The Indian Forest Act,1927 and Forests in India

Book excerpt: India’s forest area has come down below one fifth of total geographical area, due to indiscriminate alienation of forest land for non-forestry purposes and deforestation leading to rapid loss in biodiversity and forest natural resources. An outdated Indian Forest Act, 1927, the most important legal instrument for forest management and administration, with a colonial mindset, influenced by Locke and monetization of forest resources for financial profiteering by the British colonial administration, has been found to be inadequate for conservation of valuable forest environment and resources and alienated local stakeholders in natural resource management. Higher judiciary has started intervening by issuing several judgements and orders, keeping in tune recent developments in the field of international environment law, to save forest land and forest resources, in absence of a strong legal frame work. Global initiatives for conservation of natural resources and mitigation of damaging effects of Climate Change, Sustainable Development Goals etc. have catalysed swift action on part of the government and other stake holders towards achieving conservation goals. A paradigm shift in the system for forest conservation and management, supported by a new law, based on sound scientific forestry, such as landscape level management etc. is the need of the hour.