Indigenous Forest Management In the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

229 Pages·2018·3.91 MB·English

by  Kavita Arora

Kavita Arora
Indigenous Forest
Management In
the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands,
India
Indigenous Forest Management In the Andaman
and Nicobar Islands, India
Kavita Arora
Indigenous Forest
Management In the Andaman
and Nicobar Islands, India
Kavita Arora
University of Delhi
Shaheed Bhagat Singh College
Delhi, India
ISBN 978-3-030-00032-5 ISBN 978-3-030-00033-2 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-00033-2
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018956283
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Preface
It is a well-known fact that if you damage your environment, it will no longer
support your needs. This simple but quintessential rule is absolutely relevant in the
context of all the creatures of the animal kingdom. Ironically, the human race often
ignores it, leading to dire consequences. Interestingly, in many of the ancient tropi-
cal rainforests, inhabitants do understand the imperative of maintaining the finely
balanced ecosystem on which they depend upon for all their needs. Since time
immemorial, forest-dwelling people have been discovering and implementing prac-
tical methods of exploiting and managing their environments simultaneously,
thereby acknowledging their debt to the land in several ways.
It could have been the best thing if we could follow their example and learn from
their great expertise. But nothing seems to be going that way. The reason is far too
simple. The people of the rainforests, discounted and exploited in the race for finan-
cial gain, are losing their cultural identity, freedom, and even their lives with every
acre of forest destroyed.
The rainforests were already many millions of years old when the first group of
hunter-gatherers ventured into their vast and unknown interior. Since those first
hunter-gatherers began to learn which fruits were the sweetest, which game is the
best, which vines healed wounds, and which yielded lethal arrow poison, such forest
lore has been handed over by their descendants through the generations. Over the
centuries, it has accumulated, and today, the few traditional forest people who stay
alive are unrivaled in their understanding of the most complex of ecosystems—the
rainforest, their home. The present study is an attempt to come to terms with this
accumulation and preservation of traditional knowledge in a small and remote part
of the Indian territory, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The study is organized
into five chapters, of which the first gives a brief introductory account of the prob-
lem of deforestation in rainforest areas, the geographical setting of study area, an
overview of the flawed development policies, present forest management system,
and the role of indigenous knowledge in rainforest management. The chapter also
discusses if we could learn from the hunter-gatherers and how could we utilize their
knowledge in the most appropriate manner.
v
vi Preface
The second and third chapters attempt to highlight and provide a comprehensive
insight into the existing indigenous knowledge of Andamanese and Nicobarese
tribes. The study undertakes a discussion on indigenous knowledge of every tribe
under four main headings, i.e., (i) lifestyle, (ii) knowledge of forests/plants and
biodiversity, (iii) indigenous methods of forest management, and (iv) intrusion of
outsiders. A very thin line differentiates the first three from one another. It is worth-
while here to explain what these signify. Lifestyle precisely points to the tribal peo-
ples’ mode of living. The tribal communities are not only forest dwellers, they have
also evolved over centuries a way of life which on the one hand is woven around the
forest ecology and forest resources and on the other hand ensures that the forest is
protected against depredation by humans and nature. An awareness of the seasons
and moods of the forest, and how they influence their plants and animals, is central
to the lives of such people, allowing them to use their environment with great effi-
ciency. A closer look into the lives of these people brings out the fact of how inex-
tricably they are linked to the forests, and how their surroundings provide the basis
for the development of indigenous knowledge.
The second heading, namely Knowledge of Forest/Plants and Biodiversity, gives
a brief description of the bulk of knowledge that the tribal people have come to pos-
sess in course of their millennia-long interaction with nature. In their continual
dependence on forests, tribal people have acquired botanical and zoological knowl-
edge, which seems almost innate. It is quite interesting to note that some of them
know such individual properties of thousands of plants and animals of which even
we are quite unaware of. Avid and adventurous experimenters that they must have
been, the early hunter-gatherers seem to have left behind a great legacy of knowledge
for their descendants today. In many varied and extraordinary ways, they use the
chemistry of the forest and often use the very chemicals designed by plants to protect
themselves from predators. Generation after generation, these forest inhabitants have
used plants to alleviate pain, heal wounds, cure fever, induce visions, reduce or
increase fertility, or to tranquilize. They have been able to find poisons which can kill
fish or game (Any animal hunted for sports or food) but are harmless when taken by
mouth. A meager one percent of tropical rainforest plants have been investigated by
western scientists for their potential. The hitherto unknown and unharnessed poten-
tial could yield a still greater range of medicines, not to mention other useful sub-
stances—foods, perfumes, insecticides, dyes, waxes, fuels, oils, and more. The
forest-dwelling communities know their individual natural properties better than
anyone else. However, with every acre of forest that is destroyed, the possibilities for
new discoveries are lessened.
