ABSTRACT
In India, the natural environment worshipped by forest-dwelling communities is receiving recognition and protection under the Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, which was passed in 2006. This piece of legislation, which is commonly known as the Forest Rights Act, empowers vulnerable forest-dwelling communities in India to protect their ‘natural and cultural heritage’ (Forest Rights Act, 2006: Sec. 5). This chapter explores the question of the interpretation of ‘cultural heritage’, in the specific legal context of the Indian Forest Rights Act. A case that illustrates the complexities inherent in such a question is that of the mobilization of the Forest Rights Act to protect the sacred Niyamgiri Mountain in India from mining. This chapter presents and discusses this case with the view to examine the implications of sacred nature that does not fit easily within site-specific boundaries.
