Forest rights, tiger reserve rules keep tribes vulnerable in TN

CHENNAI: After the demise of the dreaded forest brigand Veerappan in 2004, Sathyamangalam forest bounced back with its elephant and tiger population. Subsequently, the forest was declared as Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve.

The flip side is that 20 years later, the plight and livelihood conditions of the local community have been adversely affected due to the reserve rules upheld by various court orders.

A recent field study by the former principal chief conservator of forest Arunu Basu Sarcar and a retired forest ranger J Elangovan revealed that the tribes and community people endemic to Erode Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve had not only lost their livelihoods but also their rights over the forests over the years.

In the latest finding published in the field guidebook, ‘Vana Urimai Angeegara Sattam’ (Forest Rights Act), the authors have zeroed in on Anthiyur forests (part of the Thanthai Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Erode), where villagers were deprived of their pastoral rights over forest land. And this had dwindled the population of the local cow breed ‘semmarai’ endemic to Bargur Hills. The reduction in cattle population had affected the income of local communities (Ayaar, Idayar and Kurumans).

Similarly, other tribes collecting eechamaru (phoenix loureroi), marapasi (parmotrima species), ettikaai (nux vomica), and siyakkai (acacia concinna) were denied rights over forest produce. As a result, the authors reveal in their field book, that the income or social status of these backward people had not improved.

The book backed by field photographs is a testimony to the tribes who are neglected. The constitution through the Scheduled Tribes and Traditional Forest Dwellers Act 2006 provides access to forest and forest produce for tribes, right to graze cattle but the Tiger Reserve rules, backed by court orders, had engulfed their rights, explained lead author Basu.

According to the book quoting the Forest Act, tribes should be allowed to carry forest produce by bicycle or overhead, but now entry and access are restricted. Similarly, the Forest Dwellers Act provides a school for local children, ration shop, electricity, pharmacy, a community hall and a registration process for married couples. But the act and its objectives are yet to give the maximum relief to the tribal population, Basu explained.

“The Centre is successful in declaring its 58th tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh, but the tribes and ethnic communities in these areas are pushed out of the forest. While the marginalised suffer, concepts like eco-tourism, resorts, corporate farming and restaurants mushroom inside the forest areas threatening the wildlife and forests,” said conservation scientist A Kumaraguru of Biodiversity Conservation Foundation.

Monitoring of anti-socials and poachers in forests and the welfare of tribes are two crucial concepts that wildlife managers often fail to strike a balance. “Despite multiple schemes particularly vulnerable tribes like Todas, Kotas, Irulas, Kurumbas, Kattunayakas and Paniyas are still backward in social and economic status,” opined Kumaraguru, who is also a member of Sathyamangalam Tiger Conservation Authority. “However other illegal and commercial activities have to be checked inside the core tiger reserves.”

When asked about the denial of forest rights to tribes, a forest official said, “There are landowners rearing cattle for commercial profits. There are contractors collecting solanum (sundakkai). Indiscriminate collection of honey and amla (nellikkai) are other issues. Also, the timber mafia and poachers have to be monitored. There is absolutely no problem for the tribes to harvest, consume and make a livelihood through forest produce, but the trigger is from other settlement communities who try to convert forests into farmlands.”