CBSE 9 History || Forest Society and Colonialism - 3 || Impacts of the Indian Forest Act Video Lecture - Class 9

back in the year 1865 most of the basic
means of livelihood of the forest
dwelling tribes were banned by the
British let's see what happened the
forest tribes were largely dependent on
the forest for their livelihoods
villagers thought a good forest was one
that provided them with their daily
needs such as fuel fodder and leaves
however the British thought differently
they felt a good forest was one that
provided timber for building ships and
railways
Teek and Sal were the most popular trees
for this purpose the British passed the
Indian Forest Act which completely
devastated the lives of villagers the
daily practices of villagers such as
cutting wood grazing cattle collecting
fruits and roots and fishing were banned
and made illegal
forest-dwelling tribes largely depended
on hunting small animals like deer
rabbit and partridge for food
the British also imposed a ban on the
hunting of small animals
however they encouraged the sport of
hunting of wild and dangerous animals
like the elephant lion and tiger by
giving rewards
in fact if anyone was caught hunting
illegally they was severely punished for
poaching
even shifting cultivation which had been
practiced for several generations by the
forest tribes was banned shifting or
swidden cultivation was an agricultural
system in which plots of land were
cultivated temporarily and then
abandoned
the forest tribes depended on this a
great deal
shifting cultivation had a few
disadvantages for the British and so it
was banned
became useless for growing timber led to
forest fires and also resulted in soil
erosion
furthermore it was difficult for the
British to calculate taxes
the Indian forest act snatched away the
means of livelihood of many of the
nomadic and pastoral tribes they were
left with only two options either given
and changed their occupation or take the
stronger path and repelled
some of them changed their occupation
and were forced to work in tea and
coffee plantations mines and factories
at low wages bad working conditions and
under strict government supervision
a few others stood up against the
tyranny of the British which led to many
rebellions in the forests of India
while the Indian Forest Act was passed
as a boon to the British it proved to be
a bane for the forest dwellers
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