🌳 Who Should Govern Our Forests—People or Policies?

India’s forest governance is once again at a critical crossroads.

Historically, colonial rulers restricted forest access to extract timber and maximize economic gains—often at the cost of indigenous communities and biodiversity. Post-independence, laws like the Forest Rights Act (2006) aimed to fix that, empowering Gram Sabhas as key custodians of forest management.

But a recent decision by the Chhattisgarh Forest Department to declare itself the nodal agency for managing Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRR) risks reversing years of progress. This undermines the role of local communities who’ve lived in harmony with forests for generations.

The issue isn’t just policy—it’s about trust, decentralization, and ecological wisdom. Replacing community knowledge with rigid formats and centralized plans echoes colonial-era thinking. Forests aren't just timber stockpiles; they are ecosystems, cultures, and lifelines.

To truly protect our forests, we must restore agency to the people closest to them.

🟢 Forest conservation must be inclusive

🟢 Governance must be decolonized

🟢 Ecology must come before economics

Let’s rethink forest policy before it’s too late.

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