British Forest Policy in India

The British Empire used and exploited all the available resources of the countries they colonized. So it is no wonder the forests of India were an important resource for the British. The Indian Forest Act was enacted in 1865 and then it was amended in 1878 and 1927.

Indian Forest Act of 1865:

• The Forest Act of 1865 gave the British government power to declare any land covered with trees as a Government Forest, the authority to control it, and rules to manage it. This gave the government undisputable power to regulate the forest and its pastures. The government mainly used the woods for manufacturing railway sleepers. Teakwood was also made government property by this law. The rights of Indian communities to forests were limited and authority was transferred to the British government.
• Forest land became extremely important since it could generate revenue and fulfil the growing demands of the expanding railway network. Timber supplies were limited so that’s why forest land needed to be taken by the British. Indian teak could also be used in shipbuilding which helped the British in the war with Napoleon.
• This act got rid of centuries-old traditional use by the local communities of the forests and gave the colonial British governments complete control over the forests. 

Indian Forest Act of 1878:

• With the Forest Act of 1878, the British government acquired the sovereignty of all wastelands which unfortunately included forests. The British could mark off forests as Reserved and Protected Forests. The locals couldn’t use the forests like they used to with some privileges remaining which could be rescinded at any time.
• The local villagers could not bring anything from the Reserved Forests for their personal use. They could only use the forest products from the village forests and Protected Forests for fuel or to build houses. All this was done to regulate the collection of forest wood. With certain activities illegal with fines and imprisonment, the British had control over the forests.

Indian Forest Act of 1927:

Under the British colonial government, the Indian Forest Act of 1927 focused on the controlled extraction of timber from the forests and not the conservation of forests. Just like other laws, the British Empire established laws to strengthen its colonial powers.

Types of Forests

• The Indian Forest Act of 1878 designated Indian forests into 3 different categories: Reserved Forests, Protected Forests, and Village Forests.
• Reserved Forests: This type was the most restricted forest and the State Government constituted any forest land or wasteland which turned any forest into government property. The local people were prohibited unless a Forest Officer specifically allowed them in the course of the settlement.
• Protected Forests: The British government had proprietary rights and the right to issue rules regarding forest usage, especially timber, fruit, and non-wood products which are revenue potential.
• Village Forest: The government might allocate government rights to or over any reserved forest to a village community.

Implementation Reasons for the Forest Laws:

The British Empire wanted forests due to the demands of the massive railway expansion. The expanding railways were very necessary for the British Imperial troop movement and to carry out trade. Wood was required to lay down railway sleepers, and served as fuel for operating the locomotives. The Royal British Navy also needed wood to build the ships which were used to protect the massive empire. Because of their needs, the British were concerned about the local Indian population using the forests. Hence, the motivations lead the British colonial government to implement these kinds of forest laws.

Impact of the Forest Act Across the Country:

It is not surprising that there were severe negative implications across the country especially for villagers due to the Indian Forest Act of 1927. Actions such as hunting, fishing, fruit and root collection, wood cutting, and cattle grazing became illegal activities under the new act. Due to the new Indian Forest Act restrictions, villagers were forced to steal wood by going into the forests without alerting the British authorities. The villagers would offer forest guards and police constables bribes to make sure the guards didn’t arrest the villagers. This didn’t stop the guards and constables from harassing the villagers into giving them free food.

Forest Cultivation Impact:

With the help of the Indian Forest Act, the British government decided to ban any local forest cultivation practices. There was also the forcible displacement of many communities which had homes in these forests. One such practice was shifting cultivation. Shifting cultivation includes cutting parts of the forest and burning in rotation. For the British, this practice was having a negative impact on timber production for the railways since according to them, priceless timber would be lost. Calculating taxes on timber was also challenging due to this tradition and so it was banned by the British government. For the empire, the revenue made from timber was far more important than the age-old rights and privileges of the local people, biodiversity, soil erosion prevention, etc.

Nomads Livelihood:

The livelihoods of several nomadic communities like the Yerukula of the Madras Presidency, Karacha, and Korava were ruined because of the restrictions on hunting and grazing by the local people and nomads. Due to the British colonial government’s strict supervision, the local people were forced into working in factories, plantations, and mines. The working conditions were horrible, wages were deficient, and the workers weren’t allowed to visit their families. People from forest dwelling communities like Oraons and Santhals of Jharkhand and Gonds of Chhattisgarh travelled long distances to work in Assam’s tea plantations.

Forest Conservation:

After India’s independence, the Forest Conservation Act of 1980 was enacted to counter the deforestation problem. The Forest Conservation Act was amended in 1988 and 1996. Other conservation initiatives include The Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, The Environment Protection Act of 1986, The Biodiversity Protection Act of 2003, and the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act of 2006.