Guardians of the Land: Forest Rights Act and Tribal Livelihoods

Roshni P K

doi:10.53989/jcp.v4i4.25 .89

Article

VIEWS 21
PDF 4

Journal of Contemporary Politics

DOI: 10.53989/jcp.v4i4.25 .89

Year: 2025, Volume: 4, Issue: 4, Pages: 174-185

Original Article

Guardians of the Land: Forest Rights Act and Tribal Livelihoods

Roshni P K^1*

¹Research Scholar, Department of Political Science, University of Kerala, Kariavattom Campus,
Kerala-695581, India

*Corresponding author
Roshni P K
Email: [email protected]

Received Date:29 September 2025, Accepted Date:17 November 2025, Published Date:30 December 2025

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Land is a vital component of tribal life. The British intervention in the tribal region to exploit natural resources during colonial rule in India initiated land alienation among the tribes. Additionally, moneylenders, zamindars, and merchants encroached upon tribal lands through the provision of loans and similar means. The tribal people suffer when outsiders mistreat their resources and territory. Many tribal people who have resided in the forest for ages lack documentation to prove it, which has made the current issue more complicated. The implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) in 2006 sparked a widespread belief that such laws contributed to deforestation. Tribal and forest-dwelling people have long fought for their rights to forest land, which has resulted in the implementation of the FRA 2006. The rights of tribals were being ignored by the governments when the state forests were consolidated, so the FRA was a result of this historical injustice. The FRA also tries to recognise the role of tribals and other traditional forest dwellers in conservation. Administrative apathy is one of the significant challenges in implementing the FRA. The Forest Rights Act (FRA) is crucial for the rights of many tribal and forest-dwelling individuals in India, as it enables the restoration of lost forest rights nationwide, including individual rights to cultivated land inside forest regions and community rights over communal resources. The FRA enhances psychological security and facilitates long-term land investment for individuals who successfully get their rights. The existing law and already claimed illegal encroachments can be rejected easily; also, the Act is not easily amenable. Although it has the power to enhance the livelihoods and empowerment of tribal groups, its efficacy is largely reliant on improved execution and the removal of social and administrative obstacles. A significant problem is the inadequate execution, resulting in a high rate of claim rejections, which obstructs benefits for numerous groups. Some communities have witnessed enhanced socio-economic situations, while others have encountered adverse consequences due to challenges in asserting and exercising their rights. By granting them legal acknowledgement of their traditional rights, the FRA seeks to address the past injustices experienced by communities that live in forests.

Keywords: Forest Rights, Forest Conservation, Land, Scheduled Tribes, Tribal Livelihoods

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