Beyond Land Titles, Towards Resilience

This report was published by Oxfam India in November 2020. Its authors are Rajita Kurup and Sreetama Gupta Bhaya – researchers at the organisation.The enactment of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) in 2006 was a watershed moment in the history of the forest rights movement in India, states the report. The Act aims to recognise and record the existing rights of Adivasis and forest dwelling communities, as well as facilitate their political right to govern forests for sustainable use and conservation. However, several communities still face issues in exercising the rights mandated by the Act.The report documents Oxfam India’s experience and reflections on the implementation of the FRA in 35 villages of the Sundarpahari block of Godda District in Jharkhand. They began working there in 2012, aiming to help secure Adivasi rights to govern and conserve forests for livelihood and ecological security.The 22-page report has six chapters: Introduction (chapter 1); Climate change affecting livelihoods – the Indian context (chapter 2); Forests – a lifeline (chapter 4); Scheduled Tribes or Adivasis; The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (chapter 5); and The case of Jharkhand (chapter 6).