interview
Forest Departments, Incentives and the Environment
2020
Summary
Activists from ARCH-Vahini argue that India's forest crisis stems not from tribal overuse but from the state's takeover of common-pool resources. The original 'tragedy of commons' rationale for state forestry ignored that forest-dwelling communities operated regulated commons sustainably for centuries — they bore both the benefits of healthy forests and the costs of degradation, giving them strong stewardship incentives. Once the Forest Department took over, tribals lost both rights and interest, and the department itself perpetrated the largest post-Independence destruction by clear-felling multi-species forests for monoculture plantations in the 1960s–70s, while blaming tribals.
The speaker argues the Forest Rights Act reverses this by restoring community and individual rights over minor and major forest produce. In roughly 30–50 villages where ARCH-Vahini works, Gram Sabhas became active once rights were recognized, turned away outside loggers, and stopped internal cutting. Denuded hilltops in their working area have regenerated into thick forest since 1989 with no plantation spending — only community protection against cutting and forest fires. The lesson: secure long-term tenure is what aligns local incentives with regeneration, which is a 5–10 year horizon.
Key points
- The 'tragedy of commons' rationale for state forestry ignored that village-level regulated commons functioned sustainably because users bore both upside and downside.
- Post-Independence, the Forest Department itself clear-felled large tracts of productive multi-species forest to create plantations — the biggest assault on Indian forests.
- State ownership creates open-access conditions where individual foresters lack stake; smuggling and illegal cutting often involve forest officers who blame tribals.
- The Forest Rights Act restores rights over minor and major forest produce, reviving local incentives to preserve and regenerate.
- In ARCH-Vahini's 30–50 villages, Gram Sabhas became active once rights were recognized and turned away outside loggers from Maharashtra.
- Forest regeneration is a 5–10 year horizon; insecure tenure (e.g., rejected individual claims) collapses the incentive to invest in protection.
- Denuded hilltops in the working area have regenerated into thick forest since 1989 with only community protection — no plantation investment.
Transcript
Forest Departments, Incentives and the Environment
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrOK1gu3-Cc Duration: 463.9s
Speaker (00:05): The very idea. The very idea. And that this was also in a way, in a way, this was also the so-called rationale for the creation of forestry. The whole thing was that these are common lands not owned by any individuals. Forests are — is the common resource, common property resource. So if not regulated by state, it would lead to tragedy of commons, and we would lose if it is left, if the things are left on its own. The people would destroy it because no single person owns this land or owns forest. So it would — tragedy of commons would be. So unless and until we have a state authority which controls and manages this resource, this resource would be lost. That was the whole reason for creation of forestry. Now there is a very good article by Ridley, Ridley, Ridley. Ridley. Ridley. In fact, that is — although this was a commons, this is, this is a common area. It’s a regulated commons because people are living there on the ground, and they know that who is extracting more and who is extracting, who is overusing, and who is underusing, so they can easily control. So a regulated common, well-regulated common can function sustainably for a very long time. Initially, they had all the rights over the resource. They could use it, and they could benefit if the resource is in good health. And they would have to pay a price if the resource is in the bad health. So they had all the incentive to preserve and regenerate and use it in a proper way. But once this — it becomes forest department properties, the tribals who are living there, other forest communities who are living in the midst of the forest, they lost all interest in protecting this forest, forest, because they won’t get — in any case, they won’t get anything that belong to the forest. So even outsiders started coming, destroying the forest. And most of the destruction of forest post-Independence — it was done by the forest department legally. They took down — I don’t know whether you know or not. During sixties and seventies, large tracts of very productive multi-species forests were clearly removed, clear-felled. All trees were cut to create plantations, in plantations. That was the major assault on the forests of India, during which most of the forests were destroyed. These were destroyed by forest department, not the tribals. And — and so even forest department is an agency, government agency. So individual foresters, they don’t have that that type of commitment, some in there, some exceptions apart. Generally, the people don’t have that much stake. It belongs to the state, and it is open access. So hardly — most of the time, you find that forest officers are involved in illegal smuggling of wood, illegal cutting, encouraging cutting also. And — and at that time and at the same time, blaming tribals for the loss of forests. So they could get away, get away, get away with lots of things and blaming tribals for the same thing. That happens. On-the-ground priority. And that is what the Forest Rights Act is also — aims. Its overall philosophy is that if you give to the local communities the rights over the resource, that is why the ownership of not only minor forest produce, but also even of major forest produce matters. The very fact that you have — you have the right to manage the forest, and then it gives us strength. We have seen it. And their incentive to preserve, regenerate, recreate forest goes up like anything. And we have seen this with our own eyes. Once the Forest Rights Act came into being and people were confident that now all the rights are going to be recognized, not only individual rights, but community rights. And community rights have also been recognized. We immediately saw in our area. We are working with about thirty, fifty villages in that whole area. Everywhere Gram Sabhas became active, they informed our neighbors from Maharashtra and other places who were coming to cut the trees in their area that now the forest belong to us. And whole thing stopped. They also respected it. And the, the, the those, those who were coming, they also respected it. Now this belongs to the villagers, so now we cannot go and cut any tree without the permission of the local. But individuals within the forest, our in — yeah. Individuals within the villages, they also started respecting this. What happens is that this confidence, it all depends on whether the people have confidence that forest department will allow them to reap the benefits. First, preserving and regenerating forest is a long-term goal. You — you are not going to be able to see the forest regeneration within few years. Will take five years, ten years. And once if they regenerate the forest with all their efforts, after ten years, if they are not allowed to use, use the benefits of them, then — and when they lose this benefit, lose this confidence that they would be able to use it, they lost — they lose interest. Here we have seen that whenever individual forest rights, they are confident that now rights on agriculture are going to improve, they would start preserving the forest. Once they’ve done that is up, then then the rights are rejected. In the — even individual forest rights claims are rejected, and their enthusiasm to work for forest protection goes down. Stop doing it. No else. These all sorts of things happen. But once if you give them freedom and if you give them proper authority, then they are the people. And most of the enlightened foresters also recognize that without involving — involving local communities or without giving them the freedom to manage the forest in their own way, there is no way a government department can manage it immediately. That is very much very well known. So although this is counterintuitive, this is — it is one has to really see. We have seen in these villages where all the denuded hilltops, which were all denuded in just 1989, are now full thick thick with forests. They have regenerated forests without any major investment. No plantation, no other activity, just protection. The protection given by the villagers. Protection against harmful cutting and protection against forest fires. When the forest fires happen, they would go there and see to it that it does not spread. We take measures so that the forest fires do not occur. All these measures, they help a lot in regenerating forest. But one has — one needs to see these things with their own eyes. Normally, we can realize, realize that this is what happens.
Notable passages
"the tribals who are living there, other forest communities who are living in the midst of the forest, they lost all interest in protecting this forest, forest, because they won't get — in any case, they won't get anything that belong to the forest"
"most of the destruction of forest post-Independence — it was done by the forest department legally. They took down — I don't know whether you know or not. During sixties and seventies, large tracts of very productive multi-species forests were clearly removed, clear-felled."
"all the denuded hilltops, which were all denuded in just 1989, are now full thick thick with forests. They have regenerated forests without any major investment. No plantation, no other activity, just protection."
"if you give to the local communities the rights over the resource, that is why the ownership of not only minor forest produce, but also even of major forest produce matters"
"although this was a commons, this is, this is a common area. It's a regulated commons because people are living there on the ground, and they know that who is extracting more and who is extracting, who is overusing, and who is underusing, so they can easily control."
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