav Sonchuri (sanctuary)

    (c) Sariska movement launched by the women of district Chamoli in Uttarakhand has saved many forests.

    Right Option : B
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    Explanation
     
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