ENVIRONMENT-INDIA: Tribals Distressed by Ban on Forest Gathering

By Keya Acharya Credit:Keya Acharya/IPS Soliga tribals contemplate their bleak future in the BRT Hills, Karnataka state. KANNERI, BRT Hills Sanctuary, Karnataka, Nov 20 (IPS) - The magical trill of the Nilgiri Whistling Thrush deep in the jungles of this remote southern Indian wildlife sanctuary is no comfort to its nearly 2,000 Soliga aboriginal tribal families. The implementation in 2006 of the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act 2002 now bans adviasis (aboriginal tribes) from gathering non-timber forest produce (NTFP) such as honey, wild herbs, mosses, lichen and fruits for commercial purposes from parks and sanctuaries. Till the ban, Soligas had usufruct rights to collect NTFP and sell them to their own cooperative LAMPs (Large-scale Adivasi Multipurpose Society) which in turn would auction them to the highest bidder, generally traders who in turn sell the produce to various industries. Being a cooperative, LAMPS functioned on a non-profit basis. Approximately 12,500 (of a total population of 30,000) Soliga had subsisted inside BRT (short for Biligiri Rangana Betta), growing a little food and relying heavily on NTFP sales for daily sustenance. Their close link with the forests has given them a deep knowledge of the ecology and of the forests of BRT. There have been no instances reported of poaching or harming wildlife by Soliga inside the sanctuary. But without the small income from selling to LAMPS, Soliga families are now facing starvation and distress...................................................... full news at: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40128