Forest society and Colonialism Deforestation due to colonialism Q Cash crops - British directly encouraged the production of commercial crops like jute sugar, wheat and cotton. The demand for agricultural land increased in 19th century Europe where the food grains were needed to feed the growing Urban population as well as for the raw materials that were required for industrial production. Hence the forest lands were needed to be freed for going this additional crops in the colonies. QO. British initial apathy towards forest - Initially agriculture was the only source of revenue for the colonial government. Hence initially they encouraged as much as possible diversion of forest land in favour of agriculture, in order to maximize their tax revenue revenue. GQ Demand for Timber to build ships and Railways - 1st half of 19th century the colonial government needed timber for building ships. In second half of the 19th century demand for Timber rose even further with theexpansion of Railways. Railways needed Timber for a) sleepers b) fuel c) body of wagon Areas near railway track experienced rapid deforestation. © Plantation - British encouraged expansion of plantation of cash crops like coffee, tea, rubber etc by clearing forest land in the Himalayan or Nilgiri slops. Ps - The first railway line in India was built in 1853, between Mumbai and Thane covering a distance of 34 km. Rise of commercial farming With England running out of wood, they turned their focus to India to in order to supply Timber for ship building and railway expansion. Thus started the era of "Scientific Forestry". + First Inspector general of forest, India - Dietrich Brandis (German). He was responsible for introducing a new method of science of conservation named Scientific Forestry. Scientific Forestry (characteristics) -1. Diverse forest would be replaced with monoculture of hardwood trees like Timber. 2. The whole area would be divided into number of equal sections depending upon the number of years sapling needed to grow into a tree. And then each year they will cut(harvest) one section and replanting it with new sapling and so on and so forth. Thus ensuring a steady supply of timber each year. 3. Accessibility of the villages would be severely restricted as they may damage the sapling. Ps - Many many years later it has been proven that the Scientific Forestry wasn't based on actual science but actually was harmful to the cause of conservation of forest. + Indian Forest Service - 1864 + Imperial Research Institute - 1906, Dehradun. + Forest act - 1865 + Amendments- 1878 and then 1927. Olt was in 1878 Act when the forest was divided into three categories --> 1. Reserved 2. Protected 3. Village forest OC. The best forest where put under reserved category where did the villagers couldn't take anything and had no accessibility. G Even in the rest of the protected and the village forest the misery of the villagers didn't end there. While theQO villagers wanted forest with a mixture of species to satisfy different needs like - fuel, fodder, leaves, medicine. British were only interested in hardwood trees suitable for Ship building and Railways. The forest act meant that even when the villagers had accessibility to the forest, it was severely limited and involved some kind of bribe to the forest official. Ban on slash and Burn agriculture - Slash-and-burn agriculture is a farming method that involves the cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland to create a agriculture field. After 10-12 years, when the agricultural land loses fertility the farmer would then move on to a new piece of land and repeat the same process. In the meantime it will allow the older piece of land to rejuvenate the forest. Slash and Burn agriculture is known by different names in different regions.Thammey Famlae “Pepa Bewan [Dahiya Frc | Fenda OParna Dabe [homes Bulge fom @ Kemi ® Walle / Valve @ al O Kuma @ thapa @ Loner BD Raa @) Masole @ Lacang aaa re Asse ren ephlay a Piz mam, Manipur Me a Basher Cepaatiages! De Maclya Pradesh. Andria Prclesh. Oolisha. 6 Western ghat- SE Refaslan Hinctayan Belt. Tharkchoucl Mexia Voneeuala Bazil Contant Afrion Fnelorasio. Veclnam - The British and other European powers banned shifting agriculture in lot of regions because they regarded this practice as harmful to the forest. - They were also worried that the fire from the shifting agriculture could lead to the plantation and burn down Timber. Hunting -- While the villagers who used to hunt were generally interested in small animals with smaller life cycles that requires less time to replenish, Britishers were primary interested in hunting large animals with longer life cycle and thus pushed those animals into extinction + While villages hunted to provide themselves with food, the Britishers treated hunting as a sport. + In this endeavour the Indian prince were very much also part of the British extravaganza. - Those villagers who went to forest for hunting are now punished for poaching. Commercialization of forest products - + For 100s of years before colonization, the people had free and easy access to forest and all they have to do is to collect the products and sell it to the Township at a profit. + Now the colonial government have decided to commercialize every forest product in order to maximize revenue. * The colonial government will issue licence to individuals who would absolute monopoly over access to those forest areas. And in order to implement that monopoly the forest department where told to restrict the access of the local villages. + One hand while this created some extra source of income for some communities who could afford the licensing fee, but it also made the cost of subsistence for villages pretty high.For example - The grazing and hunting by the local people were restricted. Many pastoralist and Nomadic tribes like korova lost their livelihood. Some of them began to be called as "Criminal Tribes" and were forced to work instead in factories mines and plantation under government supervision. While the licence holders where primarily city dwellers who were outsiders to the region. Rebellion in Bastar Bastar region is in Chhattisgarh and borders Andhra Pradesh Orissa and Maharashtra. It is inhabited by number of different tribes who divided the forest between themselves and were primary responsible for its conservation. Rebellion started in 1910 after the the British government reserved almost two third of the forest area in 1905. The initiative was taken by Druruvas of the Kanger forest where reservation took place first. The British quickly suppressed revolt and took back control within three months. Even though the adivasi leaders tried to negotiate the British surrounded the camps and fired upon them indiscriminately.Aftermath - In a major victory for the rebels, work on reservations was temporarily suspended and the area to be reserved was reduced to roughly half of that was planned before 1910. Forest transformation in Java, Indonesia + Indonesia - Dutch colony + Was famous for rice cultivation. + Dutch, like British also needed timber like British for ship building and railways. + Kalangs of Java - community of skilled "forest cutters" and shifting cultivators. Held a very important status in Indonesian society. + Dutch like British also introduced scientific forestry in Indonesia. + The Dutch first imposed rents on land being cultivated in the forest and then exempted some villages from these rents if they worked collectively to provide free labour and buffaloes for cutting and transporting timber. This was known as the Blandongdiensten system. (Very important point) + Later, instead of rent exemption, forest villagers were given small wages, but their right to cultivate forest land was restricted. Samin's challenge -Around 1890, Surontiko Samin of Randublatung village, a teak forest village, began questioning State ownership of the forest. + He argued that the State had not created the wind, water, earth and wood, so it could not own it. Soon a widespread movement developed. Amongst those who helped organise it were Samin's sons-in-law. + By 1907, 3000 families were following his ideas. Some of the Saminists protested by lying down on their land when the Dutch came to survey it, while others refused to pay taxes or fines or perform labour. ( Just like chipku movement in India) World War 2- + Scorched Earth policy - During Japanese invasion of Indonesia the Dutch while retreating employed policy where they burnt down the whole supply of timber, so that they wouldn't fall in Japanese hand. + Japanese once in control then recklessly exploited the forest for their own industries. + After the war as in India, it was difficult for the forest department to regain the control of those land, as it brought them into conflict with the people who cultivated on them all this while.