This monograph presents a comprehensive account of environmental history of India and its tribals from the late eighteenth onwards, covering both the colonial and post-colonial periods. The book elaborately discusses the colonial plunder of forest resources up to the introduction of the Forest Act (1878) and focuses on how colonial policy impacted on the Indian environment, opening the floodgates of forest resources plunder, primarily for timber and to establish coffee and tea plantations. The book argues that even after the advent of conservation initiatives, commercial exploitation of forests continued unabated while stringent restrictions were imposed on the tribals, curtailing their access to the jungles. It details how post-colonial governments and populist votebank politics followed the same commercial forest policy till the 1980s without any major reform, exploiting forest resources and also encroaching upon forest lands, pushing the self-sustainable tribal economy to crumble. The book offers a comprehensive account of India’s environmental history during both colonial and post-colonial times, contributing to the current environmental policy debates in Asia.

This book uses empirical data to articulate the issues of the Indian tribal economy in general and the role of minor forest produce in the tribal economy in particular. It throws new light on hitherto under-researched areas, especially those related to the significance of minor forest produce. This book is primarily based on the functioning of the tribal economy and draws on the experience gained by the author during his sojourn as a research scholar working the debt of tribal farmers and the technological gap in tribal agriculture. Empirical evidence is given in the present book to explore the validity of the earlier hypotheses in respect of the contribution of minor forest produce to the total income of the tribal households. Furthermore, a statistical analysis is undertaken to ascertain the relative contribution of each forest product to the augmentation of tribal earnings. The empirical work in this book also corroborates the theories of dependency between the forest and the tribals.

Tropical forests are an undervalued asset in meeting the greatest global challenges of our time—averting climate change and promoting development. Despite their importance, tropical forests and their ecosystems are being destroyed at a high and even increasing rate in most forest-rich countries. The good news is that the science, economics, and politics are aligned to support a major international effort over the next five years to reverse tropical deforestation. Why Forests? Why Now? synthesizes the latest evidence on the importance of tropical forests in a way that is accessible to anyone interested in climate change and development and to readers already familiar with the problem of deforestation. It makes the case to decisionmakers in rich countries that rewarding developing countries for protecting their forests is urgent, affordable, and achievable.

With a long history and deep connection to the Earth’s resources, indigenous peoples have an intimate understanding and ability to observe the impacts linked to climate change. Traditional ecological knowledge and tribal experience play a key role in developing future scientific solutions for adaptation to the impacts. The book explores climate-related issues for indigenous communities in the United States, including loss of traditional knowledge, forests and ecosystems, food security and traditional foods, as well as water, Arctic sea ice loss, permafrost thaw and relocation. The book also highlights how tribal communities and programs are responding to the changing environments. Fifty authors from tribal communities, academia, government agencies and NGOs contributed to the book. Previously published in Climatic Change, Volume 120, Issue 3, 2013.

This book offers a bird’s eye view of the economic and environmental history of the Indian peninsula during colonial era. It analyses the nature of colonial land revenue policy, commercialisation of forest resources, consequences of coffee plantations, intrusion into tribal private forests and tribal-controlled geographical regions, and disintegration of their socio-cultural, political, administrative and judicial systems during the British Raj. It explores the economic history of the region through regional and ‘non-market’ economies and addresses the issues concerning local communities. Comprehensive, systematic and rich in archival material, this book will be useful to scholars and researchers in history, especially those concerned with economic and environmental history.

This book uses empirical data to articulate the issues of the Indian tribal economy in general and the role of minor forest produce in the tribal economy in particular. It throws new light on hitherto under-researched areas, especially those related to the significance of minor forest produce. This book is primarily based on the functioning of the tribal economy and draws on the experience gained by the author during his sojourn as a research scholar working the debt of tribal farmers and the technological gap in tribal agriculture. Empirical evidence is given in the present book to explore the validity of the earlier hypotheses in respect of the contribution of minor forest produce to the total income of the tribal households. Furthermore, a statistical analysis is undertaken to ascertain the relative contribution of each forest product to the augmentation of tribal earnings. The empirical work in this book also corroborates the theories of dependency between the forest and the tribals.

This handbook is designed for staff in protected areas around the world who encounter conflicts of all kinds. It presents a framework and strategies for responding to different types of conflicts, along with case studies that describe a variety of approaches for dealing with conflict.