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Forest Society and Colonialism PDF

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474 views5 pages

Forest Society and Colonialism PDF

Uploaded by

Suvam Dasgupta
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© © All Rights Reserved
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HISTORY STUDY MATERIAL (CLASS IX)

FOREST SOCIETY AND COLONIALISM

PREPARED BY ARGHYA CHATTERJEE

INTRODUCTION
• The products of forests are all
around us- paper, desks,
tables, doors, windows, dyes
that colour our clothes, coffee,
tea rubber etc.

• They are an integral part of


the ecological balance as hey
support a wide diversity of
flora and fauna. For e.g., in the Amazon forests or in the Western Ghats, it is
possible to find as many as 500 different plant species in one forest patch.

• This diversity, however, is disappearing fast as forest resources are


commercially exploited or appropriated to serve the needs of excessive
capitalist consumption. Systematic utilization of forest resources had begun in
the 18th century with the onset of the forces of industrialization.

• Between 1700 to 1995, 13.9 million square kilometres of forest or 9.3% of the
world’s total area was cleared for the purpose of industrialization, cultivation,
pastures and the collection of fuelwoods.

DEFORESTATION-
DEFINITION AND
CAUSES
Deforestation is the clearing or
thinning of forests by humans. It
is the permanent removal of
trees to make room for
something besides forest. This
can include clearing the land for
agriculture or grazing or using
the timber for fuel, construction
or manufacturing. Forests cover
more than 30% of the earth’s land surface according to the World Wide Fund.

In India, the process of deforestation began many centuries ago, but under the
colonial rule became more systematic and extensive.

CAUSES OF DEFORESTATION IN INDIA


• INCREASE IN POPULATION- In 1600, 1/6th of India’s landmass was under
cultivation, the figure has gone
up to about half today. This is
primarily because the population
of the country has been growing
steadily and hence the demand
for food supplies also went up.
The peasants extended the
boundaries of cultivation by
clearing forests and thus
exploiting new land.

• SERVING THE NEEDS OF BRITISH CAPITALISM- British encouraged the


production of cash crops such as jute, sugar, cotton etc, which would be used
as raw materials for the manufacturing industries. The demand for food grains
also increased in Europe to feed the growing urban population. Hence forests
were cleared to turn them into cultivable land.

• COLONIAL ATTITUDE TOWARDS FORESTS- The colonialists looked at


forests as unreproductive wilderness that had to be brought under cultivation
so that land could yield more revenue. So, between 1880 and 1920, cultivate
area rose by 6.7 million hectares. Cultivation was a sign of development.

• TIMBER SUPPLY FOR THE ROYAL NAVY- By the early 19th century, oak
forests in England were disappearing. This created a problem of timber supply
for the Royal Navy. The Royal Navy was an integral part of British Imperial
power and building of ships was
imperative to the expansion and
consolidation of British Imperialism.
By 1820s search parties were sent to
explore the forest resources of India.
Within a decade deforestation was
carried on in a massive scale to
exploit India’s timber resources.

• BUILDING OF RAILWAYS IN
INDIA- Railways were essential in colonial India for trade and the movement
of troops. To run locomotives, wood was needed as fuel and to lay railway
lines, sleepers were essential to hold the tracks together. Thus, form 1850s
onwards, forests were systematically cleared for developing the railway
system in India. By 1890s,
about 25500 kilometres of
tracks had been laid. In
1946, the length of the
tracks had increased to
over 765000 kilometres.
Thus, larger number of
trees were felled. In 1850,
in Madras Presidency,
35000 trees were being cut annually for sleepers. The government recruited
contractors to procure the required amount of
timber. The contractors started felling trees
indiscriminately.

• PLANTATIONS- Forests were also cleared to


establish plantations for the cultivation of cash
crops, such as tea, coffee, rubber etc. These
commodities were in great demand in Europe.

THE RISE OF COMMERCIAL FORESTRY


• The British were worried that the use of forests by the
local people would diminish its resources. So, they
invited a German expert, Dietrich Brandis, for advice
and made him the first Inspector General of Forests.

• Brandis believed that the felling of trees by the locals


had to be restricted so that the utilization of
forests could be channelized only for
timber production.

• He set up the Indian Forest Services in


1864 and formulated the Indian Forest Act
of 1865.

• The Imperial Forest Research Institute was set up at Dehradun in 1906. The
discipline of Scientific Forestry was taught here.
• According to the principles of Scientific Forestry, natural forests which had lots
of different species of trees, were felled and replaced by trees of single
species. These trees were planted in straight rows called plantations.

• Forest officials made plans about how much of the plantation area to cut
every year. The areas in which trees were felled were replanted so that it was
ready to be felled again. This was called the scientific method of forest
management

• The Forest Act that was enacted in 1865 was amended in 1878 and in 1927.

• The 1878 Act divided forests into three categories- Reserved, Protected and
Village Forests.

• Reserved Forests could not be used by locals.

• If they needed wood for house building or fuel, they had to take it from
protected or Village Forests.

• Ecologists today have pointed out that


there was nothing scientific about Scientific
Forestry. In fact, the very idea of
conservation was motivated by financial
reasons. There was no emphasis on
biodiversity protection or on sustainable
development.

IMPACT OF SCIENTIFIC FORESTRY


ON THE VILLAGERS OF INDIA
• Villagers always required multi species
forests to satisfy a variety of needs, but
the colonialists wanted trees which were
suitable for building ships or railways.
They needed hardwood trees that were
tall and straight such as teak and Sal.

• The Forest Acts changed the everyday


lives and practices of the villagers. such as cutting wood
for houses, grazing cattle, collecting fruits, roots, hunting
and fishing. All these activities were declared illegal by
the colonial government. People were forced to sneak
into the forests to steal wood. If caught, they would be detained and tortured
as encroachers. Fines would be extracted from these poor people.

• Women who went to collect fuelwood into the forests were harassed by the
Forest Guards.

• The police constables and Guards persistently demanded free food from these
helpless people who had difficulty making two ends meet.

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