Man and Forest in the Himalayas and Northeast India

The volume is a collection of papers that provides rich insights into various aspects of man forest relationship in the Himalayas and the Northeastern part of India in both the colonial and post colonial periods. The basic focus is on the impact of developmental policies on the people and their role in conservation. Forests have exerted deep influence on Indian way of life and thought. Several groups of ethnic communities continue to live in the forests till today and depend on the forests for their livelihood. The traditional man forest relationship transformed under the British rulers when the colonial masters introduced a new parameter of forest administration in form of control over the forests thereby evicting certain forest dwelling communities and debarring them from their traditional uses of forest. At the same time, forests were often cleared for plantation and agricultural purposes with new settlers often allured to settle down in the so far uninhabited areas of Northeast India. Deforestation is an acute problem in modern India in general and the Himalayan regions in particular. This is a matter of international concern because deforestation is a significant contributing factor to natural disasters like earthquakes, landslides and flooding. Good forest cover in the Himalayan states therefore is essential to maintain ecological balance and environmental stability. All these problems the causes and impacts, have been discussed in this book. It contains papers on forest administration in ancient India as well as on modern forest governance for sustainable forest management. Some papers focus on the Northeastern states of India in particular covering themes like British colonial policy and impact of developmental policies of the present day government. It also contains articles on forests of Bhutan from the British period to the present day.

Dr. Karubaki Datta studied Modern History in the universities of Visva Bharati, (Santiniketan) and Calcutta. As Professor in the Centre for Himalayan Studies, North Bengal University. she has worked on several projects on various aspects of the Eastern Himalayas. Her areas of interest include society and culture. refugees, ethnic groups and economic history of the Himalayan states. She has remained Director of the Centre for two terms, organised seminars and supervised Ph.D and M.Phil dissertations. She has participated in many national and international seminars and conferences published several journal articles and book chapters and edited some volumes of the Centre's house journal The Himalayan Miscellany. Her publications include the books Urbanisation in the Eastern Himalayas-Emergence and Issues and Essays on Tibetan Cultural Heritage while Religion and Society in the Himalayas was co edited with Dr. T.B.Subba. Her ongoing projects in the Centre for Himalayan Studies are on aspects of environmental history of the Eastern Himalayas and protest movements in Tibet.

India, due to its geographical location, fertile soil and abundance of rainfall has always been covered with dense forest. The only part of India which was characterised by absence of forests due to scanty rainfall was Rajasthan and some adjoining regions. Immense climatic and altitudinal variations coupled with varied ecological habitats have created the immense diversity of forest types and plant species. India is said to be one of the 12 centres of origin and diversity of several plant species. As per one estimate, India has about 17000 species of flowering plants and about 17000 endemic species. 16 major and 221 minor forest types are recognised in India. Forests have exerted deep influence on Indian way of life and thought. Several groups of ethnic communities continue to live in the forests till today and depend on the forests for their livelihood. Yet deforestation has been a trend in Indian history from a very early period. History shows that in India the destruction of forests began as early as the Chalcolithic age when first traces of human settlement was found in Gujarat, Punjab and Sind in the period approximately 3500-3000 B.C. Since then, vast stretches of land, once covered with dense forest had to be cleared to make place for human settlements and expansion of agriculture. Natural causes, as volcanic action of great intensity, flood, fire and even meteoric shower have destroyed the forests throughout the ages. Felling of trees have also taken place in those areas where the tribal inhabitants were more hunter gatherers and subsequently practised shifting cultivation for their living. In the colonial period deforestation took place on a much larger scale when forest lands were cleared for commercial purposes as raw material sources and use in forest based industries. Trees have been cut down and still being cut down for building materials, fuel, mining, quarrying and medicine. The political, demographic and economic histories of India therefore, in a sense, is a history of deforestation.
The traditional man forest relationship in India transformed under the British rulers when the colonial masters introduced a new parameter of forest administration in form of control over the forests. which were so far used by the people as a common property. As a result of increasing British control and declaration of some specific forest areas as 'Reserved', certain forest dwelling communities were evicted and debarred from their traditional uses of forest while in some areas, particularly in the North and the Northeast, forests were often cleared for plantation and agricultural purposes and even new settlers were allured to settle down in the so far uninhabited areas. In spite of these changes, the traditional human dependence on forests continue and there is an ever increasing recognition of the reliance of humans on ecosystems and considerable appreciation regarding the role played by forests in providing important ecosystem services. In the face of an increasing environmental crisis, climate change and pollution, forests have assumed an even greater indispensability due to their ability to absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, to anchor soils and prevent erosion, to regulate water flow and protect waterheads, to modify climate and cool the air and to provide habitats for millions of species of plants. In context of developing countries in general and mountains in particular, forests continue to be the chief source of animals' livelihoods.