Forestry In India During British Era

Forestry in India during British Era traces the history of the evolution of scientific forestry in India during the British era (1800-1947). A special emphasis of the narration is on the State of Karnataka, which was under British domination partly directly through the Bombay and Madras Presidencies and somewhat indirectly through the Princely States of Mysore, Hyderabad, Sandur and a few others. Besides describing the developments of forestry together with the circumstances that led to these developments, the book assesses their long-term impact on the forests as we see them today. It provides a graphic account of the birth of the forest departments and the hurdles they had to face in their bid to be effective in guarding the forests - the last vestiges of nature - from the verge of imminent extinction. Forestry in India during British Era has critically examined some of the important causes that led to forest destruction, such as the large-scale expansion of agriculture, the heavy withdrawal of biomass, the extensive shifting cultivation in the Ghat forests, etc. It also objectively analyses what the forestry scenario would have been like today had the process of forest reservation not been zealously initiated about 150 years ago and if these forests hadn't been steadfastly and arduously guarded by the forest departments throughout these years.

Forestry in India during British Era traces the history of the evolution of scientific forestry in India during the British era (1800-1947). A special emphasis of the narration is on the State of Karnataka, which was under British domination partly directly through the Bombay and Madras Presidencies and somewhat indirectly through the Princely States of Mysore, Hyderabad, Sandur and a few others. Besides describing the developments of forestry together with the circumstances that led to these developments, the book assesses their long-term impact on the forests as we see them today. It provides a graphic account of the birth of the forest departments and the hurdles they had to face in their bid to be effective in guarding the forests – the last vestiges of nature – from the verge of imminent extinction. Forestry in India during British Era has critically examined some of the important causes that led to forest destruction, such as the large-scale expansion of agriculture, the heavy withdrawal of biomass, the extensive shifting cultivation in the Ghat forests, etc. It also objectively analyses what the forestry scenario would have been like today had the process of forest reservation not been zealously initiated about 150 years ago and if these forests hadn’t been steadfastly and arduously guarded by the forest departments throughout these years.

This Book Is An Endeavour On The Forest History Of India With Emphasis On Identification And Analysis Of Values In Conservation, Forest Legislation, Forestry, Forest And Wildlife Management.

Forest Ecology in India: Colonial Maharashtra 1850-1950 takes a look at the human interactions that have shaped up the ecosystem specifically of Maharashtra, under the British colonial rule. This work is a culmination of extensive analysis of secondary sources and numerous archival primary sources including vernacular material hitherto unexamined from the perspective of Environmental History. It traces the evolution of political, socio-cultural and religious attitudes and administrative policies that had an impact on the forest ecology of Maharashtra. The study goes beyond a chronological narrative of events and it adopts a fresh approach where it examines the impact of the forest policies and subsequent responses from the tribals, peasants and artisans. It looks at landmark events and struggles that shaped the resistance to the new environmental and forest laws as well as the spillover of these developments into the anti-colonial struggles of the early twentieth century. This book would be of interest to students of Environmental History and Environmental Justice.