Question

What are the similarities between the colonial management of forests in Bastar and in Java?

Answer 1

Instructions:

There should be at least 5 points here.

• Talk about-
• Reservation of Forests
• Ban on livelihood activities of villagers
• Punishment for abetment of orders
• Some villages exceptions in exchange of free labour

Solution:

• In Bastar, at the start of the 20th century, Colonial government proposed to reserve 2/3rd of the forests.
• They also proposed to stop hunting, shifting cultivation and collection of forest produce by the villagers.
• Some villages were allowed to stay on reserve forests only if they agreed to work for free for the forest department.
• Similarly in Java, Dutch imposed Forest laws that restricted villagers access to forests.
• They banned cutting of wood, grazing of cattle. Villagers were punished for not following the laws.
• Dutch exempted some villages from rent if they worked for free for cutting and transporting timber.