INFLUENCE OF FOREST RIGHTS ACT, 2006 ON TRIBAL ECONOMY: AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF ITS IMPACT ON LIVELIHOOD OF TRIBAL COMMUNITIES AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN KERALA
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Date
2019-12-10
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UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES GKVK, BENGALURU
Abstract
The study was an attempt to assess the impact of FRA, 2006 among Kattunaickka,
Paniya, Kuruma and Urali tribal communities of Wayanad district, Kerala during 2017-
18. Both secondary and primary data were analyzed using different statistical and
econometric tools to elicit the influence of the act. The study observed that the overall
performance of the act was sluggish even after 10 years of its implementation. As of now,
a total of 7918 individual land claims and 321 community rights were received in
Wayanad district, out of which only 55 per cent and 21 per cent were approved
respectively. And also awareness about the customary rights extended under the act was
meager among majority of the respondents. The study also found that engagement of
tribes in forest based activities like NTFP collection, cultivation & livestock rearing and
forest conservation were tapering away due to number of reasons. Wage labour was the
most important source of income among the majority of households at present. The socioeconomic index revealed that the impact of FRA varied among the tribal communities.
The study emphasized the significant role of forest based income in poverty reduction
and income equity among tribes. As far as the conservation of tribal culture and
indigenous knowledge, there were no progressive steps taken apart from providing a land
for their habitation. Tribal willingness to participate in the forest conservation was also
declining due to increased human animal conflict and low financial incentives. Overall
study revealed little influence of FRA, 2006 on the beneficiaries in terms of livelihood
securement and conservation of resources. Therefore policy has to be reviewed to
strengthen the benefits of and its reachability to the beneficiaries