Question

We saw in this chapter that there are four main stakeholders when it comes to forests and wildlife. Which among these should have the authority to decide the management of forest produce? Why do you think so?

Answer 1

The main stakeholders are :

• People living in and around forests and dependent on forest produce for various aspects of their lives.
• The government which owns and controls the resources of forests.
• The small and big industrialists who use forest produce as raw materials but are not dependent on a forest in any one area.
• Wildlife and nature enthusiasts who want to conserve nature in its pristine form.

The management of forest produce should be in the hands of the local people who depend on the forest for their lives for centuries.

But there should be some framework (by the Government) in place which can monitor their use of resources so that there is no over exploitation of the forest produce by the local people. There should also be some access to the wildlife enthusiasts and scientists who may study the various aspects of forests and wildlife.