Forest outlaws
According to laws in both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, a sandalwood tree is a state property and the government has exclusive rights over its harvest, selling and movement. "Since local people do not get any benefits from these trees, they do not take interest in its protection," says Madhav Gadgil who is with the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. In Bangalore, many people have uprooted small sandalwood trees. What happens when a tree matures? If the forest department doesn't harass you, the smugglers will raid you and as a result of it you would be held responsible for it by the forest department," explains a scientist of the Institute of Wood Science and Technology. And the penalty: up to seven years of imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 25,000.Says C Srinivasan, the deputy conservator of forest of Mysore: "While the centralised rules make it difficult to involve community participation in conservation, there are no uniform laws on sandalwood in the country and smugglers exploit them."