Evolution of forest tenures in India: Implications for sustainable forest management (c. 1500 BC-1997 AD).

摘要

This study which explores the evolution of forest tenures grew out of a conviction that many forestry issues could be better addressed if the evolution of property rights was better understood. The focus is on forest values rather than forests. A forest tenure is conceptualized as a mechanism, approved by society, to capture, to distribute and to sustain a recognized value in a forest. It is also articulated as a triadic relationship between admitted rights (adhikaras) and assigned duties (dharma) with regard to a socially recognized value (dhan tatva) in a forest. This project pursues three research hypotheses: (i) there have been significant temporal and spatial variations in forest tenures in India, (ii) forest tenures evolved as a result of changes in demand for forest values, technological changes and changes in political institutions, and (iii) there is, at present, a divergence between de jure and de facto forest tenures. In order to address these hypotheses, research was undertaken at national, regional and local levels using a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods for collection and analysis of data drawn from diverse sources including vedic and post-vedic sacred and secular literature, historical accounts, official records, archives and village studies.; It is argued that observed temporal and spatial variations in forest tenures in India have been significantly impacted over the last three and a half millennia by changes in political institutions and technology. People's demands for forest values only weakly explain these variations. The study demonstrates significant divergence between de jure and de facto tenures. Some commonly held hypotheses concerning forests and their management in India are challenged and fresh insights into a number of controversies concerning forests are offered. Some policy implications of the research are outlined. A challenge before the forest policy makers in India is how to ensure and sustain adequate investment and managerial inputs in all forests.