Forest rights and wildlife
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31/12/2007
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Environ
The "tigers vs. tribals' debate is getting murkier. The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill 2006, passed by Parliament, does not do much to clear the air on whether the bill will aid or undermine conservation. This bill is very belated. Forest-dwelling communities have deserved a legal basis for their rights to forest resources ever since forests came under a legal regime.