THE ROLE OF FORESTS IN TRIBAL DEVELOPMENT: A REFLECTION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Today humanity stands at a crucial junction in its development. Never before have the earth’s resources including forests have been so greatly affected by our presence. There is now a widespread recognition that no resources in finite and its Sustainable Development are indispensable for our survival.India is land of nearly 10.4 million tribes which constitutes 8.6% of its total population and spread over 15% of its geographical area. Tribe has very close relation with the forest and their life and sustenance is harmonized with available forest resources. The ongoing pursuit for economic development and market pressure on government have forced policy-makers to convert forest land into large corporations which again push away the indigenous people from their soils. Since the colonial period the forest policies jeopardized the tribal's rights over the forest and ignored their voices during framing the laws. In the colonial period the legal and policy instruments transferred the right over forests from communities' hand to government's hand. The post-colonial law has provided a dignified status to tribals but it will not be able to resolve tribal people's human rights and livelihood issues without similar or greater advancement in law and administration in other areas such as land acquisition, development induced displacement and political autonomy. Government and our policy makers should not ignore the importance of tribals and rights should be given to the latter by proper implementation of the law. Forest resources are life line of tribes. Therefore now a day’s utilization and conservation of forest resources is very important and debatable issue.This article briefly describes the context surrounding the international deliberations on world forestry and proposes a conceptual framework for the sustainable development of forests. While the framework and objectives proposed may be applicable to the sustainable development of all types of forests worldwide, the actual practice of sustainable forest development would require the development of silvicultural techniques appropriate to local ecological and socio-economic conditions.