The third heading, that is, the Indigenous Methods of Forest Management, brings
to fore a concept which is still controversial in the arena of our present forest man-
agement system. In the specific context of forest management of the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands, the government, forest department, forest-based industries, and
non-aboriginal populations have their own professional and cultural interests for
which the methods, techniques, and system of forest management they pursue are
tailored. All these self-constructions are based on economic evaluation and involve
significant political stakes. However, forest conservation in the Andaman and
Preface vii
Nicobar Islands by the tribal people is as old as their own history. A number of
anthropological writings (others also) clearly mention not only the existence of
indigenous methods of forest conservation, but also unique practices of forest man-
agement in their forest areas. There is no denying the fact that they do not know
about the silvicultural practices, especially the raising of nurseries, use of mulches,
use of fertilizers and clonal propagation. It is also true that they are clueless about
the high-yielding varieties of NTFPs, enrichment planting, soil and moisture con-
servation works, and multiple shoot cutting in coppice species. They are also igno-
rant of the forest regeneration and grid formation practices. Their forest conservation
and management practices are very simple and are a part of their cosmology, ethos,
and beliefs and traditions. These practices are part of their cultural existence and are
essential for their survival and fulfillment of basic needs. In spite of simplicity and
traditional roots, the qualities underlying such practices are too striking to be over-
looked. More importantly, most of these practices are advantageous and productive
from the vantage point of maintaining ecological balance.
The fourth heading deals with the Intrusion of Outsiders and its effects on tribal
lives and their environment. Only in this century have humans ventured in great
numbers in the rainforest. They are degrading, exploiting, and destroying it at such
an enormous pace that if this trend is allowed to continue, within a few years, only
isolated pockets of forest will be left. The traditional forest dwellers are powerless
to resist, their abode is plundered for timber and mineral wealth, and their rich veg-
etation is razed to the ground to make way for bigger development programs. It has
been estimated that one animal or plant becomes extinct every half an hour because
of environmental abuse; in the aftermath of this blind invasion, the forest people are
losing their knowledge along with their culture and the very means of their survival.
Knowledge, however, may be the very least of their losses, as their world is being
demolished around them. For the people of the forest, the devastation of their home-
land spells rapid cultural degeneration, despair, and often the death of the whole
tribe.
The fourth chapter gives a description of fieldwork, including brief interactions
with the tribal people, which highlights the fact that they are true conservators and
managers of their forest ecosystem.
The fifth chapter expatiates upon the concept of indigenous knowledge and
examines how far the existing regime of intellectual property rights can safeguard
the rights and interests of the indigenous people, as well as preserve their knowl-
edge. The sixth chapter presents a brief historical account of the changing forest
policies in India, emergence of the Joint Forest Management Program, and recent
challenges for participatory forest management policies. In this context, the chap-
ter also touches upon the existing forest laws and policies in the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands and the prospects of the Joint Forest Management Program with
the tribes.
In the concluding chapter, the Indian government’s approach toward tribal peo-
ple and the tribal policy following independence are investigated. The chapter sheds
light on the fact that despite good intentions, laws, and policies, the government has
not succeeded so far to understand the main requirements of the tribes. Instead of
viii Preface
giving a thoughtful consideration to the tribal policies, they have adopted on several
occasions certain ill-conceived measures, which amount to imposing development
and civilization or perpetuating isolation policy vis-à-vis the tribes. The differences
among the six tribes living in the islands have hardly been acknowledged, and a
single tribal policy has been formulated and implemented for all the Andamanese
and Nicobarese tribes. In this chapter, it is also stated that the government itself has
to be blamed for the violation of its own laws. The violation of Andaman and
Nicobar Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation (ANPATR) of 1956 and the
Supreme Court Order (2002) are very prominent examples of this. At the backdrop
of what has been happening in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, it can thus be
aptly inferred that the formulating laws and policies are not enough; they may
aggravate difficulties faced by the tribal people whose marginality calls for more
informed handling by governmental agencies. This calls for a more sensitive and
serious implementation of existing laws and policies.
