FOREST SOCIETY AND COLONILISM-

HISTORY
Forest Society and Colonialism
1. Q. Continued..
e) KINGS/BRITISH OFFICIALS ENGAGED IN SHIKAR
The forest laws deprived the common people of their customary rights to hunt. On the
other hand, hunting became a big deal for the British officials and Kings.
ii) British gave rewards to the officials and kings for the killings of tigers, on the ground
that they posed a threat to the cultivators..
iii) Gradually, killing of tigers came to be seen as a sporting trophy for the British officials.
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2. Q.Between 1880 and 1920, forests covered in the Indian subcontinent declined by 9.7
million hectares from 108.6 million hectares. Discuss the role of the following factors.

[A] RAILWAYS

[B]AGRICULTURAL EXPANSION
[C] SHIP BUILDING

[D] COMMERCIAL FARMING

Ans.

[A] RAILWAYS :

i) For Laying Railway Tracks: Railways were essential for colonial trade and for the
movement of imperial troops. From the 1860s, the railway network expanded rapidly. As
the railway tracks spread through India a larger and larger number of trees were felled
down.
ii) Need for Sleeper: With the expansion of railways a large number of trees were being cut
down to make sleepers which were needed to hold the railway tracks together. Each mile
of a railway track required between 1760 and 2000 sleepers.

Fuel: Wood from trees was required as a fuel to run locomotives. As the railway tracks
spread through India, large number of trees were felled down to get wood which could be
used as fuel.

iv) Contract to Private Individual: The government gave out contract to individuals to
supply the required quantities of timber. These contractors began cutting trees
indiscriminately. Forests around the railway tracks fast started disappearing.

B) AGRICULTURAL EXPANSION:
i) With the expansion of cultivation the peasants extended the boundaries of the
cultivation, clearing forests and bringing new land.
ii) In the colonial period the demand for production of commercial crops increased. As a
result, vast forest areas were cleared and brought under cultivation.

iii) To yield agricultural products and to ensure regular supply of revenue, large forest
areas were turned into cultivated. land.

C) SHIP BUILDING INDUSTRIES:

Another main cause of deforestation was ship building industries.

i) By the early 19th century, oak forests in England were disappearing. This created a
problem of timber supply for the Royal Navy.

ii) By 1820s, search parties were sent to explore the forest resources of India. Within a
decade, trees
being felled on a massive scale and vast quantities of timber were being exported from
India.

D) COMMERCIAL FARMING:
Commercial farming was also responsible
for deforestation in India.

i) In the colonial period, it was encouraged by the British as there was demand for
commercial crops like jute, sugar, wheat and cotton.

ii) Commercial farming like plantation of tea, coffee and rubber further led to the
deforestation in India. Large areas of natural forests were cleared to meet the growing
demand for these commodities.

iii) The demand for commercial crops increased in the 19th Century Europe where
foodgrains were needed to feed the growing urban population and raw materials were
required for industrial Production.
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3. Q. How plantation contributed to the decline of forests in India during the colonial
period

Ans: During colonial period plantations contributed to the decline of forests due to the
following reasons:

(i) Large areas of natural forests were cleared to make way for tea, coffee and rubber
plantations to meet the need of these commodities in Europe.
ii) The colonial government took over forests and gave vast areas to European planters at
cheap rates.

iii) There areas were enclosed and cleared of forests and planted with tea and coffee.
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4. Q. What are the similarities between colonial management of the forest in Bastar and
Java?

Ans:

i) Both in Bastar and Java, forests laws were enacted restricting villagers' access to
forests.

ii) Forest management in Bastar and Java is based on the encroachment of forest areas,
and reservation of forests. Forests were reserved to fulfill the needs of the colonial
masters.

iii) Forests management was based on the exploitation of the native people because of
increased land rents and frequent demand for free labour and goods by colonial officials.

iv) The movement of the native people in the forest was determined by a permit. Villagers
were punished for grazing cattle and transporting wood without a permit.
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5. Q. Why are forests affected by Wars?

Ans: The first World War and the Second World War had a major impact on forests.

i) In India, Wars led to reckless cutting of trees freely to meet the British war needs.

(ii) In Java, just before the Japanese occupied the region the Dutch followed 'a Scorched
Earth' policy, destroying saw mills and burning to huge piles of giant teak logs so that it
does not fall into the Japanese hands.

iii) The Japanese then exploited the forests recklessly for their own war industries, forcing
forest villagers to cut the forests.

iv) Taking opportunity of this, many forest villagers expanded the area of cultivation in the
forest.

v) But after the war it was difficult for the Indonesian forest service to get this land back.
People's need for agricultural land had brought these people into conflict with the forest
department's desire to control the land and exclude people from it.
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