Governance of forest rights in Protected areas in India a case study of Parambikulam Tiger reserve

Abstract

The forest dwelling scheduled tribes (ST) have faced several challenges in newlinerelation to the exercise of their traditional rights over the forest and its newlineresources. The rights in relation to their forest habitat have not even newlinerecognised and they began to face threat in relation to eviction from the land, newlineaccess to resources etc. The status of Protected Areas (PA) with the newlineobjective of species conservation has added up this vulnerability. To undo newlinethis historical injustice and to recognise their role in the protection of the newlineforests, the parliament has enacted the Forest Rights Act (FRA) in 2006. The newlineobjectives of the present study were to study the framework of forest rights in newlinePAs in India, analyse the governance of Forest Rights and its realisation in newlineParambikulam Tiger Reserve. The data was collected from different newlinestakeholders through case study technique. The tools used were newlinequestionnaire and focus group interview. The data were analysed through newlinepercentage and represented in graphs. The study found that even after the newlineenactment of Forest Rights Act, the recognition and endorsement of all kinds newlineof forest rights particularly in Protected Areas as mandated under FRA, have newlinelimited progress. Other factors like participation and community involvement newlinein the activities like eco-tourism have strengthened the source of livelihood newlineand made significant advancement in reducing forest and wildlife crime. The newlinemajor challenges in relation to the FRA implementation in the PA of newlineParambikulam is the lower rate of awareness of STs on forest rights newlineincluding community forest rights and resources. The study revealed the newlinev newlineprogress regarding individual land rights recognised under FRA but several newlineassociated issues relating to land title are not adequately addressed. The newlinestudy also found that there is a further marginalisation in relation to the newlineaccess to basic facilities to the forest dwelling tribes inside the core area of newlinethe PA. Though the recognition of certain rights and required facilities as newlineenvisioned by the FRA were in plac