Crisis to the Forests –People Relationship

Forests constitute one of the most important sources of sustenance for a large section of the society for which since time immemorial there exists a close forest people relationship. They develop a kind of cultural relation with the forest along with the economic relationship. This in turn help the forest in maintaining its regenerating capacity. Various religious and cultural practices of these people help in the sustainable use of the forests and thus the ecological balance is restored. But the present trend of conservation and clearance of forest areas has put a tremendous threat to this sacred relationship. The present paper is an attempt to study these crises to the forest people relationship with the help of a study conducted at Manas National Park of Assam.