Talk by Dr Sharachchandra Lele at IIFM Bhopal

Dr. Sharachchandra Lele delivered a talk at the Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal, to students of MBA Forestry Management and MBA Sustainable Development. It was a one-hour session followed by an interactive question-and-answer session. Dr. Lele began his presentation with the history and evaluation of forest administration in India, with a special focus on its implications for forest-dwelling communities. The talk covered important junctures in forest governance in India, such as the 1878 Indian Forest Act, the 1927 Indian Forest Act, the 1952 Forest Policy, the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, the Forest Conservation Act of 1980, and the Forest Policy of 1988. Connecting these moments in India’s forest governance, Dr. Lele explained the rationalization of forest management by contemporary governments and its impacts on the rights of tribal communities across India. The second half of the talk focused on the importance of the Forest Rights Act, 2006, in establishing a balance among the rights of forest dwellers, access to and management of forests by the gram sabha, and the role of the state in ensuring the democratization of forest management.