ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the notions, beliefs, and elements in the forest-peasant dynamics that inform many of the inherent characteristics of forestry practices in rural communities. It discusses the voluntary forest protection groups in Jharkhand and compares them with the Forest Protection Committees in West Bengal. The chapter argues that an inherent instability remains in specialized systems. It also discusses the peasant-forest interrelationship and the influences of forests on community forestry practices. The chapter explores how the villagers secure forests for use and management by creating ‘zones of exclusion’. It explains the records from the meetings held by the villagers in Jharkhand and Bengal. The chapter also examines the strength of the forest democracy and tests the degree and nature of the homogeneity of interests, opinions, and functions. Armed only with a limited knowledge of tenurial arrangement in Joint Forest Management, the tribal population, in particular, has demonstrated various autogenous activities in the issues of forest management.
