Tribal and Colonial Forest Management Policy in India: A View

The history of forestry in South India suggests that the diverse patterns of forest management of the pre-colonial period were not completely altered by the British. In face such an attempt was not encouraged by the revenue establishment of colonial bureaucracy. It was in face perceived as unnecessary interference in the day to life of the natives. The interest of the British was mainly focused on extraction of revenue from agriculture, rather than making serious attempts to alter the existing patterns of the agrarian economy. The relationship between the colonial state and tribes has thus not always been one of oppression and rebellion, portrayed to the that mutual dependency frequently brought the competing parties together in pursuing their respective rational choice, this mutual dependency arose from the fact that while the forest department required the help of tribes in conservation operations, such wages employment provided by the department was also perceived by tribes as useful. It is this interactive process that influenced the nature of forest policies towards forest-dependent tribes. Therefore this paper views on tribal and colonial forest management policy in India.