The heart of the matter is that all people on the earth need tropical rainforests. At
the most fundamental level, rainforests provide a home for millions of tribal people,
who have adapted to life in this unique habitat. Surely, they possess traditional
rights to continue living in their traditional lands. For them, the forests provide shel-
ter, animal and plant products, and food among many other resources. In short, their
whole livelihood rests there. Non-aboriginal populations, who do not actually live
in the forests, depend on them as equally as the tribes. It is now known that although
forests cover less than six per cent of the earth’s land area, they contain more than
50 percent of all species. Hence, it is imperative to preserve this biological diversity.
The genetic resources contained in the forests are the common heritage of human-
kind and may well prove to be vitally important for the progress, prosperity, and
well-being of the entire human race. But it is virtually impossible to preserve these
resources unless we seek the help of the indigenous people and benefit from their
knowledge. Identification of indigenous methods of forest management can defi-
nitely be the first step toward this direction.
Delhi, India Kavita Arora
Acknowledgments
I am indebted to those who provided academic guidance and support for this work,
specially Dr. G. S. Saun, Director, Indian Council of Social Science Research, New
Delhi; Dr. S.S. Deora, Ret. Associate Professor, Political geography Division,
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi; Prof. C.S.R Murthy, Professor of
International Politics and Organization at the Center for International Politics
Organization and Disarmament Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi;
and Prof. Varun Sahni, Professor of International Relations at the Center for
International Politics Organization and Disarmament Studies, School of International
Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. My husband Mr. Vinai Kumar
Singh, Deputy Director, Indian Society of International Law, helped me to under-
stand the issues related to IPR. My sincere thanks to Yusuf and Mansi for correcting
my manuscript. I am also thankful to Mr. Kamal Bisht for helping me to make the
images for Andaman and Nicobar islands forest cover.
I am also thankful to our Principal Dr. P.K. Khurana for providing us an encour-
aging environment at Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, University of Delhi, and my
dear colleague and friends Dr. Swati Rajput and Dr. Poonam Sharma for moral and
academic support.
My acknowledgment remains incomplete if I would not mention Dr. Sherestha
Saini and her team members from Springer who provided me enough time and
space to complete the manuscript.
I am also grateful to my family members—my mother, brother, bhabhi, and
sister—for always standing by my side through thick and thin. Last but not least,
I am also thankful to my little son Jayant.
This work is dedicated to my father late Shri Jahangir Chand Arora.
ix
Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1 The Andaman and Nicobar Islands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.2 A Brief History of Andaman Forests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.3 Forest Management in Islands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.4 C an We Learn from Hunter-Gatherers? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1.5 Perception About Participatory Forest Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2 Forest Management by Andamanese Tribes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.1 Forest Management by “Erma Taga” (Forest Dwellers):
The Great Andamanese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.1.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.1.2 Lifestyle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2.1.3 Knowledge About Forests/Plants and Biodiversity . . . . . . . . . . 36
2.1.4 Methods of Forest Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
2.1.5 The Interference of Outsiders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
2.2 Forest Management by People of Gai Buralea’(Rain Forest)
and “Tangi Akini” (Mangroves): The Onges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
2.2.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
2.2.2 Lifestyle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
2.2.3 Knowledge About Forests/Plants and Biodiversity . . . . . . . . . . 60
2.2.4 Methods of Forest Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
2.2.5 The Interference of Outsiders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
2.3 Forest Management by People of Tinoon (Deep Forest):
The Jarwas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
2.3.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
2.3.2 Lifestyle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
2.3.3 Knowledge About Forests/Plants and Biodiversity . . . . . . . . . . 78
2.3.4 Methods of Forest Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
2.3.5 Interference of Outsiders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
xi