Conserving the Heritage & Forest Rights.

NEWS HIGHLIGHT 

Theme : Conservation of Environment, Environmental impact assessment, FRA.
Paper:GS - 3

Of the 39 areas declared by UNESCO in 2012 as being critical for biodiversity in the Western Ghats, 10 are in Karnataka.

TABLE OF CONTENT

1. Context
2. About Forest Rights Act (FRA)
3. Challenges with FRA
4. Issues faced by people falling under eco-sensitive zone
5. How UNESCO declares areas as critical biodiversity?
6. About the World Heritage Convention
7. Road Ahead

Context : Of the 39 areas declared by UNESCO in 2012 as being critical for biodiversity in the Western Ghats, 10 are in Karnataka.
 

About Forest Rights Act (FRA) : 

• The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006.
• It was adopted by Parliament in 2006 to ‘undo the past injustices’ endured by indigenous people. 
• The Act also aims to shift away from the excess state control of the forests which were kept away from the purview of public discourse and discussion. 
• This democratizes and gives a respectful recognition to the tribal identity.

Challenges with FRA : 

• Issues with land measuring:
• The majority of the forest dwellers claimed land measuring not more than one acre. 
• It is clear that the claims were nowhere close to the ceiling of four hectares permitted under the Forest Rights Act (FRA).
• The rejection rate of the other traditional forest dwellers was two times more than the STs. 
• Failure to provide evidence:
• One of the major reasons for this Act to be described as contentious is the high rate of rejection of the claims.
• In few cases of traditional forest dwellers, it was mainly failure to produce evidence of dependency and dwelling on forest land for 75 years.
• Severe restrictions:
• The people in the villages falling under eco-sensitive zones said they have started experiencing severe restrictions on their entry into the forest. 
• Development activities like road repair have been stopped. Farming is not allowed in a normal way, a slight sound is demurred, the use of fertilizers is banned, and even a small knife is not allowed to be carried into the forest. 
• The people are prohibited from cutting trees falling on their houses to undertake repair work or move the earth.
• Animal insurgency: 
• The increasing animal insurgency is causing damage to the crops of the farming forest dwellers. 
• Those who don’t have recognition over their lands are not given compensation for the loss.
• Issues with the livestock & grazing lands:
• Owning livestock in the villages close to forests is more challenging than in regular revenue villages. 
• In the areas where irrigation projects have come up, the affected people reported that grazing lands have been taken over by
• Deprived of basic facilities:
• Most forest dwellers said they were still deprived of basic facilities and other government benefits extended under various schemes and programmes as they don’t possess the ‘Records of Rights, Tenancy and Crops’ that is required along with the title of the land. 
• The government must address this issue in consonance with the rules of the Act.
• Issue of relocation in Karnataka:
• Half the world heritage sites in Karnataka fall under protected areas:
• National Park: 1
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: 4 and 
• The remaining are reserved forests. 
• The issue becomes complicated when the people refuse to ‘relocate’ on grounds of their attachment to the land fearing extinction of their culture and religious roots. 
• Hence, the government must bring more clarity to the Act to avoid conflicts between the government agencies conserving biodiversity and the people living in the forest for over decades and centuries.

Issues faced by people falling under eco-sensitive zone : 

• The people in the villages falling under eco-sensitive zones: they started experiencing severe restrictions on their entry into the forest.
• Development activities like road repair have been stopped.
• Farming is not allowed in a normal way, the use of fertilizers is banned, and small knives are not allowed to be carried into the forest.
• The people are prohibited from cutting trees falling on their houses to undertake repair work or move the earth.
• The increasing animal insurgency is causing damage to the crops of the farming forest dwellers.
• Those who don’t have recognition over their lands are not given compensation for the loss.
• Monkeys and snakes released from urban settings into the forests enter their houses.
• People reported that grazing lands have been taken over by the government to compensate for the forest land lost to projects.

How UNESCO declares areas as critical biodiversity?

• UNESCO seeks the opinion of the inhabitants on the implication of the possible declaration on their lives and livelihoods.
• The primary stakeholders were Scheduled Tribes (STs).
• Other traditional forest dwellers include
• Scheduled Castes (SCs)
• Other Backward Classes,
• minorities
• general category.
• In Karnataka; Majority said that they were not aware of the process that led to the declaration of UNESCO heritage sites.

About the World Heritage Convention : 

• The convention:
• The World Heritage Convention, formally the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, is an international treaty signed on 23 November 1972, which created the World Heritage Sites, 
• Goal:It has the primary goals of nature conservation and the preservation of cultural properties.
• Outcomes:
• Presenting the declaration of the world heritage site in a positive light, many locals have noted that illegal tree-felling and poaching have come down following the stringent implementation of rules in the ‘protected areas’.

Road Ahead : 

• The government must bring more clarity to the Act to avoid conflicts between the government agencies conserving biodiversity and the people living in the forest for over decades and centuries.
• The conservation of biodiversity requires special attention: forest dwellers willing to live in the forest must be allowed to stay.
• Those wanting to experience the fruits of development must be relocated according to their choice of a new place and a suitable package.

FAQs : 

1. What is The World Heritage Convention?

ANS. 

• The World Heritage Convention, formally the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, is an international treaty signed on 23 November 1972, which created the World Heritage Sites, 
• Goal:It has the primary goals of nature conservation and the preservation of cultural properties.

2. What is FRA ?

ANS. 

• The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006.
• It was adopted by Parliament in 2006 to ‘undo the past injustices’ endured by indigenous people.